Image Distorted

Okay, here we go.

Do you know when you're reading, how do you feel?

Let me just ask you, how do you feel when you hear that Genesis 3 account being read?

It's worth thinking about that, though, just reflecting on that.

How does that make you feel?

Because there's something about that account, it's just absurd, isn't it?

Why? Why did you do it?

And there's something about the way that the Bible speaks about sin

that confronts us with that unanswered why question.

We're left thinking, this makes no sense.

It's absurd.

It's anti-rational in every possible way.

And there's something about that in this account in Genesis 3.

It's hugely explanatory of so much of what we experience in this world, of course.

And that's why we're going to spend a little bit of time on it

and just unpack it a little bit further.

What we want to do is just talk a bit about the text

and some of the features of sin and what it is and what it does.

Look at the extent of it.

Think a little bit about why the extent of it,

and talking about that actually paradoxically is good news.

And then think a little bit about some of the cultural factors

in this cultural moment that take aspects of this sin,

this problem, and amplify it

so that we can begin to relate that to this moment that we're living in.

I mean, it doesn't take a genius.

Yes, these are just a bunch of photos of ugliness, really.

It really doesn't take much of a genius

to say that things are not the way that they're supposed to be.

How else do we talk about stuff that goes on in the world?

I think about Only a Stone's Throw from Here

was where I did one of my first ever funerals.

Preached at a funeral

for very dear friends of mine

whose daughter had been born at 26 weeks

and only lasted a matter of a couple of hours after birth.

What do you say in those circumstances?

Tough?

It's always been like this?

These things happen?

Because they do, right?

It has pretty much always been like this.

These things do happen.

Get over it.

I wouldn't recommend that as a preaching strategy

or a pastoral strategy in those kind of situations.

Really, the only thing I could say,

and it was taking that passage from Revelation 21,

was this is not the way it's supposed to be.

It wasn't meant to be like this.

It wasn't created to be like this,

as broken as this.

And therefore, the way that we feel about it,

the anger that we feel,

the indignation at the wrong,

the sorrow, the lamenting,

the howling grief,

is right and proper.

It's a proportionate, proper, right response

to things being broken.

And you know, that response that we have

makes no sense

if things have always just been this way.

This is one of the reasons that,

in fact, the problem of suffering

or the problem of evil

is much more of a problem for the atheist

than it is for the Christian.

Intellectually, it's really hard

to give an account

of why we should have a problem with it

if there is no absolute outside of ourselves,

if there is no way it's supposed to be.

Where on earth does that come from?

Otherwise, it's just,

has always been like this.

Suffering is nature,

red and tooth and claw,

so why should we have a problem with it?

We have a problem with it

because it's not the way it's supposed to be.

It's marred.

It's twisted out of shape.

It's, and this is to use Augustine's picture,

it is humankind curved in upon itself.

Think about that as a way of thinking

about what sin is,

just for a second or two.

I'm going to focus very much

on the concept here of autonomy.

Autonomy, a word that's used

frequently in our cultural context,

but autonomos, self-law.

You know, we decide ourselves.

We're in charge ourselves.

So the key concept I want us to get a hold of,

and it's almost certainly

where we're going to go tomorrow

in the morning,

is that at the heart of the way

that the Bible's seeing this,

is that if you like,

life is intended to have God himself

on the throne and ruling,

and us on his behalf

reflecting that good reign and rule

to those around about us.

And that this gets disordered

when we throw God off,

when we push him aside,

and when we push him aside

and take his place on that seat,

on that throne instead,

this autonomy, this,

as Augustine then said,

self-curved in upon self.

Instead of loving God and loving others,

we curve in instead.

That idea then of autonomy,

of this thrusting of God aside,

and the putting of ourselves in place,

is exactly what we're seeing

in this account in Genesis.

The temptation to the woman,

it starts with what?

Did God really say?

Question about his word.

How, by the way,

was Eve to know what God had said?

If you read through the,

we didn't read it this morning,

but if you read through Genesis 2,

you'll see Adam created first,

and God's mandate,

God's instructions to Adam

about where he's not to eat

are given before Eve is created

in that account in Genesis 2.

So how's she meant to know

what she can and can't eat?

Because Adam's meant to tell her, right?

And so if she gets it wrong,

at least in part,

we can ask whose fault is that?

And where is Adam, by the way,

when she's being tempted?

Did you notice that

as we read that?

It's right there with her.

Right there with her.

