Standing Firm in God's Peace

Well, good morning again, church. Our sermon text today is Philippians chapter 4, verses 1 through 9.

Philippians 4:1–9

Let me invite you to turn there. I believe that's page 922 or 923, somewhere in there,

in the Pew Bible. We'll have it on the screens as I read it in just a minute, but it'll be helpful

to have it open during the sermon as we study and listen to this text together. So, as we turn there,

let me pray for us, and then I'll read.

Father, we do ask as we come to your word that you would grant our minds understanding

and you would grant our hearts a receptivity to what you are saying to us. Father, thank you

that you give us a word outside of ourselves from you that allows us to know you and to live for you

and to be recipients of a great saving grace that you've accomplished for us in Jesus.

So, help us as we attend to your word to live into all these things by your spirit. We pray this in

Christ's name. Amen. All right. Philippians chapter 4, verses 1 through 9. Paul writes,

Philippians 4:1–9

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord,

my beloved. I entreat you, Odia, and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also,

true companion, help these women who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with

Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord

always. Again, I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord

is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer and supplication,

with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all

understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true,

whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable,

if there's any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things,

and the God of peace will be with you. All right, so we're coming to the end of this letter of

Philippians. And at the beginning of chapter four, Paul's clearly bringing things to a conclusion,

isn't he? Like many of his letters, he ends with a series of brief but profound exhortations. And

here in Philippians, if we were to ask if there's any kind of central or unifying theme to these first

nine verses of chapter four, the answer to that question would be in verse one. Now, if you notice,

the editors of the ESV, the translation we have in the pews, they put a topic heading between verse

one and verses two through nine. And that's understandable because verse one does kind of

wrap up what Paul had been saying in chapter three. But in light of that, we might miss the fact that

verse one also sets up the exhortations in verse four. It's a bit of a hinge verse. And that verse

points to a unifying theme in what Paul says in these verses that we just read. And that unifying theme is

one that we've heard before in this book. All the way back in chapter one, verse 27. Do you remember what

Paul said there? Turn back a page if you have a Bible open. Turn back to Philippians chapter one, verse 27.

Paul writes,

Now back here in chapter four, verse one, Paul says,

Therefore, now what's he referring to there? Well, the previous two verses.

Therefore, because you're citizens of heaven,

because you're a colony of God's kingdom on earth,

because you're awaiting the arrival of the Lord Jesus, the one who will

subject all things to himself, and by that same power,

raise our lowly body to be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers,

which means brothers and sisters, right?

Whom I love and long for, my joy and crown. What does he say?

Stand firm. Stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. So, Paul comes back to his main theme

of this book. Live as citizens of heaven, as citizens of the gospel, and stand firm.

Bonnie Thurston, in her commentary on Philippians, says that this term,

stand firm, suggests the picture of a soldier who does not leave his post.

Or you might think of an analogy or a picture from nature,

like a mighty tree, a mighty stately oak,

just standing firm in the midst of the wind and the storm and the weather.

Like we read earlier in Psalm 1, right?

Like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

Beloved, Paul says, stand firm.

You know, when you read church history, you can see how there's always the danger

in every age for the church to fall prey to a kind of cultural captivity,

to simply become a mirror of the prevailing context,

rather than salt and light within our context.

In other words, there's always the danger that the church will forget

that ultimately we aren't citizens of Jerusalem or Athens or Rome or England

or Nigeria or Korea or the United States.

Ultimately, our citizenship is in heaven.

We are the people of the risen king.

We are the people of the new creation right in the midst of the old.

And we need to keep our integrity.

No matter how countercultural following Jesus becomes,

no matter how countercultural it becomes,

we need to be who we are

and not succumb to social pressure or compromise.

But what exactly does standing firm look like?

In our age, in our time, in our context,

how do we need to be standing firm?

Well, look at what Paul says again in verse 1.

He says,

Stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

Now, a number of commentators agree that that little word thus

is actually pointing ahead to what he says in verses 2 through 9.

So the apostle is saying,

Stand firm in this way.

Stand firm like this.

I'm going to show you how you want to stand firm.

Now, there are three paragraphs in verses 2 through 9, as you notice,

and each one of them is telling us then how to stand firm.

