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Music: Alleluia, Amen (Leighton)Choirs of Leeds Cathedral
The Archbishop of York says:
Alleluia. Christ is risen!聽He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Welcome to each of you joining this service as聽 we worship God together on the Third Sixth Sunday of Easter .聽
We are filled with Easter joy as we celebrate the Resurrection and we find glimpses of hope as new life appears around us. There is also the hope brought by Covid Vaccines and the relaxing of restrictions. There is a time to give thanks for this but we鈥檙e also aware that we are living through a global crisis, that many still feel the pain and anguish of the pandemic. In times of trouble and in times of great joy many people turn to prayer; a conversation with God that can help in the most extreme of situations but also in our ordinary day to day existence.聽聽
In today鈥檚 reading from the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that God his Father listens attentively to us his children, that he hears us when we pray. And he is willing to answer us when we do. Since we have such a loving Father, Jesus invites us to ask, to seek, to knock at the door.
Today we鈥檒l think about ways of praying, how to start, and how to gather up the confidence to begin a lifetime habit of prayer to God, who has already given us all that we can ask for in Jesus, who died to destroy death for us and has risen to give us new life.

Music:聽 Alleluia, alleluia, hearts to heaven and voices raiseChoir of St Martin in the Fields
God shows his love for us聽in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.As we offer ourselves to him in penitence and faith,聽we renew our confidence and trust in his mercy.
Music: Kyrie for the Magdalene (Hans Zimmer)Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: The Da Vinci Code聽 Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life.Lord, have mercy.Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins.Christ, have mercy.聽聽Lord Jesus, you fill us with the living bread.Lord, have mercy.May almighty God have mercy on us,forgive us our sins,聽and bring us to everlasting life,聽through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Let us pray.
Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord: give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.聽
The Archbishop of York says
We will now hear our first of three reflections about prayer from Hannah Betteridge, an intern with The Belfrey Church in York聽
REFLECTION 1 鈥� What is prayer and how do I start?Hannah Betteridge, Belfrey intern
What is prayer and how do I start?
For me prayer has always been a part of my life, and it鈥檚 now part of my morning routine and it helps me to start the day off right by talking to God.
When you start a relationship with anyone I think many would agree that conversation is very important and that鈥檚 just the same with our relationship with God. I鈥檝e been familiar with a style of prayer, , where I would start with thankfulness and praising him for things that have past, then say sorry for things that I am doing wrong, and finish with bringing my sadness and asking him for help in situations to come.聽 聽 聽聽
Prayer can often be over complicated by adding in lots of long words but you can keep it simple and at the end of the day God simply rejoices when he hears your voice calling out to him.
I love this quotation, 鈥楪od calls out to every human heart and longs to make a home in every human heart. But God waits for us to respond鈥�. It reminds me of when I was younger I remember singing a song called 鈥楶rayer is like a Telephone鈥� and when you speak to someone on a telephone you have to actually pick it up. And in the days when corded telephones were more commonly used, you would have to make time for that person as you couldn鈥檛 really move anywhere or do anything else while talking to them. And that's exactly what prayer is like: finding a time to talk to and 鈥榦ffer God your thoughts, even your distractions and anxieties鈥�.

Music: What a Friend we have in Jesus聽Jonathan Veira Life and Soul聽
The Archbishop of York saysFrances Simon, actress and speech and drama coach, will share her reflection on how we can build prayer into everyday life.聽

REFLECTION 2 鈥� How to build prayer into everyday lifeFrances SimonHow do I build prayer into everyday life? 鈥� Journaling鈥�Journaling helps me to immediately connect with God and has been a favourite go to over the years.聽I keep a pen and paper by my bed and note down how I am feeling.聽 It usually starts with praise and then gets down to the nitty gritty.

My last entry was just 10 lines long and then I whizzed into my busy day and left the overflow of my heart with my God on the pages of my Journal.God always listens and is always there.聽 My refuge who I turn to, a very present help in trouble where I feel safe.
Through Journaling God becomes near and as the scriptures say, draw close to God and he will draw close to you.By having my notebook by my bedside, I am drawing him close.聽 I am the bride he is the bridegroom.聽 Through Journaling I am journeying with God. (1 minute 15 secs)聽聽
God is my refuge and strength, an ever鈥損resent help in trouble.聽 Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging鈥� The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46 1-3, 7) (1 min 42 secs)
Music: Psalm 46, 'God is our hope and strength' (Luther)Choir of Westminster Abbey/Martin Neary聽
Music: Lascia Ch' Io Pianga (G F Handel)Stjepan Hauser聽London Symphony Orchestra: Robert Ziegler



