[Music] is [Music] [Music] uh is [Music] welcome to canterbury cathedral on this evening of easter day itself it's been the most lovely day and we've come into the garden to say our evening prayers in front of the cherry trees which have begun to bloom in the last couple of days but of course we remind ourselves that this is a time of great crisis and of nervousness about the spread of the coronavirus disease and so our easter services so full of hope and resurrection messages are also full of prayers for those who are most in danger those who are sick and those who are attempting by their decisions and skills to combat this disease at this time i'm going to use part of the office of evening prayer from the book of common prayer and then we shall have a lesson from the scriptures oh lord open thou our lips and our mouth shall show forth thy praise oh god make speed to save us o 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 i'm going to use some verses from one of the psalms suggested by the book of common prayer for easter day it's psalm 118 and speaks of trust in god day by day even in dark situations oh give thanks unto the lord for he is gracious because his mercy endureth forever let israel now confess that he is gracious and that his mercy endureth forever let the house of aaron now confess that his mercy endureth forever yea let them know that fear the lord confess that his mercy endureth forever i called upon the lord in trouble and the lord heard me at large the lord is on my side i will not fear what man doeth unto me it is better to trust in the lord than to put any confidence in man it is better to trust in the lord than to put any confidence in princes they came about me like bees but are extinct even as the fire among thorns for in the name of the lord i will destroy them thou has thrust saw at me that i might fall but the lord was my help for the lord is my strength and my song and is become my salvation the voice of joy and health is in the dwellings of the righteous the lord the right hand of the lord bringeth mighty things to pass the right hand of the lord hath preeminence i shall not die but live and declare the works of the lord this is the gate of the lord the righteous shall enter into it i will thank thee for thou hast heard me and out become my salvation the same stone which the builders rejected is become the headstone in the corner this is the lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes this is the day which the lord hath made we will rejoice and be glad in it we have the pleasure this afternoon of welcoming joanna lumley as the reader of our new testament passage john is going to read from luke's gospel the story of the road to emmaus which took place on the evening of the first easter day and behold two of them went that same day to a village called emmaus which was from jerusalem about three school furlongs and they talked together of all these things which had happened and it came to pass that while they communed together and reasoned jesus himself junior and went with them but their eyes were holden that they should not know him and he said unto them what manner of communications are those that ye have one to another as you walk and are sad and the one of them whose name was cleopas answering said unto him art thou only a stranger in jerusalem and has not known the things which have come to pass there in these days and he said unto them what things and they said unto him concerning jesus of nazareth which was a prophet mighty indeed and word before god and all the people and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified him but we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed israel and beside all this today is the third day since these things were done yay and certain women also of our company made us astonished which were early at the sepulcher and when they found not his body they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels which said that he was alive and certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher and found it even so as the women had said but him they saw not and he said unto them o fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken ought not christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and beginning at moses and all the prophets he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself and they drew nigh unto the village whether they went and he made as though he would have gone further but they constrained him saying abide with us for it is toward evening and the day is far spent and he went in to tarry with them and it came to pass as he sat at meat with them he took bread and blessed it and break and gave to them and their eyes were opened and they knew him and he vanished out of their sight and they said one to another did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the scriptures and they rose up the same hour and returned to jerusalem and found the eleven gathered together and them that were with them saying the lord is risen indeed and has appeared to simon and they told what things were done in the way and he was known of them in breaking of bread that story a story of the first easter day is the most wonderful story because it captures all that goes on in that day it begins with two people having a journey feeling dejected as they walk along the road from jerusalem to the village of emmaus where they are to stay and of course as they journey the stranger joins them and as the stranger is the second time in the day that jesus has been mistaken mary magdalene mistook him for the gardner and now these two mistake him for a stranger but a stranger who begins to explain to them though their minds cannot grasp it that all that has happened has fulfilled what was written in the old testament the law and the prophets and the psalms when they get to the house they invite him in and then he is recognized by the gesture of his breaking bread which he has done so often in the past and at that moment when they have realization he vanishes from their sight until then there's not been much energy in them but now suddenly and here's the great secret of easter day suddenly they have the energy to run all the way back to jerusalem just as mary had run that morning from the tomb and they tell their story but they find also that their story is matched by others who have seen the lord he has appeared to simon and as we remember in the morning mary has come back to them and said i have seen the lord and now he's been recognized in the gesture that he told us to remember him by the breaking of bread which continues with the sharing of bread truly a wonderful story and a story of hope much will now go on in the days ahead and the weeks ahead as that group of disciples learn more and more before they have the courage by the power of the holy spirit to become the body of christ themselves and give good news to the whole world good news that we rehearse today in all our prayers and in the hymns that we would sing so as we come to say our evening prayers despite our grief and trouble at this time we also claim the gift of hope through resurrection new life and that hope causes us to be encouraging to one another that we may get through this time and be reunited with all those whom we love but today we can give them the gift by these means of saying prayers together for them so first the special prayer for easter day almighty god who through thine only begotten son jesus christ has to overcome death and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life we humbly beseech thee that as by thy special grace preventing us that has put into our minds good desires so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect through jesus christ our lord who liveth and reigneth with thee and the holy ghost ever one god world without end amen and a prayer for this particular time father of all you call us to be generous to one another and to recognize in their faces the true image of your son give us grace on this easter day that as individuals and as whole societies in this time of great need we may minister friendship and support in ways that are safe to all those who day by day are in need of the service of others through jesus christ our lord amen so we say each in our own way and in our own language wherever we are in the world feeling the unity of all of us around you in the proclamation of the resurrection of jesus those words he taught us to say our father who 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 for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever are men time of silence now as we make our own prayers as this holy day draws to a close the god of peace who brought again from the dead our lord jesus christ that great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect in all good works 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 upon you and upon all whom you love this day and forever are men alleluia christ is risen he is risen indeed hallelujah [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] you