And we'll look at each one in turn.

What does it mean to kind of keep our integrity,

to be citizens of heaven in our time, in our age?

Well, the apostle says,

First, we must stand firm in a contentious age by being peacemakers.

Stand firm in a contentious age by being peacemakers.

This is verses 2 through 3.

So here we learn of Euodia and Syntyche,

who are two of Paul's co-laborers in the gospel at Philippi.

And apparently, they're having trouble agreeing in the Lord.

Now, we don't know exactly what their disagreement is about,

but I think we can be fairly certain what it's not about.

Their disagreement, I don't think,

is about what Paul will call in 1 Corinthians 15,

matters of first importance.

That is, it doesn't seem that Euodia and Syntyche are having a falling out

about the core of the gospel message,

that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,

that he was buried,

that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,

that righteousness before God can only be found through faith in Christ.

Now, why can we be sure that they're not having a falling out

over matters of first importance?

Because we see how Paul handles these sorts of issues

in other places in his letter.

When it's a matter of first importance,

Paul will correct and instruct,

and he even, at times, rebukes when necessary.

And yet, that's not how he handles this disagreement.

So, I think we're safe to conclude

that Euodia and Syntyche

must have been disagreeing on a matter

that fell more into the realm of wisdom

or prudence or Christian freedom.

Maybe we can speculate a little bit

about what they were disagreeing about.

Maybe Euodia was excited

to go with a team from Philippi

and plant a church in nearby Amphipolis.

So, she comes to the congregational meeting

with a great idea.

Let's go.

Who wants to join me?

Oh, but perhaps Syntyche had a good reason

to point their missionary efforts

in the opposite direction toward Neapolis.

And suddenly, the church is at loggerheads.

Which way do we go?

Where do we invest our energies and our time?

This way or that?

Now, if you've been around the church long enough,

or just around people long enough,

you know that disagreements can crop up

over all sorts of things,

a lot of them much less noble

than where we should plant a church, right?

And we live in a contentious age

where disagreement and outrage and offense

and falling out,

it's like the air that we breathe.

How countercultural it is

for us to have a conversation face-to-face

where we hear one another out,

where we clothe one another in good intentions,

where we try to find common ground.

Ah, but that's not easy, is it?

We need to help one another.

And in verse three, Paul says just that.

He says,

I ask you also, true companion,

help these women.

Now, we don't know who Paul's referring to here.

The word companion, as your footnote says in the ESV,

that could actually be a proper name, Syzygous.

So Paul could be saying,

hey, Syzygous, I want you to step in

and help resolve this conflict.

But either way, whether it's a proper name

or whether Paul just is saying,

hey, companion, help them out.

Either way, the Philippians must have known

who Paul was talking about.

And he's saying, hey, come alongside

these two godly women

and help them come to agreement in the Lord.

And that phrase, help them to agree in the Lord,

it's the same as chapter two, verse two,

have the same mind.

Help them work through their differences

and come to agreement.

In other words,

Paul is calling us

to the work of peacemaking in the church,

the work of reconciliation.

Now, what does that look like?

Paul doesn't say as much here,

but as we look across the New Testament,

it looks like listening to one another.

It looks like trying hard to find common ground.

It looks like not being afraid

to admit where you're wrong.

It looks like not being afraid

to gently point out

where you think others are wrong.

It looks like examining the issues

in light of Scripture.

It looks like asking

whether we're valuing what God values

in this situation.

It looks like inviting repentance

and forgiveness where necessary.

It looks like forging agreements

and ways forward

that honor both parties,

if possible.

Now, if you want to learn more

about the kind of work

of peacemaking in the church,

of reconciliation,

Ken Sandy wrote a book

called The Peacemaker

a number of years ago,

which is quite good,

and I would recommend it to you.

The Peacemaker by Ken Sandy

will give you a great start

on how to think biblically

about all this.

But to be sure,

even as I just listed

some of those basic principles,

we can acknowledge

that peacemaking is hard work.

It's a lot easier

to just be a peacekeeper, right?

To just agree,

to just sort of go along

with the flow,

to just avoid conflict

or confrontation

or hard conversations.

