Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Well, quite a lot has changed in a week.

Enormous things have happened, but one of the biggest things that happened is the transition we're making this morning.

Because if you were here last week, we just got out of Egypt, and today we're just going into Ephesus, which is a massive change.

We've changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

We've changed from narrative to epistle.

We've changed from the covenant community being Old Testament Israel to it being the New Testament church.

We've changed continents from Africa to kind of the bridge between Europe and Asia.

We've changed country from Egypt to Asia Minor, or if you're a 21st century person, Turkey.

And we're going to study Ephesians, and Ephesians is my favorite letter.

So I am so excited to be able to start it off for us this morning.

It is a majestic letter.

It's an enormous letter.

This is what John Mackay, he's Scottish, but he was the former president of Princeton Theological Seminary said.

To this book of Ephesians, I owe my life.

At the age of 14, reading it for the first time, I saw a new world.

Everything was now fresh.

I had a new outlook, new experiences, new attitudes to other people.

I loved God anew, and Jesus became the center of everything.

I had been quickened by this letter, and was now really alive.

And when he came to Edinburgh in 1948 to lecture at New College,

he spent a whole autumn term preaching on the book of Ephesians, and this is what he wrote.

Ephesians is the greatest, maturest, and for our time most relevant of all Paul's works.

For here is distilled the essence of the true Christian religion,

the most authoritative, consummate compendium of the Christian faith.

This letter is pure music.

What we read here is truth that sings, doctrine set to music.

Now one of the things I love to do, being the pastor of this church,

is to sample the many coffee shops there are in Brunsfield.

I have particular favorites, and depending on who I'm meeting and what the purpose is,

we'll go to a different place.

So if it's a normal meeting, we'll go to Costa.

If it's a breakfast, we'll always be at Project Coffee.

If it's a difficult meeting, we'll go to the chocolate tree.

And what I've discovered in the chocolate tree is that they sell chocolate cake,

which is underwhelmingly small.

You get it, and it's like this little triangle.

And you think, 3.70 for that.

And do you know what?

I've been there four times.

Because you're all quite happy people, so the chocolate tree is not needed that much.

And I can never finish it.

This tiny little triangle of chocolate cake, and I have a voracious appetite.

And I can never finish it because it's so rich.

It's so sweet.

And it is so chocolatey.

And if we're not careful, Ephesians can be like the chocolate cake from the chocolate tree.

That we can't finish it.

Because it's so densely packed.

So full of great theological things.

And so we're going to have to go steady.

We're going to have to take small bites at a time.

And we're going to have to chew it properly, or else we'll have indigestion that will last us till well after Easter.

So we've got to go careful.

It is densely theologically rich.

It is like a doxological death by chocolate that is loaded with doctrine.

We're going to be here for 12 weeks.

We're going to do it in two chunks.

And we're going to have a great time and learn wonderful things about the Lord Jesus.

But if I say to you, Moby, what do you think of?

If I say, Moby, what do you think of?

I dare say you're thinking of one of two things.

And it will be largely dependent on your age.

If you're seasoned, you'll be thinking Moby Dick.

The big white whale, the arch nemesis of Captain Ahab.

And the book written by Herman Melville.

That great American author.

Or if you're young, or trendy, or both, you'll be thinking of Moby, the New York-based electronic music DJ.

And if you're not thinking of either, you just missed.

You're just kind of middle-aged and you missed both things.

And the really interesting thing about Moby is his proper name is Richard Melville Hall.

It's his real name.

And the reason his real middle name is Melville is because he is a distant relative of Herman Melville, the one who wrote Moby Dick.

That's free.

You can bring that up over lunch.

But what you may not know about Moby is that Moby is a Christian.

And he was on the front cover of Relevant Magazine.

And this is what it said.

Moby, why he loves Jesus but not the church.

Moby, why he loves Jesus but not the church.

And this is an incredibly prevalent view in our day.

We really like what Jesus has to say, but church is a bit of a hassle.

We really like Jesus, but hanging out with his people is a bit too much effort.

And what we need, if we're not going to be Mobyites, that's a new word, is we need the book of Ephesians.

Because the book of Ephesians tells us that we cannot love Jesus but loathe his bride, the church.