PSALM 4The Revd Simon Bray
1聽 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness;聽 you set me at liberty when I was in trouble;聽 聽 聽 have mercy on me and hear my prayer.2聽 How long will you nobles dishonour my glory;聽 聽 how long will you love vain things and seek after falsehood?3聽 But know that the Lord has shown me his marvellous kindness;聽 聽 when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.4聽 Stand in awe, and sin not;聽 聽 commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.5聽 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness聽 聽 and put your trust in the Lord.6聽 There are many that say, 鈥榃ho will show us any good?鈥櫬� 聽 Lord, lift up the light of your countenance upon us.7聽 You have put gladness in my heart,聽 聽 more than when their corn and wine and oil increase.8聽 In peace I will lie down and sleep,聽 聽 for it is you Lord, only, who make me dwell in safety.
The Archbishop of York saysIt鈥檚 not easy to pray, especially when times are hard. The Revd Anne Richards is the chaplain at Archbishop Sentamu Academy in Hull and gives her personal reflection on this.
REFLECTION 3 鈥� How to pray when prayer seems impossibleThe Revd Anne Richards
The world was preparing for Christmas, and I was two hundred miles from home, in a hospice, at my Mum鈥檚 bedside.聽 After 2 years of bravely living with an incurable rare cancer, Mum was dying.聽Advent waiting took on a whole new meaning.聽Words often failed me, so prayer became a silent vigil.聽 A beautiful playlist held us together as family 鈥� and especially soothed Mum, as we took it in turns to hold her hand. A borrowed nativity scene illuminated by battery-operated tea-lights reminded us of Christ鈥檚 light, present with us in our suffering.聽My solitary walk to and from the hospice was often accompanied by words from the Psalms which bubbled up. Inwardly, I would gently repeat them over and over. They somehow gave expression to my heart鈥檚 cry and brought me comfort.聽My journal was a listening friend, where I wrote things exactly as they were 鈥� thoughts and prayers that questioned God and tried to make sense of our circumstances. 鈥楬ow long O Lord?鈥櫬燬ometimes tears were my only prayer, as the agonising, wearying, ache of grief overwhelmed me, especially during long sleepless nights, spent in the solitude of my friend鈥檚 spare bedroom.聽聽The prayers and compassion of the church, friends near and far, reassured us that we were surrounded by God鈥檚 love, regardless of our capacity to pray or worship.聽聽聽In the depths of grief, prayer certainly felt impossible to put into words, yet it became something deeper and holier than I鈥檝e ever known. In the words of Psalm 120,聽 鈥榠n my distress I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me鈥�.聽God, through the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, was surprisingly close.
Music: Out Of The Deep (John Rutter)Cambridge Singers, City Of London Sinfonia: John Rutter
GOSPELRebecca Cottrell
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke. (11.1-13) Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, 鈥楲ord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.鈥� He said to them, 鈥榃hen you pray, say:Father, hallowed be your name.聽 聽Your kingdom come.聽 聽Give us each day our daily bread.聽 聽And forgive us our sins,聽 聽 聽for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.聽 聽And do not bring us to the time of trial.鈥櫬燗nd he said to them, 鈥楽uppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 鈥淔riend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.鈥� And he answers from within, 鈥淒o not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.鈥� I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
鈥楽o I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!鈥�
This is the word of the Lord.All Thanks be to God.
Music: The Lord鈥檚 Prayer (Albert Hay Malotte)Fron Male Voice Choir
SERMON
The prayer that Jesus taught his friends is the heart and pattern of all Christian prayer.
The first two words may be the most significant: Our Father.God is a loving parent 鈥� father and mother. Jesus himself called God Abba, meaning Dad. This is the intimacy we have with God. And even though some people have had damaging experiences of family, and parents have let them down, by using this word, Jesus says that relationship with God can heal and restore all elationships and that we, too, can dwell close to the Father鈥檚 heart.Then, please note, it isn鈥檛 my Father, but our Father.聽The Lord鈥檚 Prayer teaches us that praying is something we do together 鈥� even when we鈥檙e on our own!聽Whole books could be written about these two words and the revolutionary change they bring to our relationship with God and our relationships with each other, and, therefore, to the meaning of prayer which is, first of all, to dwell intimately in relationship with the God who loves us and comes to us in Jesus.In Jesus we have access to God. We can bring God everything.
As for the rest of the Lord鈥檚 Prayer, well there鈥檚 hardly time here to say much more, but after these opening words the great Anglican theologian, Austin Farrar, described the Lord鈥檚 Prayer as 鈥榯hree hearty praises followed by three humble petitions.鈥� These six phrases show us what our life and what our prayer should be.聽
First, we praise: hallowed be your name. With our unveiled faces, we gaze upon the beauty of God. We come into God鈥檚 presence. We are transformedWe seek God鈥檚 kingdom on Earth. We hunger and thirst for God鈥檚 righteousness and peace.聽We ask that God鈥檚 will be done in our lives and in the life of the world. We take sides with the poor and the oppressed.We鈥檙e not trying to change God鈥檚 mind. We鈥檙e asking God to change ours! To conform our lives to that pattern of life that we see in Christ.And we do ask things for ourselves. But not the usual self-regarding wish list as if prayer were a transaction or a deal, but, first, only that God will give us our daily bread. Nothing more. Nothing less. The whole world could do with learning the radical simplicity of this prayer. Teach us what enough looks like. Save us from ourselves.
Then, mindful of our many shortcomings, not least our greed, we confess our sinfulness and seek God鈥檚 forgiveness. We learn to be merciful because we know how much we need God鈥檚 mercy ourselves.
Finally, we pray for strength to face temptation and be delivered from evil. And because God is a loving Father and Mother we offer this prayer not to one who is distant or uninterested, but to the one who has come to us in Jesus and taught us how to pray.
I think it was Therese of Lisieux who said that if you could say the Lord鈥檚 Prayer once and truly mean it, you would be in heaven.聽
I鈥檝e said this prayer many times and will almost certainly say it many times again. This goes to show that I am not yet in heaven; that heaven has not yet been builded in the earth.聽