That's a much easier path,

at least in the short term.

But to really help make peace

and not just keep peace,

that takes time and energy

and sometimes sacrifice.

It's messy to jump

into a disagreement,

isn't it?

And oftentimes,

when the mud is getting

thrown around,

some of it hits you.

And in those moments

when the work of peacemaking

is hard,

we'll want to just give up.

It's easier just to write people off

to say it's hopeless

to give up.

But we need to remember

in those moments,

we need to remember

that when we're in the mix

of peacemaking,

whether,

especially when it's

with fellow church members,

when we're in the mix

of trying to bring peace

between fellow church members,

and maybe that's where

you're at right now.

You know,

maybe you're working

through something

with two people

in your small group.

Or maybe you're trying

to help a couple

of Christian friends.

Or maybe you're working

through conflict

in your marriage.

When you're in the mix,

remember.

When you're in the mix

and you just want to check out

and say,

I'm done with this,

remember.

Paul says that the names

of the people

you're helping,

their names are written

in the very book of life.

That's how he ends

in verse 3.

You know,

these people aren't just

some insignificant anybody's

that it would just be

better to ignore

or write off.

That's the world's

way of thinking.

No.

God,

from all eternity,

set his saving love

on these fellow Christians.

He saw them in their sin

and sent his own son

to bleed and die

to rescue them

and redeem them

from wrath.

He sent his own spirit

to liberate them

from unbelief

and seal them

as his own.

You see,

to have your name

written in the book

of life,

that's a metaphor

found throughout scripture

of the way in which

God personally

and eternally

knows and loves

and saves his people.

So when the work

gets hard,

when the relationships

get fraught,

when you're in the midst

of conflict

and mud is hitting you

as it's getting thrown

across the room,

remember that the people

before you,

their names

are on the guest list

of the greatest gala

in all eternity.

their names

are etched

into the walls

of the most

magnificent monument

in all of redemptive history.

They are written

in the book of life

and they are worth

the effort.

So Paul is saying

we have to stand firm.

We have to stand firm

by being peacemakers

in a contentious age.

The church is the place

where we work through

our differences

in love.

But our text goes on.

There's a second way

that we're called

to stand firm here.

In verses 4 through 7,

we're called

to stand firm

in an anxious age

by being people

of prayer.

Stand firm

in an anxious age

by being people

of prayer.

Now,

when Paul says

in verse 6,

don't be anxious

about anything,

we have to be clear

what he does

and doesn't mean.

On the one hand,

Paul's not saying

that every anxious thought

that you have

is a sinful thought.

Stop it.

Knock it off.

You're disobeying God.

Right?

Paul himself expressed anxiety

back in chapter 2,

verse 28,

when Epaphroditus was sick.

So Paul isn't meaning

this verse

to kind of bury us

in a bunch of false guilt.

No,

it's meant to acknowledge

our anxious hearts

and to invite us

into something new.

We live in a very anxious age,

don't we?

And in a good way,

I think we've come

to learn a lot

about how anxiety works

and how sometimes anxiety

can actually become

clinical and persistent.

And we should be thankful

that we have psychiatrists

and doctors

who through common grace

can help us.

So none of what Paul

is saying here

is denying or refuting

any of that.

The Bible,

after all,

teaches that we're

embodied humans

and we need to attend

to our bodies

and be thankful

for the help

that comes,

be thankful

for the help

that comes

through the help

of exercise

or medicine

or just a good night's sleep.

But along

with these good gifts,

what are the spiritual practices

that help us

confront anxiety?

Now,

don't get me wrong.

We should eat,

sleep,

exercise,

and even take medicine

when necessary

all to the glory of God.

I'm not suggesting

we have sort of

our physical life

over here

and our spiritual life

over here.

No,

we're whole people.

We're body and soul.

But too often,

we approach anxiety

without any reference

to God.

And what a silly thing

to do.

Because in God,

first Paul says,

in God,

we have a boundless

source of joy.

Paul says,

rejoice in the Lord

always.

Again,

I'll say it,

rejoice.

Even if our circumstances

don't provide much material

for rejoicing,

we can rejoice.

Why?

Because one real glimpse

at the Lord

shows us

how much joy

is really ours.