Like a big numpty saying nothing,

if you like.

It's fascinating.

But the temptation,

did God say a doubt

about God's goodness?

Is God really good?

Can you really trust him?

As one of the Puritan authors said,

that in every sin,

there is atheism.

In every sin,

there is a doubt about God

and his goodness.

And really, that's the case.

It's a question.

Is he good enough that I can trust?

But the temptation goes beyond that for Eve.

It goes beyond that to,

if you eat this,

you will be like God.

Fundamentally,

we see in Genesis 3

a rejection of creatureliness,

a rejection of our place in creation

as creatures under the Creator,

given a place and a task,

a mandate,

a glorious gift of life

as creatures.

And the temptation,

no, no, no,

you can be like God.

A rejection of creatureliness.

Now,

we might say,

given the creation account

that we've just read earlier on,

that when we reject creatureliness,

we shouldn't expect things to go well.

And indeed, they don't.

They really don't.

I wonder if there's been

a cultural moment

when creatureliness

has been more rejected

at a cultural,

at a societal level

than it is being right now.

You know,

when we have,

for example,

just to take

one controversial example,

primary school kids

being told

how you feel

about yourself inside,

that,

well,

you know yourself best,

that defines reality.

And whatever you feel about that,

that's true.

But there's a rejection

of the givenness

of creatureliness,

that there's things

we don't get to decide

because we're creatures,

not the creator.

So,

this account then

is hugely explanatory

of so much

of what we then see

in our life

and in our culture right now.

There is a rebellion

in Genesis 3.

It is rooted

in a doubt

of God's goodness.

If we don't believe

that God is good,

why on earth

would we want to obey Him?

Why would we want

to be in that position?

I mean,

you know,

obedience that is just

sort of a white-knuckle

determination

to do it right

because I'm scared

of the consequences.

Augustine had something

fascinating to say

about that.

He said,

obedience to the law

that is rooted

in fear of punishment

is not obedience

at all,

he said,

because it's done

in a spirit

of servitude

instead of a spirit

of sonship.

You're doing it

like a slave

instead of a child.

And the reason

that's important

is the idea

we introduced

in the last session

that the human mandate

is to represent

the character of God.

When you see,

and this is

the mandate

then for the church,

the vocation

of the church

is then to present

to the world

who God is

and what He's like.

And if our obedience

is out of a spirit

of servitude,

of slavery,

we are saying

our master

is a slave driver

instead of saying

we are loved children

and our master

is the loving Father.

so that how we then

relate to Him,

whether we believe

His goodness

or not,

to be captured

by the goodness of God,

there is nothing

more important

we could say.

We see the curses,

the effects

of sin

in that account

that we read.

I want to say one thing

about one of the bits

of translation there

where it speaks

of the curse

on the woman.

Your desire will be

for your husband

and he will rule over you.

It's a fascinating

little bit there

because the Hebrew term

for your desire

for your husband

only occurs one other place

in the whole of the Hebrew Bible

and that's in Genesis 4

and it's about sin

crouching at the door

desiring to master you.

In other words,

I think,

I think,

maybe a better way

of that,

it's not,

in other words,

it's not a text

about sexual desire.

it's a text

about somehow

the relationships

between the sexes

being broken

and being competitive

where they're not

meant to be competitive.

I think that's

something of what's

going on there.

But everything

is spoiled.

Work is spoiled.

Labor is spoiled.

Everything

is frustrated

and the whole

of creation

is affected

by it.

we're designed

for that intimate

presence with God

doing meaningful work

and yet,

how does it feel

for most of us

most of the time?

We could say

that what happens

in that account

in Genesis 3

is a fourfold

disruption

of relationship.

And I'm just going

to put them all out there

so you can see them

all at once.

First of all,

and obviously,

there is a disruption

of relationship

with God himself.

I mean,

that's obvious

because the first thing

they do,

having wanted to know

as God knows,

and by the way,

just as a little aside,

a little sort of

philosophical aside,

we don't know

as God knows.

We know as creatures

to whom God reveals.

And that,

by the way,

is just huge implications

for how we think

about knowledge

and some of the ways

in which we've gone wrong

in society.

If anyone's talked

about that later,

delighted to do so.

But that relationship

with God

is broken,

is disrupted.

The first thing

they do is to hide

from God

in the garden

when he comes

to walk with them

in the garden.

But to hide

from God

and then

to hide

from each other,

to cover up,

because the end

of Genesis 2

says that the man

and the woman

were naked

and had no shame.