Have you ever had that in your life where you have a friend who gets married to someone you don't really like and it's just awkward?

Every time you have them around for fajitas, it's just really tense.

And Ephesians tells us we can't do that.

If we love Jesus, we've got to love and invest and be part of his bride, the church.

We can't just have one-dimensional Christianity that it's me and Jesus.

We've got to have three-dimensional Christianity that it's me and Jesus.

Me and Jesus' people that I'm called to belong with.

And me and Jesus and Jesus' people pressing out into the world.

Three dimensions.

And so we need Ephesians and it's going to be so helpful to us.

Ephesus at the time of writing is a big metropolis, about 300,000 people.

It's the most important city in the Roman province of Asia Minor.

And it is the cultural melting pot where east meets west.

Dominating the city skyline is the temple of Artemis.

Do you remember in Acts 19 when they chant for three hours,

Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.

Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.

And it's a church that Paul knows really well.

We have more about Ephesus over a longer period than any other New Testament church.

Paul brings the gospel to Ephesus in Acts chapter 19.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

Luke gives it more column inches than any other city in Acts.

We then have in Acts 20 the tearful goodbye between the Apostle Paul and the Ephesian elders

when they gather at Miletus.

We read in 1 Timothy 1 that Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to curtail and combat false teaching.

Then by the time we get to Revelation chapter 2,

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

we have a progress report from Jesus himself.

And he says three things about the church.

He says,

And then probably the most helpful thing we have is this book of Ephesians,

this letter that Paul penned to the church sometime when he was in prison.

And it is an incredible letter.

It's probably a circular letter meant for all the churches in Asia Minor.

This verse we're going to read, verse 1, where it says,

To the saints in Ephesus.

That's probably a later edition as the early manuscripts don't have that.

So it's probably a circular letter, but it becomes synonymous with Ephesus.

And it's a letter of two halves that we're going to see.

The first half, chapters 1 to 3, a doctrine.

The second half of duty.

Or exposition and then exhortation.

Or what God has done and then what we must do.

And therefore we're going to fill our lives full of the Lord Jesus.

And then we're going to work out what that looks like Monday to Saturday.

The letter seeks to shape the believer by reminding them how wonderful God's work is in Christ.

How significant their unity is in Christ.

And what living for Christ looks like in life.

So let's dig in.

Let's get to work.

And start reading and not talking.

It is a bit like Saving Private Ryan.

If you've seen that film, there's no kind of warm-up.

The first thing you see is this enormous battle scene.

It's like that in Ephesians.

There's no warm-up.

What we're reading today is like the biggest vista of salvation history you could ever hope to see.

And so we're going to have to really concentrate and hold on to our hats.

It's also one massive sentence what we're going to read.

Verse 3 to verse 14.

There's not one iota of punctuation anywhere.

It's almost like Paul just gushes it out.

But we're going to have to breathe because I can't do it in one breath.

Martin Lloyd-Jones preached 27 sermons on these 11 verses.

And we're going to be done by 25 to 1.

This is what Paul writes.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

to God's holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus,

grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ,

in accordance with his pleasure and will,

to the praise of his glorious grace,

which he has freely given us in the one he loves.

In him we have redemption through his blood,

the forgiveness of sins,

in accordance with the riches of God's grace,

that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

He made known to us the mystery of his will,

according to his good pleasure which he purposed in Christ,

to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment,

to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

In him we were also chosen,

having been predestined according to the plan of him

who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

in order that we,

who were the first to put our hope in Christ,

might be for the praise of his glory.

And you also were included in Christ

when you heard the message of truth,

the gospel of your salvation,

when you believed.

You were marked in him with a seal,

the promised Holy Spirit,

who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance

until the redemption of those who are God's possession

to the praise of his glorious grace.

Well,

doing that in one breath would just about kill you, I think.

The first thing we see is blessed.

Verse 3 is like the big sentence,

the big theme,

the thesis

that he's going to unpack in the following verses.

It is a doxology.

He says,

this is who I am,

this is who you are,

and his big headline is praise.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He's doing this to worship God.

Praise is mentioned four times

in this chapter in verse 3,

in verse 6,

in verse 12,

and at the very end in verse 14.

