good evening and welcome to evensong here at canterbury cathedral in the deanery garden as i said this morning it was our intention to go to the beehives today but in fact the day has turned very blowy indeed and it reminds us how near the sea we are and very chilly as well and so for the first time since easter monday we've sought the hospitality of the hen house the hens are still in their winter quarters and so we'll say our evening prayers here and take some warmth from them oh lord open thou our lips and our mouth shall show forth thy praise oh god make speed to save us oh lord make haste to help us glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen praise ye the lord the lord's name be praised say one of the psalms for the tense evening of the month psalm 55 hear my prayer oh god and hide not thyself from my petition take heed unto me and hear me how i mourn in my prayer and i'm vexed the enemy cries so and the ungodly cometh on so fast for they are minded to do me some mischief so maliciously are they set against me my heart is disquieted within me and the fear of death has fallen upon me fearfulness and trembling are come upon me and unhorrible dread has overwhelmed me and i said oh that i had wings like a dove for then would i flee away and be at rest lo then would i get me away far off and remain in the wilderness i would make haste to escape because of the stormy wind and the tempest glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen well the wind and the tempest are the theme of this afternoon and i'm reading from the 10th chapter of the book of the exodus we are in the middle of the plagues which the lord is causing through the hand of moses to make pharaoh allow his people to be set free and the lord said to moses stretch out your hand over the land of egypt for the locusts so that they may come upon the land and eat every plant so moses stretched out his staff over the land of egypt and the lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night when it was morning the east wind had brought the locusts the locusts came up over all the land of egypt and settled on the whole country of egypt such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been seen before they covered the face of the whole land so that the land was darkened and they at all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees not a green thing remained neither tree nor plant of the field and pharaoh hastily called moses and aaron and said i have sinned against the lord your god and against you now therefore forgive my sin please only this once and plead with the lord your god only to remove this death from me so moses went out from pharaoh and pleaded with the lord and the lord turned the wind into a very strong west wind which lifted the locusts and drove them into the red sea you say the song of mary the magnificat my soul doth magnify the lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in god my savior for he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed for he that is mighty hath magnified me and holy is his name and his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations he has showed strength with his arm he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts he had put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble and meek he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent empty away he remembering his mercy hath opened his servant israel as he promised to our forefathers abraham and his seed forever glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen reading from the third chapter of the gospel of saint john beginning at the first verse now there was a man of the pharisees named nicodemus a ruler of the jews this man came to jesus by night and said to him rabbi we know that you are a teacher come from god for no one can do these signs that you do unless god be with him jesus answered truly truly i say to you unless one is born again you cannot see the kingdom of god nicodemus said to him how can one be born when one is old can one enter a second time into one's mother's womb and be born jesus answered truly truly i say to you unless one is born of water and the spirit one cannot enter the kingdom of god that which is born of the flesh is flesh that which is born of the spirit is spirit do not marvel that i said to you you must be born again the wind blows where it wishes and you hear it sound but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes so it is with everyone who is born of the spirit the wind blows where it wills we're used to thinking that the winds have different gifts to bring the east wind the west wind the south wind the north wind so many songs and rhymes about them and the kind of things that they bring but they always bring a change it's a warm wind the west wind full of birds cries i never hear the west wind but tears come to my eyes i think john maysfield wrote that who himself wrote a great play here for canterbury the coming of christ but at the same time one has old rhymes about the north wind of blow and we shall have snow or blow the wind southerly southerly southerly different conditions and yet the wind and the spirit the same word in scriptural terms bring gifts and often cleansing massively important for sea changes within the garden here the trees which were covered in blossom for a few weeks are cleansed of the blossom and new growth takes place on the twigs so that fruitfulness is advanced by a wind coming and changing the season then again the seeds when they come can be scattered and sent abroad for fruitfulness again and roots are made strong almost by the exercise that the wind is giving them and all kinds of diseases can be shifted by aphids and insects and in our story locus being removed indeed the gift of god but not so great a gift as god's spirit given and offered to us likened by saint luke in the acts of the apostles to a strong and mighty wind causing a great change in the apostles themselves from frightened locked in men in that upper room to people who broke out and became in a different way the twelve with so many men and women joining them immediately afterwards the winds which cause change but winds for which we can also be grateful even though this afternoon we've had to take shelter from them so we give thanks for all the gifts of god in creation and for fruitfulness of the spirit in our own lives and pray that we may always be open to god's gifts of his grace lord now let his son thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou has prepared before the face of all people to be a light to lighten the gentiles and to be the glory of thy people israel glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen i believe in god the father almighty maker of heaven and earth and in jesus christ his only son our lord who was conceived by the holy ghost born of the virgin mary suffered under pontius pilate was crucified dead and buried he descended into hell the third day he rose again from the dead he ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of god the father almighty from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead i believe in the holy ghost the holy catholic church the communion of saints the forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting amen let us pray lord have mercy upon us christ have mercy upon us lord have mercy upon us our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil amen o lord share thy mercy upon us and grant us thy salvation o lord save the queen and mercifully hear us when we call upon me and do thy ministers with righteousness and make thy chosen people joyful o lord save thy people and bless sun inheritance give peace in our time o lord because there is none other that fighteth for us but only thou o god o god make clean our hearts within us and take not thy holy spirit from us call it for this fourth sunday after easter oh almighty god who alone can start to the unruly wills and affections of sinful men grant unto thy people that they may love the thing which thou command us and desire that which thou dost promise that so among the sundry and manifold changes of the world our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found through jesus christ our lord amen o god from whom all holy desires all good counsels and all just works to proceed give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give that both our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments and also that by thee we being defended from the fear of our enemies may pass our time in rest and quietness through the merits of jesus christ our savior amen light in our darkness we beseech thee o lord and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night for the love of our only son our savior jesus christ amen so we keep silence for a moment and make our prayers for any who this night need our prayers those we've read about have seen on our television screens who need prayer and support and those who this day will spend their time and their resources helping them the god of peace who brought again from the dead our lord jesus said great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be among you and remain with you this night and always