One good glimpse

at the Lord

helps us to see

that our sins

are forgiven,

that our future

is unimaginably glorious.

And right now,

the Lord is using

even our trials

to make us beautiful.

But in God,

we don't just have

a source of joy,

a source where

we ought to be rejoicing.

We also have

a sovereign king.

In everything,

by prayer

and supplication

with thanksgiving,

let your requests

be made known

to God,

Paul says.

Now,

I know my own heart

and I know

what it's like

to struggle

with anxieties.

And you know,

for me,

much of my anxiety

stems from feeling

like I'm in control.

That it all comes down

to me

and what I do

or don't do.

And when I'm in that

mode of thinking,

it makes me very anxious.

You know,

but sometimes

we can get anxious

because we feel like

we're not in control.

When things are

out of control,

we think,

who will help me?

Who will keep me safe?

But you see,

friends,

in prayer,

in supplication,

in asking God

for things,

we are remembering

that we are creatures

and God is the creator.

We are subjects

and God is the sovereign.

We aren't in control.

God is.

And because of the cross,

we,

creatures,

subjects,

because of what Jesus

has done,

we actually have

God's ear.

He listens to us

and he answers us.

Not always the way we expect,

not always when we expect,

but he answers the prayers

of his beloved.

God is the prophet.

And notice,

Paul reminds us

to pepper our prayers

with what?

With thanksgiving.

You know,

long before Barnes & Noble

sold gratitude journals,

true confessions,

who has a gratitude journal?

I'm kidding,

don't raise your hand.

Long before Barnes & Noble

sold gratitude journals,

the Christian church

knew the power

of thanksgiving.

So we rejoice

and we give thanks

and we ask,

knowing that our God

is the sovereign source

of everlasting joy

and he has placed his love

on us

through his son

and in us

through his spirit.

And through prayer,

we're promised this.

We're promised

the peace of God

which surpasses

all understanding

will guard your hearts

and your minds

in Christ Jesus.

Now realize,

friends,

you may still have anxieties.

They will come and go,

but

through the practice

of prayer,

there will be

a new sentry

at the door

of your heart,

a new guard

standing watch.

Not the old

idol of control

or whatever it is,

but the new reality

of God's peace.

God's peace

like a watchman

at the gate

residing there

letting you know

that all will be well

through the night.

Even through

the darkest hours,

all will be well.

Do you know that peace?

Maybe today,

this God,

this God of peace

is inviting you,

is calling you

to come to him,

to believe in his son

who died for your sins,

to entrust your life

to his lordship.

I know it's hard

to let go

of control,

isn't it?

But friends,

if God is

who he says he is,

if Jesus is

who he says he is,

then giving your life

to him

is the most reasonable

thing in all the world.

and it comes

with the gift

of peace.

Not just a temporary

peace that comes

and goes,

but peace with God,

a peace that surpasses

understanding.

Maybe you're here

and you've been

considering Christianity

for a while.

You've been sort of

thinking this thing out.

But maybe it's time.

Why not today

take the step

and entrust your life

to him?

Let him make good

on his promises

to you

through his son.

So then we've seen

how this text

calls us to stand firm

in a contentious age

by being peacemakers

and to stand firm

in an anxious age

by being people of prayer.

Third and last then,

we are called

to stand firm

in a distracted age

by being people

of practice.

Stand firm

in a distracted age

by being people

of practice.

This is verses 8 and 9.

Now imagine the background

of these verses.

You know,

a Roman colony

like Philippi

would have been filled

with messages, right?

Political messages

about the Roman Empire

and emperor.

Religious messages

about gods

and temples

and favors

and sacrifices.

Economic messages

about work

and food shortages

and trade negotiations.

And of course,

that's all in the mix

of the typical news

of everyday life.

The neighbor who got sick,

the baby that was born,

the marriage that fell apart,

the shop that just opened

down the street

that sells a great falafel

or whatever it is.

A life filled

with messages,

filled with noise,

filled with all sorts

of distractions.

And if that was true

in the first century,

friends,

how much more is that true

in the 21st century?

How much more true

is that

when our smartphones

bombard us 24-7

with messages

and noise

and distractions

the likes of which

people could not

have imagined

even 20 years ago?