It's a beautiful picture.

Absolutely beautiful picture.

And, of course,

it's not just the idea

of physical nakedness.

It's the idea

of relationship

in which there is no shame.

Think about this

for a second

as a slight aside,

but I think it's important.

Where do you look

when you feel ashamed?

Where do your eyes go?

Down.

Right.

You look down.

Okay.

The Hebrew expression,

and this is fascinating,

and it relates

to the story

I told at the beginning.

My last conversation

with my father

just five days

before he died

in a plane crash.

It's another story.

I wrestled with him

to get him

to look me in the eye

so that I could bless him

and tell him

that I loved him

and I was proud of him.

And finally,

it's like,

look me in the eye.

It was a real wrestle

and my mother was

getting nervous

in the background.

Look me in the eye.

You need to hear this.

I am unreservedly proud of you.

And he looked me in the eye

and he accepted it.

Just after that,

I was preaching

through Malachi.

The Hebrew idiom

in Malachi

for God accepting us

is,

will God lift the face?

Think about that

just for a second.

But the answer

to shame

is a lifting

of the face.

Think about

the Aaronic blessing.

Lord,

that Yahweh

bless you

and keep you

and make his face

shine upon you.

This idea

of face-to-face

is an incredibly

rich biblical idea

and God's acceptance

of the shamed one

to lift the face

and to look

and to confer

blessing

and honor

and dignity.

And what happens here

is the eyes

go down

because they hide.

They hide from God

so relationship

is disrupted

with him.

They hide from each other.

Relationship

is disrupted

with each other

and they lie

about it

so they're actually

introducing

a disintegration

in themselves.

They're actually,

their relationship

with themselves

at that point

when they're lying

about it

is also fractured.

And then we see

with the result

of the curses

that the relationship

with the whole of creation

is also adversely affected.

Fourfold disruption

of relationship

that kind of explains

pretty much everything

that we experience

day by day

in the frustration

of living.

Broken relationship

with God,

with self,

with others,

and with the creation itself.

That's the effects

of wanting

to be like God.

Rejecting

our creatureliness.

So that's Genesis 3.

That's the account of it.

And at the heart of it

is this autonomy.

I will be like God.

I will be in charge.

I always think

about my daughter.

She's now 30.

Actually,

she's still like this.

It's not just

when she was little.

It would be,

I do it myself.

I do it myself.

And then,

you know,

10 minutes later,

whatever.

Dad,

help.

She's still at that

at 30,

which is slightly concerning.

But anyway,

autonomy.

I do it myself.

I be at the center

because I can't trust

anybody else to do so.

I need to be at the center

to arrange my life,

my circumstances,

my relationships,

everything around me.

It all exists

to serve

my comfort,

my security,

and my pleasure.

That's the call

of autonomy.

And fundamentally,

this is what I want us

to grasp,

is that that's a rejection

of creatureliness.

It's putting ourselves

in the place

of God himself

who's the one

who guarantees

to meet those needs

for us.

And when we reject

that creatureliness,

we shouldn't expect

things to go well.

Why is this good news?

Because it doesn't sound

very much like good news,

does it?

But the universality

of it actually

is good news.

I'm just going to skim

through this

next section.

But it's good news

for this reason.

It is a universal

diagnosis.

And that means

that there's nobody

here

who is not

infected by this.

This doesn't mean

that all of us

are as bad

as we could be,

but it does mean

that every part

of every single

one of us

is infected

by this same

disease,

this same

bent

towards autonomy,

this same

curving in on ourselves

instead of loving God

and loving others,

trying to get

what we can

from the world

to make our lives

work.

This desperate

attempt

to construct

identity

for ourselves,

to answer those

questions on our

own terms.

We're all

infected by it.

And the thing

about that is

that if we're

all infected

by it,

then one of the

things this means

is that there

is nobody

here who is

any worse

than anybody

else.

Which means

that if you're

sitting feeling

crushed by your

sin,

and you look

around and you

make that

cardinal error

of comparing

how you feel

outside,

inside,

to how others

look outside,

do you know

that mistake

that you can

make?

Well,

they look like

they're sorted

and together

and that life

is fine,

but I know

how I feel

internally.

It's a big

mistake we all

make is comparing

those two,

but it's not

a fair comparison.

But if you're

sitting and you're

thinking,

well,

these people

clearly don't

sin the way

that I do,

don't struggle

the way I do,

this is good news

because it's saying,

no, no,

actually,

we're exactly

the same.