And it's a funny thing, isn't it,

that in our world,

people praise the funniest things.

So I thought I was going to be quite middle-aged

and order some new kitchen utensils.

And the only kitchen utensil I really know how to use

is the wooden spoon.

So I was reading a review on Amazon.com,

and this is what one woman wrote

about wooden spoons.

The spoons arrived promptly

and in excellent condition.

I put them to work straight away.

They are absolutely marvelous.

I'm overjoyed with my purchase.

They enhance my cooking experience no end.

I don't know how I survived without them for so long.

These spoons are my savior.

The best £2.20 I've ever spent.

It's incredible praise, isn't it?

It seems so pathetic.

And yet what Paul is praising in this letter

is the only rightful person

in all the universe that we should praise.

There's an amazing wordplay going on.

That word praise at the beginning

is the word blessed.

So literally it says,

blessed be the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ

who has blessed us in the heavenly realms

with every spiritual blessing.

We bless God,

we speak rightly of Him,

because He's poured out so much blessing on us.

He has literally given us the kitchen sink.

Just poured it out and poured it out.

And therefore,

and therefore,

Paul says,

speak rightly,

speak adoringly about you.

We bless Him because He's blessed us

with every spiritual blessing.

And He's done it in the heavenly realms.

He's done it in the heavenly realms.

Now what does that mean?

It's a word exclusive to Ephesians.

It is a way of saying

this isn't the only reality.

There is a spiritual reality

above this physical reality.

A larger reality exists

where Christ is already exalted.

Where believers participate in His victory

and where spiritual forces are opposed.

Though believers live physically on this earth,

they receive spiritual resources

and their identity

from this higher plane.

That's what it's talking about.

Spiritual realm.

Heavenly reality.

Literally the heavenlies.

That's what Paul

is praising God

because He's been included

and blessed in that realm.

And so he unveils

four massive blessings.

And the first one is this.

Chosen and adopted.

They're in verses 4, 5 and 6.

For He chose us.

Verse 5.

He predestined us for adoption

to sonship

through Jesus Christ.

Now when we talk about

words like choosing

and predestination,

some people's blood pressure spikes.

They want to throw things.

But I don't think

that it is that unusual

in the Bible,

this idea of choosing.

I think we see it

all over the place.

Abraham isn't having

a quiet time

in Ur of the Chaldeans

and suddenly thinks

I'd really like to be

the progenitor

of a great nation.

And I'm going to leave Ur

and go to a land

that I don't know.

God sovereignly chooses.

I don't think Noah

is studying nautical engineering

at Napier University

in the middle

of the Saudi Arabian desert.

He says,

I think I'd really like

to do a little project

and build a big ark.

even though it's not

rained before.

God seems to sovereignly choose.

Moses,

as we saw in our Exodus series,

isn't chilling

in the desert of Midian

and thinks,

at the age of 80,

I should really set about

the emancipation

of my people in Egypt.

God meets him

in a burning bush

and says,

I've chosen you.

Gideon

isn't thinking,

I really like to beat up

to Midianites.

He's hiding in a hole

as a big wimp.

David isn't the front runner

for ascension

to Israel's throne.

He is from a farming family

in the redneck part

of Israel

with seven more

impressive brothers

and yet God

seems to choose.

Jonah isn't attending

a Friends of Nineveh

peace rally

and decides going

as an envoy

to Assyria

would be a good idea.

Not at all.

He's a bigoted,

nationalistic,

Israelite supremacist.

God says,

I've got a job for you.

I've chosen you

for this task.

Levi isn't sitting

at the dock

at the tax booth

in Galilee

collecting the money

owed to the Roman government

from the fishermen

and yet Jesus

walks straight up

to him and says,

follow me.

Seems there's

some sovereign choosing.

Yes, they obey

but it seems that God

has taken the initiative.

Even Paul

who writes these words

knows this to be true.

He's not journeying

to Damascus

to attend a

Christianity Explored course.

He's going to

put people in prison

to beat some up

and kill a few

if necessary

and yet Jesus

meets him

and says,

I've got a job for you.

There seems to be

on the face of it

some sovereign choosing.