And of course,

the irony is

that even as our inboxes

and smartphones

get fuller and fuller

and fuller and fuller

and fuller,

personally and interpersonally,

we seem to get emptier

and emptier

and emptier

and emptier.

We have practically

limitless knowledge

at our fingertips,

but often we don't

seem the wiser.

We have practically

limitless capacity

to communicate

with anyone

at any time,

but we don't seem

the happier.

So what's the answer?

Reject technology?

Try to turn the clock

back to 1980

when no one

had a smartphone?

Some of you are thinking,

I love the 80s.

That was my time.

I was in my prime

in my 80s.

Let's go back.

But no,

that's not what Paul says.

Notice Paul doesn't

tell the Philippians,

look,

here's what you gotta do.

Move out of the city,

create a commune,

and never interact

with the world.

No.

He says practice.

Create a new way

of being

right where you are.

What you've learned

and received

and heard

and seen in me,

practice these things.

Put them into motion.

Work at them.

Let them shape

your time

and your choices.

Create a new way

of being

right where you are.

You see,

standing firm

as the church

in a distracted age

won't happen automatically.

If we don't have

concrete practices

for following Christ,

then we will inevitably

be blown and tossed

by the myriad messages

swirling around us.

If we don't have

concrete practices

for shaping our lives

into lives

that honor Christ,

then we will be shaped

by the forces around us

and it won't be

in a way

that's honoring to Christ.

Let me give you

an example.

The world around us,

I think you'll agree,

is wildly consumeristic,

right?

Descartes famously said,

I think,

therefore I am.

I think today

our motto might be,

I buy,

therefore I am.

Right?

That's sort of

the rationale

behind every commercial

you will ever listen to

or watch.

If I have the latest clothes,

the latest piece

of technology,

then I'm happy,

then I'm good,

then I'm somebody.

Well,

as Christians,

what practices

are we going to embody

that push against

this inevitably shaping

force around us?

Or are we just going to be

swept away

in the consumeristic tide?

What practices

will we put in place

that we can do

that help carve out

a new way of being

right where we are?

You know,

the early Christians

were known

as being radically

generous.

What if every month

you had some regular

practice of generosity

or giving

that kind of pushed

against the distraction

of consumerism?

What if you had a practice

that helped you

live out the truth

that we aren't defined

by what we buy

or what we own,

but we're defined

by what we've been given?

And what if you made

a practice of giving

to others

in a way that

enfleshed that reality

into a practice?

Or maybe another example.

We live in a very noisy age,

don't we?

You know,

with a smartphone

and earbuds,

we can literally go

every waking hour

listening to something.

I know a lot of teenagers

who spend every sleeping hour

listening to something.

And yet,

for all of the content

that we listen to,

for all the talk,

are we really

more reflective people?

Are we wiser people?

Are we more creative people?

What if for maybe

just five or ten minutes

a day

you practiced

the biblical discipline

of silence?

Silence.

Rather than talking

or listening

to other people talk,

what if you simply

got quiet before God

and listened?

I love the verse

at the end of Habakkuk

Habakkuk 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

that says,

the Lord

is in his holy temple.

Let all the earth

keep silence

before him.

Maybe just five minutes,

maybe just ten minutes,

we can actually obey

that verse in the Bible.

You know,

there's one practice

that the Apostle Paul

mentions right in this passage.

It's verse 8.

The Apostle lists

a whole range

of virtues.

Whatever's true,

honorable,

just,

pure,

lovely,

commendable,

excellent,

worthy of praise.

And then he says,

think about these things.

That's actually

a spiritual practice.

Think about it.

What do you fill

your mind with

during the day?

What news programs

do you watch?

What music

do you listen to?

What literature

do you read?

What are you watching

on YouTube

or TikTok?

What are you looking

at on Instagram?

What are you reading

on Facebook?

Hold it up

to the eight virtues

that Paul lists here.

How does it measure up?

Is it true?

Is it honorable?

Is it just?

Is it pure?

Now,

I know everything

on TikTok

nails each

of those eight categories,

so you're good.

But what about

the other stuff

that you consume

during the week?