The ground is

level or we're

all in the same

boat,

whatever metaphor

you want to

use there.

But if you're

also sitting here

and you're

thinking,

well,

I'm pleased

with yourself

because you've

done pretty well

in life and

you've sorted

things out,

you've achieved

and you're

a jolly nice

person,

well,

there's news

here that also

levels the field

for you because

you're in exactly

the same boat

as everybody

else.

So the wonderful

thing about this

is it's actually

incredibly leveling,

though none of

us as sinful

as we could

be,

we're all

infected.

One of the

things this

does then is

to free us

from our

pride.

There's nothing

to be proud

of,

we're all

on the same

level.

One of the

things that

was said to

me,

I remember

it vividly,

I was a

medical student

at the time,

I was at

the Christian

Medical

College

Conference

in

Creef

and I

was boasting

to this

Chinese

medical

student

about my

own commitment

to God

and how I

was so much

more committed

than these

other guys

who didn't

take it

seriously

as I

did.

And he

said one

thing to

me,

he said,

Mark,

the ground

is level

at the

foot of

the cross,

thereby

chopping my

legs from

under me

in a

wonderfully

merciful

moment.

The ground

is level.

There's no

one better,

no one

worse.

No reason

to feel

better than

your brother

or sister,

no reason

to feel

worse.

than your

brother

and sister,

but instead

to be

shoulder to

shoulder with

brothers and

sisters,

because we

are all

struggling with

the same

thing.

That means

then,

and this is

lovely,

there is no

space for

self-righteousness.

How can

people who are

so infected

with this

particular disease

feel proud of

the stuff that

we've done,

feel that we've

managed to

arrange our

lives in

such a way

as to

establish our

own

righteousness?

That too

is an

autonomous

rejection of

creatureliness.

Have you

ever thought

about self-righteousness

as a rejection

of creatureliness?

But it is.

It's exactly

what it is.

This also

frees us to

face reality.

We don't

need to

pretend that

things are

different to

what they

are.

We don't

need to

kid on that

we're sorted

and together.

One of the

things that

has so

blighted

the church

and especially

in this land

and I now

live in the

highlands

and boy

it's kind

of off the

scale that

has been

historically

there

is this

kind of

pretense

that somehow

maturity

as a

Christian

looks like

not having

any troubles

anymore,

not having

any struggles,

being free

from sin.

You have

this absurdity

of a view

of Christian

leadership

that says

something like

let me tell

you how

much you

need Jesus

whilst I

show you

how little

I need

him myself.

A false

view,

an utter

lie

that says

I'm sorted

and together

and I don't

have any

issues and

troubles and

struggles anymore.

No,

this doctrine

is wonderfully

leveling.

It brings

us all to

the same

place as

brothers and

sisters before

the same

God

desperate

and this

is the

thing,

it makes

us look

outside

ourselves.

We can't

fix this

ourselves.

It forces

us, once

we begin to

understand this

doctrine of

sin rightly,

it forces us

to look

outside of

ourselves to

the answer,

to look to

God to

say,

have mercy

on me.

Would you

do something

about this?

And it

frees us

from any

attempts to

fix it

ourselves.

us.

And that's

good news.

Really,

really briefly,

just in

passing,

it's not

just pretending

about sin

not being

there that's

a problem.

We need

to be

willing to

talk about

it appropriately.

It's also

our naivety

about it.

I've just

finished editing

a book on

the misuse of

power in the

church,

which is a

pretty sobering

subject.

But there's

one whole

chapter that a

friend of mine

wrote on

evangelical

naivety about

sin.

We don't

think it

can happen

here.

Do we

really think

that any

of us is

incapable of

any particular

sin?

Being free

to face it

and talk

about it,

not be

naive about

it,

because it's

in being

naive about

it we allow

really dark

things and

especially abuse

to flourish.

That's just a

side note in

passing.

So we might

say as we

think about

this,

who am I?

This framework,

remember that

creation,

fall,

redemption,

and new

creation?

We're kind

of covering

creation,

fall,

we've talked

a bit about

new creation,

redemption,

we'll talk

about more

tomorrow,

although it's

kind of woven

through everything

that we're

saying.

We're created

image bearers,

but also we're

sinful rebels.

The Bible's

very clear on

this one.

And we'll

talk more

about the

fact that we

become children

known intimately

and part of

an entity

that has a

purpose in

the world.