From the mouth of Jesus

in John 15, 16

you did not choose me

but I chose you.

Same for you and me

I think.

If we're believing

in Jesus today

yes,

we put our trust

in Jesus

but it seems

that he initiated

it.

He was pursuing us

by his grace.

That's a really good thing

I think.

It's almost

a much nicer feeling

to be the chosen

rather than the chooser.

It's always nicer

to be the one

proposed to

certainly less nerve-wracking

than to be the one

proposed to

rather than the proposer.

And that seems to be

what Paul

is talking about here.

That God has initiated

he stepped towards

each of us

to offer grace.

relentlessly pursuing us.

And he started

about this plan

before the creation

of the world.

Now I don't care

how old you look.

You weren't there

before the creation

of the world.

God has been

in this initiating

phase

stepping towards

each of us

in grace.

that we might

put our faith

in his son.

Notice that he's

chosen us

for a reason

to be holy

and blameless

in his sight.

That as we accept

this grace

he sets about

work

to change us

to transform us

justifying us

giving holiness

objectively

but then changing us

sanctifying us

to make us holy

subjectively.

notice in verse 5

it is in love.

We're not talking

about a mechanical

celestial lottery

the motivator

for this

is because

he loves us

and he's chosen us

and he's stepping

towards each of us.

Notice as well

this idea of adoption.

Adoption is always

at the bequest

of the parents

I think.

There are many children

who just force

themselves on two

adults and say

adopt me.

And God says

I've adopted

speaking of children

God says

I've adopted you.

I've adopted you

for a purpose

and adoption

in this culture

is a big deal.

It's not only

status being

brought into a family

but it's also

vocational.

That you always do

what your father did.

If your dad was a baker

you were a baker.

If your dad was a fisherman

you were a fisherman

if your dad was a carpenter.

You ended up a carpenter.

Just put your hand up

if you do the same job

your father or mother did.

Not many.

A few.

More than I thought.

But in this culture

you did what your father did.

And so Jesus

is the son

par excellence

because he says

I only do

what I see my father doing.

I only do the work

that I see my dad doing.

And so when he adopts us

as sons

he adopts us

to do what he's doing.

To put his character

on full display.

To mirror what he's like

to the watching world.

God.

I've adopted you

to sonship

to display what I'm like.

What does this look like?

Well surely the first thing

is that we're always

stepping towards people

in grace.

No matter who they are.

Not because they're

meritorious

or virtuous

but because we're

reflecting what God is like.

That he steps towards us.

The first great

spiritual blessing

that Paul says

is that we're chosen

and adopted

by God.

Second spiritual blessing

and these are less controversial

so we'll spend less time.

Is that we're redeemed

and forgiven.

We don't really have

the concept of redemption

in our world.

I guess the closest we get

is when you buy your laptop

back from cash converters.

Or you get your wedding ring

back from the pawnbrokers

if it's gone really bad.

Either way.

Redemption though

is absolutely tied

to slavery.

And the problem

we have

when we think of slavery

is we think of

American colonialism.

But in the Roman world

you could become a slave

for a number of reasons.

One would be

military conquest.

But the main way

you became a slave

is you became bankrupt.

So if I was living

in Ephesus

I'd think

I'm going to open

a perfume shop.

And I open it

in downtown Ephesus

and it goes really well

for a while.

But then competition

increases

and demand decreases

and the bills rise

and there's more

going out than coming in

and I can't cope

I can't keep up.

But I can't declare

myself bankrupt

because there's no

bankruptcy laws.

I can't call in

the receivers.

I have to sell myself

into slavery

until I've paid back

the debt that I owe.

And the only way

I'll get out

is either that I pay

the debt back myself

or somebody

pays it for me.

This is exactly

what has happened

in the gospel.

That we by choice

and compulsion

have sold ourselves

voluntarily

and absolutely

into slavery

of sin.

We've accrued

an insurmountable debt

that even given

all eternity

we could never pay back.

And yet God

steps towards us

in grace

and he pays it for us

but he doesn't do

a bank transfer.

He doesn't use

his mobile phone

to ping it.

He pays

with the costliest

resource

in the whole

entire world.