What practices

are you going

to put in place

so that your mind

isn't constantly

bombarded

with content

that is less than true

and honorable

and just

and so on?

What practices

are you going

to put in place

so that you can

develop a sense

of looking at content

and discerning

within it

what is true

and just

and honorable

and so on?

What things

do you need

to cut out

of your life

altogether

starting today?

What things

do you maybe

need to take

a week or two

break from?

I've had to do

that at times.

Sometimes I find

myself spending

so much time

doing something

that's like

kind of neutral.

It's not bad

but it's not

really good.

I'm just like

I think I need

to take a break

from this

for a while.

What things

do you need

to make a practice

of limiting

on a daily

or weekly basis?

If we want

to live lives

that are true

honorable

just

pure

lovely

commendable

excellent

worthy of praise

don't you want

to live a life

like that?

Then those

are the things

we need

to be setting

our minds

upon.

That's what

we need

to be thinking

about.

You know

if you want

to be a top

tier athlete

you can't

eat McDonald's

three times

a day.

I tried it

it doesn't

work.

I'm kidding

I didn't

try it.

Your body

wasn't made

to run

on fast food.

It's the same

with your soul.

You can't

fill your mind

with the equivalent

of fast food

or worse

and expect

to live

the kind

of life

of freedom

and beauty

that God

designed you

for.

And ultimately

do you know

what God

designed you

for?

Do you know

why God

made you?

He designed

you to reflect

his own glory.

The God

whose glory

could shake

the mountains

to dust

and melt

the stars

that God

wants his

beauty

to shine

through you

and through

your particular

life.

And that's

why we must

make it a

practice

to regularly

meditate

and think

upon not

just the

things that

are true

and honorable

and just

and so on

but we have

to regularly

spend time

thinking about

the one

who is true

and honorable

and just

and pure.

We must

set our minds

on God

himself

as he's

revealed himself

in scripture

and above

all in his

son.

That's the

practice

above all

practices

friends.

If you have

time for

nothing else

during the

week

take the

time

to regularly

get

let me

suggest this

to you

take the

time

to regularly

get

with just

a small

passage

from the

gospels.

You know

our modern

translations

give us

these little

units

they kind

of break

it down

for us

just pick

one of

those

and read

it slowly

not just

for information

about Jesus

but to

actually

commune

with him

and to

speak

with him

and to

let him

speak

to you

slow

down

and gaze

on the

beauty

and wisdom

and justice

and compassion

of Jesus

set your

mind on

him

let him

search you

and fill

your mind

commune

with him

as if

he is

present with

you

because he

is

and you

will become

more and

more like

him

more and

more lovely

more and

more honorable

more and

more true

more and

more pure

and so on

now is it

challenging to

live a life

of Christian

practice

in a

distracted

age

you bet

it is

it is

much easier

just to call

ourselves

Christians

come to

church

for one

hour

on Sunday

and then

live and

think

like the

rest of

the world

for the

rest of

the week

isn't it

living a

life of

Christian

practice

is a

challenge

but listen

to what

Paul says

at the

end of

our

passage

he says

practice

these things

and the

God of

peace

will be

with you

the promise

is of an

ever

deepening

fellowship

and communion

with God

the God

of peace

you see

standing

fast

isn't just

about making

peace between

us

as verses

two and

three were

about

standing

fast

isn't just

about experiencing

peace within

us

as verses

four through

seven were

about

standing

fast

is ultimately

about

communing

with the

one who

is peace

himself

and maybe

others will

look at us

and say

I think

God is

with them

so brothers

and sisters

stand

firm

in the

Lord

beloved

don't let

the world

squeeze you

into its

mold

live in

the freedom

and peace

that come

from knowing

and loving

the God

of peace

practice

these things

and the God

of peace

will be with

you

let's pray

our father

we acknowledge

that we

certainly need

your help

and yet

we give

you

so much

thanks

that where

we need

your help

you gladly

provide it

what a

gracious

and good

God

you are

we pray

that you

would

pour your

spirit

out afresh

upon us

and help

us to

live into

these things

Lord help

them not

just to be

ideas

we think

about

but practices

we live

for your

glory

amen

are

refuge

in

for your