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Good morning. When on this day in 1983 Britain woke up to the first ever broadcast of Breakfast TV, it was hosted by Frank Bough and Selina Scott. Some of us may also remember the first appearances of the exuberant astrologer, Russell Grant, and the regular exercise slot led by "Green Goddess" Diana Moran. Soon other stations followed and now it seems there’s something for everyone on morning telly. 
Some of us have stuck with our trusty radio programmes, while others don’t get a choice because our children are already up before we are, or our jobs demand that we work all through the night.
But whatever it is that pulls us from our slumber, it isn’t long before the burdens of the day come rushing in – the bills to pay, the jobs to do, the relationship that’s strained or the loneliness that seeps into every day. There’s often the nagging feeling that we won’t find the strength to cope. In the midst of such emotions it can be difficult to believe what the prophet Jeremiah says in Lamentations, that the steadfast love of God never ceases, Heaven’s mercies never come to an end; that they are new every morning. 
Even in an age before TV and radio, I wonder if Jesus woke up struggling in the same way. The gospels say he got up early, before anyone was about, and went off to pray.  Jesus too, it seems, needed a ‘prayer for the day’, a time to gather some perspective on the busyness that was already pressing in, a time to give the new day to God and seek the presence of grace and peace that would accompany him from dawn until sunset.  
And so, we join in his example,
God who has wakened usTo this new morningBless us now with peace in our heartsClarity in our mindsAnd strength in our bodies That lasts the whole day long. Amen