He pays

with the blood

of his own

son.

And as he dies

our death

in our place

for our sin

he holds out

to us forgiveness

and life.

Spiritual blessing

number two

is redemption

and forgiveness.

Putting grace

on glorious display

God is that good.

Now perhaps

you're here

this morning

and you don't

know this Jesus

you don't know

what it is

to be redeemed

and forgiven

and actually

if you're honest

you think

I don't really

need it.

I'm not really

a sinner

God could really

have no beef

with me.

I'm really

not a slave.

Well I want

to lend you

the church

for a week.

I want to lend

you the church

to put a display

up of your life

and we're going

to display it all.

We're going

to display

every thought

and attitude

idea

and word

you've said.

We're going

to plaster

the whole thing.

It's a good job

we've got such

a big church

because some

of you

look quite old.

Now there'll be

some bits

that you really

want to show

people.

Look at this

this is where

I got my

five metre

swimming badge.

Look at this

this is where

I got grade

eight on the

cello.

Look at this

this is where

I made my

first fajita.

There's some

bits that you'd

be really proud

of and say

come on in

and see this.

There'd be

other stuff

that you would

be appalled

if people saw

thoughts that

you'd had

things that

you'd done.

The Bible

will call that

sin.

It's not just

being judged

by a human

authority

it's being judged

by a holy God

whose standard

is perfect.

If that's

us

there's even

one square

inch of the

wall we

would want

people to

see.

We need

Jesus.

We need

redemption

and forgiveness.

Number three

disclosed and

revealed.

Look at

verse 10

look at

verse 9

rather

he made

known to

us the

mystery of

his will

according to

his good

purpose which

he purposed

in Christ

to be put

into effect

when the

times reach

their fulfilment

to bring

unity to

all things

in heaven

and on

earth

under

Christ.

It's the

word mystery

you see

is where

we sometimes

go wrong.

He's not

thinking

Hercule Poirot

Miss Marple

or Sherlock

Holmes.

It's not that

kind of

mystery.

It's a

secret

that's been

concealed

that has

now been

revealed.

It's something

that can only

be known

by being

disclosed.

Christ.

And the

Bible says

that now

we know

that mystery

now we're

copied

into the

memo

we're now

in the

divine

loop

and know

what all

the world

is about

and where

it's

heading.

Spiritual

blessing

number three

is that we

have seen

the whole

picture.

We've seen

how it

started

and where

it's

heading.

We're

privy to

the entire

eschatological

plan of

God's.

It's again

such good

news.

Because from

the ground

zero of

our lives

it seems

like it's

all out

of control.

Seems like

the news

isn't getting

better.

Human

wickedness

seems to

be getting

worse.

Seems like

it's running

amok.

That there's

no one at

the helm

of the

universe.

We see

ISIS and

Ebola and

Ukraine and

Jihadi John and

Greece and the

financial collapse

and cancer and

Syria and

Darfur and

Iraq and

Afghanistan and

Charlie Hebdo and

child poverty and

child soldiers and

child abuse and

the Danish cafe

atrocities in North

Korea, corruption,

broken promises and

a widening poverty

gap and on and on

and on and we

think it's out of

control.

And yet Paul tells

us that it's all

heading somewhere.

It's all heading

to the point where

God's patience is

exhausted and he

sends the Lord

Jesus and the

ultimate aim is to

bring to unity all

things in heaven and

on earth under

Christ.

That's where it's

heading.

To the time and

place where God

enforces the rule of

his son to rule over

absolutely everybody,

absolutely everywhere.

And the glorious

thing is because he's

made known that plan to

us we can be on board

with that plan before

it happens.

That's what happens in

the church.

This is like a

microcosm showing what

the future is going to

look like.

What draws us all

together?

The fact that Jesus

reigns.

He reigns in each of

our lives and as he

reigns in each of our

lives he draws us

together in a family.

The best apologetic for

the church is the

church.

The people looking in

go what a diverse group

of people who seem to

hang out as family and

yet not many of them are

related to each other

biologically.

And as the world sees

that they go there is

something different.

Paul tells us the

reason that's attractive

is because that's where

it's all headed.

To the point where

everybody who loves

Jesus is gathered

together where he

rules and reigns.