Let me ask

this then,

as we think

about this.

When you're

asking this

question,

just take

these questions

and we can

maybe come

back to

them.

The serpent

comes to Eve

and tempts

her with,

did God

really say?

And whispers

lies to her.

The tempter

is described

in various

other parts

of scripture

as the

devil,

which is

an anglicization

of the Greek

diabolos,

which means

the slanderer.

The slanderer,

the one who

tells lies to

destroy or the

accuser.

It's just

worth asking,

what other

voices do you

listen to

that answer

the question,

who am I?

Who are you?

What answers

that voice in

your head,

that question

in your head?

So what other

voice is speaking

there?

You know,

I've already

shared a bit

of my own

story,

so things

like being

told,

yeah,

you're an

intelligent

idiot,

it's really

helpful,

stupid,

you look in

the mirror,

the voices

that are

telling you,

what are they

saying about

you?

How does

that make

you feel?

And there's

a fourth

question,

what do

you do

with that?

How do

you answer

the who

am I

question?

What pain

does it

cause you

and what

are you

taking for

the pain

is a really

great way

of understanding

how we

function as

human persons.

Let me

say a few

things as

time,

as we

hurtle in

this train

towards the

buffers at

the end of

the station.

Autonomy

and identity.

Let's just

add in a few

cultural factors.

So I'm

saying something

that's a

core idea.

Autonomy

is a

problem.

It's in

fact the

problem involved

in this

rejection of

creatureliness and

we live in a

cultural moment

that takes

that and

amplifies it

to the

nth degree,

to a degree

that's perhaps

never been

seen quite in

the same way

historically.

This cultural

moment that

speaks much

about identity

but defines

identity in

terms of

internal state

or feeling

rather than

something that

is given to

us, something

that is chosen.

Now there's a

real danger

actually for

many Christians

to talk about

well yeah

you've got your

identity in that

but I've got my

identity in

Christ.

There's a

similar problem

because it's

still placing

you as the

one who

chooses,

as the

autonomous

chooser and

I'm just

choosing the

best product

out there

off the

shelf.

rather than

an inferior

one.

No, and

this is what

we will come

to tomorrow,

Jesus' call

to discipleship

dethrones the

autonomous self

completely.

But the

culture is

encouraging that

sort of

autonomy, a

rejection of

creatureliness,

you decide how

you feel and

on the basis

of that, that's

reality.

I don't think

it's uncontroversial

to say that's

something that's

being massively

encouraged through

our culture,

through our

education system.

through many of

our news and

entertainment media

as well.

Alongside that,

there's this

loss of

absolutes.

And I'm

hesitant in

saying this

because although

there is a

kind of a

denial that

there's something

out there that

defines what is

right and wrong

for everybody

regardless of how

I feel about it,

that there are

such a thing as

absolute moral

rights and

wrongs.

wrongs.

There is a

rejection of

that.

If you want

to really dig

into this,

C.S.

Lewis and the

Abolition of

Man is one of

his most

important books

written 80

years ago and

just incredibly

prophetic in

describing where

we've got to

culturally right

now.

But the loss of

the idea that

there's a right

and a wrong

out there that

doesn't depend

on how I

feel, the

ethics,

therefore,

what I decide

is right and

wrong,

isn't just

about how I

feel about

things.

When I say

something's

wrong, I'm

not just

saying I

don't like

it.

I'm saying

there is

something wrong

out there.

Now, that

loss of being

able to say

there's something

absolutely wrong

is a real

problem in

this rejection

of creatureliness.

The enthroning

of ourselves is

the ultimate

arbiters of

truth and

right and

wrong.

Now, I said

I'm hesitant

in saying it

because nevertheless,

as created

image bearers,

we can never

really fully

escape the

idea that

there is an

absolute out

there.

Otherwise, why

would you

cancel people?

If it's just a

matter of

preference and

how you feel,

no, people

actually really

do still deep

down believe

there are some

things that are

wrong for

everybody all

the time.

And when we're

having conversations

with them, we

need to try and

connect with that

and recognize

that.

We're talking

about an

expressive

individualistic

culture.

that the

worst thing,

the worst

sin that can

be committed

is to stop

the individual

from expressing

how they feel.

So there must

be no law.

There must be

no restriction

and no

constraint.

So in an

expressive

individualistic

society,

shaped by that,

this is,

for those who

want to go into

that more,

it really is

Nietzsche

via Disney,

if you like,

is how we

end up where

we are.