THE LORDS PRAYER - MUSICMusic: PrayBeth Nielsen Chapman聽

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
Let us declare our faith in God.
All聽 聽 We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high.
We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.聽

Music: O Lord Hear My Prayer (Taize)
笔搁础驰贰搁厂听
Archbishop Stephen says
Jesus says, 鈥楩or everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.鈥� I invite聽 you now to join with me in knocking on that door in confidence that God will hear our call.聽
Sometimes it鈥檚 difficult to find the words. So it鈥檚 helpful to rely on some memorable ways of bringing your concerns before God. Sometimes , we need to make prayer more physical, to express in external signs and symbols the internal longing and desires of our hearts.聽 The following strategy is聽 based on what the Dutch theologian Henri Nouwen called 鈥榦pening up our tightly clenched fists鈥� to pray.聽
You take your closed fist, and gradually open it up, to receive the blessings and wisdom that God longs to give each and every one of us. In this way, your hands open before God, your hand itself can be a basic pattern and reminder of how to pray.
So I hold my clenched fist in front of me now.
Now stretch I out my thumb. We begin with thanksgiving 鈥� count our blessings. Thank God for today and for the good things in our lives. For Christians this includes the resurrection of Jesus who destroys death and sin.聽 We thank God for new life, for the hope brought by vaccines and medical care, and the relief felt by many as restrictions become more聽 relaxed.聽 聽(brief pause)聽Then I stretch out my index finger. the finger we use to point. So we pray for direction in our lives, for the decisions we need to make, the things for which we are responsible. We pray for direction for the world and its people, for all those who are facing uncertainty and anguish, that they might find their path through the darkness. (pause)
I now add my middle finger. , the tallest on my hand as we pray for those who have power in the world: for our Church leaders, for the Queen and her ministers, for other governments, and for local leaders. We pray that they are guided by justice, peace and truth in their decisions and leadership. (pause)
My ring finger is the weakest finger. It can鈥檛 do much on its own. We pray for the people we聽 rely on: our friends and family, the people we depend on聽 and those that depend on us. We pray for all those in caring positions, give them the strength they need to support others.聽 (pause)
Lastly I stretch out my little finger and pray for those who desperately need help: the sick, the poor, the weak, the vulnerable, the bereaved and those who face violence. We remember those who have died and those who mourn. May the Resurrection bring hope to the hearts of all who suffer. (pause)
And finally we lift both our hands to God in thanksgiving, and pray for our own needs. (pause)


Archbishop Stephen says:
Thank you for being with us this morning to worship God, giving thanks for the glorious resurrection of Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit. My prayer for each one of you is that, confident in God鈥檚 promises, you may be persistent in your walk with God, and that you will have the courage never to lose hope, but always to bring your prayers before him, wherever life takes us.
Music: Longing for Light we wait in DarknessChoir of St Martin in the Fields
The blessing of God,聽Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,聽be with you now and for ever.Amen.