Unity is not an

optional byproduct of

church.

It's an absolute

necessity that we cling

to Jesus and cling

together.

because it makes

Jesus look glorious.

Brings praise from

our lips.

Spiritual blessing

number three is

disclosed and revealed

and lastly sealed and

guaranteed.

Do you see it there?

When you believed you

were marked in him with

a seal the promised

Holy Spirit who is a

deposit guaranteeing our

inheritance until the

redemption of those who

are God's possession.

This is good news.

This is good news.

Because when I believe

in Jesus the Holy

Spirit comes and dwells

within me as the

resident boss of my

life.

And as he comes he

molds and shapes me and

he gives me perseverance

and things like that

meaning that I will get

to the end.

Meaning that I can have

absolute certainty.

When I believe in Jesus

I'm sealed by the Holy

Spirit who dwells within

me who's not going

anywhere and will

ensure and be able to

keep me until the very

end like a guarantee.

Like a deposit.

Like paying a bit of

something up in advance

but quite a big chunk

because you paid for it

in the blood of your son

and you have this

guarantee which means

that there will be a

collection day at the end

when it's all brought in.

Now I know what we

think of guarantees.

Even John Lewis.

We root around for the

receipt.

Still within guarantee

and you take it and you

hold the two things and

look apologetically towards

them and just hope

they're going to say yes

or no whether the

deposit and guarantee is

still available.

This guarantee is

absolutely sure.

It's lifelong.

It'll last you all of

your life.

And if we will but

trust in Jesus

sealed and guaranteed

and welcomed

forever by God.

I went down to see

Ruth last Monday.

So frail and so weak

and yet so steadfast

in her love for the

Lord.

Because she had

absolute confidence

that it wasn't how

hard she could cling

to him.

It was how much

he was holding

on to her.

Because she knew

what it was to trust

Jesus to be indwelt

by the Holy Spirit

and to be sealed

and guaranteed.

Which has been

cashed in

just yesterday.

And she is

welcome forever

in the Lord Jesus.

It's great spiritual

blessings here.

Chosen and adopted.

forgiven and redeemed.

And what are we to do

with it?

Well we're to praise

God.

We're to thank him

that he's been so good

and gracious and kind

to each of us.

This isn't meant to be

theological ranting.

This is meant to

spark our hearts

and kindle praise

from our lives.

The second thing

is all over this

chapter is

in Christ

in the beloved

in him

eleven times

in him

in him

in him

and therefore

what are we to do?

Well if we want to

take hold of these

spiritual blessings

more and more

it's about walking

closer and closer

with Jesus

that all of our lives

would be found

in him

all of our lives

would be lived

for him

that he would take

everything from us

because he alone

is worthy.

Therefore how do we

take hold of this

and become praiseful

people?

By being in him

and fully in him.

Here's number three.

We have absolute

security.

God has chosen

in the past

keeps us in the present

and he'll get us

through to the end

and therefore it

frees us to live

risky, bold,

outrageous,

radical lives

for him.

To go out there

and be the sons

that he's called us

to be

to put his character

on full display

to the world.

To be gracious

and loving.

To disclose the plan

of God

to anyone

we come into contact

with.

Because we're free.

Finally and fully free.

Free to be the people

that God has called us

to be.

Living life

in the light

of these spiritual

blessings.

And therefore I think

we can simply say

with Paul.

Praise be to the God

and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ

who has blessed

each of us

in the heavenly realms

with every

spiritual blessing.

Let's pray.

Father God

you have been so

kind to us.

You've been so

good to us.

Father you've loved us

even though we were

unlovable.

You chose us

even though no one else

would ever choose us.

Because you love us

that much.

Therefore Lord

may this love

be at work

in our lives.

May your spirit

that lives within us

be changing us

and equipping us

and enabling us

to put your character

on full display.

Father we love you

and we want to

praise you more

so keep these things

fresh in our lives.

Sear these truths

on our hearts.

And Father

may we realize

afresh today

that we are free

to be yours.

Maybe for the first time.

Or maybe for the

hundredth and first time.

Father come and take

your place

in our lives we pray.

In Jesus name.

Amen.

Amen.