The idea

that I have

within me all

the good that

needs to be

expressed and

anyone stops

that, that

that's an

evil.

That's the

evil in the

world.

And therefore,

a God who

comes along

with commands,

that's wicked.

That's something

we need to

reject.

And in that

cultural context,

education then

becomes,

instead of

what education

has been

historically

through the

centuries and

millennia,

education has

been training

people to

love what is

good and to

hate what is

wicked and

evil.

A training of

the desires

and the

loves.

And when we

don't do that,

what we end up

with is

education as

propaganda

instead of

formation and

shaping.

These are just

some of the

aspects of our

cultural moment.

I suspect folks

will want to

talk a wee bit

more about that

in questions.

I hope you do

because I think

this is where

it really starts

to get gritty

and real and

very challenging

because the

question is,

how do you

relate to that

in ways that

are Jesus-like

without resorting

to just hating

it?

We're living in

a moment,

yeah, I

believe in me.

How's that

turning out for

us?

It's an

important question

to ask in a

culture that has

enthroned autonomy

more than any

other culture

ever at any

point.

Ironically,

what we see

is people who

are infinitely

manipulable by

whoever has the

levers of

propaganda and

information.

It's a terrifying

prospect.

How is it

turning out?

It's not well.

This generation

of young folks,

students, folks

under the age of

30, are, of all

the generations

that have ever

been examined

and measured,

the most

depressed, most

anxious, most

suicidal, most

miserable, least

well-educated,

etc.

This isn't

turning out well.

And just that

question of how

is this going?

And will more

of the same,

but better,

fix this?

Silly slide.

I'm going to,

well, we're nearly

at that.

I'm going to

finish with this.

Will I?

This is from

100, oh,

when's Sartre again?

30s, 40s,

somewhere in

about there.

Anyway, it's a

long time ago,

but he's writing

this.

Whatever happens,

he says,

and this is,

I think,

sums up this

moment.

Whatever happens,

it's by my

agency,

everything must

happen.

I am autonomous,

in other words.

Even if he let

himself be carried

off like an old

sack of coal,

he would have

chosen his own

damnation.

He was free,

free in every

way,

free to behave

like a fool

or a machine,

free to accept,

free to refuse,

free to equivocate.

He could do

what he liked,

no one had the

right to advise

him.

There would be

for him no

good or evil

unless he brought

them into being.

He was alone,

enveloped in this

monstrous silence,

free and alone,

without assistance,

without excuse,

condemned to

decide,

without support

from any quarter,

condemned forever

to be free.

That's how your

average 15-year-old

high school student

in Scotland

feels right now.

My wife works

in a mental

health support

charity and she

hears the

response to this

all the time.

this is a

catastrophe

for everybody

but especially

for a generation

that grows up

believing this,

rootless,

foundationless,

miserable,

anxious,

desperate for

love,

desperate for

approval,

desperate for

real relationship

because that's

what they were

created for

and this is

not the way

it's supposed

to be.

Autonomy

is not the

answer.

it's the

problem.

Let me just

this really

I mean

there we go.

This applies

to everything

obviously

and we can

maybe tease

some of this

out a bit

more in

Q&A

this afternoon.

And a

positive place

to finish.

The dethroning

of the

autonomous self

then is good

news and

that's exactly

what Jesus

calls us

to do.

Let's pray.

Father thank

you.

This is a

sobering topic.

It's deep,

it's weighty

and Lord we

cry out to

you for a

generation of

young people

who are being

lied to,

misled,

in whom

the image

of God

is being

defaced.

And Lord

we long

that the

good news

that you

have shown

to us

we might

shine outwards

as light

into this

culture

that men

and women

young men

and women

might be

transformed

by encountering

the living

God

and might

be set

free

from

this

corrosive

autonomy.

Have mercy

on us Lord.

Would you

please shine

your light

in each of

our lives

today

right now

on the

areas in

which we

need to

get off

that throne?

If we

are proud

Lord

would you

humble us?

If we

are crushed

by the

weight of

sin

would you

let us

know

that we

are

side

by side

with

brothers

and sisters

and that

you

in your

mercy

would

save

and

forgive?

Oh Lord

please be

with us

as we

eat

together

now

and enjoy

each other's

company.

Would you

guide our

conversations

that they

would be

up

building

to us

and pleasing

to you.

In Jesus'

name.

Amen.