1 Corinthians 7:17-31

verses 17 through 31.

Let me ask you to turn there with me.

It's page 955, I believe, in the Pew Bible,

if you want to follow along there.

1 Corinthians chapter 7, verses 17 through 31.

1 Corinthians 7:17–31

Let me read this word for us.

Only let each person lead the life

that the Lord has assigned to him

and to which God has called him.

This is my rule in all the churches.

Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised?

Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision.

Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised?

Let him not seek circumcision.

For neither circumcision counts for anything

nor uncircumcision,

but keeping the commandments of God.

Each one should remain in the condition

in which he was called.

Were you a bondservant when called?

Do not be concerned about it.

But if you can gain your freedom,

avail yourself of the opportunity.

For he who is called in the Lord as a bondservant

is a freedman of the Lord.

Likewise, he who was free when called

is a bondservant of Christ.

You were bought with a price.

Do not become bondservants of men.

So brothers, in whatever condition each was called,

there let him remain with God.

Now concerning the betrothed,

I have no command from the Lord,

but I give my judgment as one

who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.

I think that in view of the present distress,

it is good for a person to remain as he is.

Are you bound to a wife?

Do not seek to be free.

Are you free from a wife?

Do not seek a wife.

But if you do marry, you have not sinned.

And if a betrothed woman marries,

she has not sinned.

Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles,

and I would spare you that.

This is what I mean, brothers and sisters.

The appointed time has grown very short.

From now on, let those who have wives

live as though they had none,

and those who mourn as though they were not mourning,

and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing,

and those who buy as though they had no goods,

and those who deal with the world

as though they had no dealings with it.

For the present form of this world

is passing away.

Let's pray.

God, we have been thanking and praising you

for your word this morning.

Lord, we thank you that you have given us

your word that you have spoken and written it for us.

And you,

in your own person,

by the Holy Spirit,

come

and cause it to be illuminated in our hearts

and in our lives and in our communities.

God, so we pray that that would be the case.

That you would come and

rework our minds and our affections

around the life-giving words

that you have given us.

Lord Jesus,

you

are the life-giving word,

and we look to you this morning.

It's in your name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

So,

in our text this morning,

Paul

gives us,

reminds us,

reminds the Corinthians anyway,

of a rule

that as he says

in verse 17,

he gives to all

the churches.

Probably better put,

we might call it a principle.

For as we'll see shortly,

it's not a hard and fast law,

but it's a bit more like a guideline

or a framework.

Maybe we could even say

a hard attitude.

And what I want to do this morning

is I just want to walk through

this passage together

and focus kind of on three things

as we look at this principle.

First,

I want us to look at the principle itself

and why we so desperately need it.

And second,

I want to look at the three applications

of the principle that Paul gives

and really how those map

onto our life today.

And then third,

I want to end by looking

at the overarching reason

why we can and ought

to take this principle to heart.

So,

there we go.

First,

let's look at the principle itself

and why we so desperately need it.

Well,

it's easy to see

what the principle is

because Paul repeats it three times.

In verse 17,

in verse 20,

in verse 24,

he says essentially,

remain as you were when called.

One commentator described

this paragraph

as like a club sandwich.

You've got the bread

and then a little meat

and then some more bread

and then a little meat

and then the bread

and the bread is the principle,

right?

There it is,

woven throughout.

That was Richard Hayes actually

from Duke.

You know,

he's sort of a smart guy.

Called it a sandwich.

We'll go with it.

If you've been here

the last few weeks,

you'll remember

that Paul's been talking

about sex,

marriage,

and singleness

in the Christian life.

But here,

in verses 17 to 24,

he's stepping back

and saying,

you know,

here's the deeper principle

that's at play

in all of this.

Some of the single Christians

in Corinth were thinking,

should I get married?

Some of the married Christians

in Corinth were thinking,

should I get unmarried

to my non-Christian spouse?

And after some of his

careful pastoral counsel

in verses 1 through 16

of chapter 7

that we've looked at

the last two weeks,

Paul steps back here

and gives them

a broad principle

to work with.

Remain as you were

when called.

Now,

I don't know about you,

but when I hear

that principle at first,

it sounds a bit,

I don't know,

boring.

Here is Paul,

the uber social conservative,

remain as you were

when called.

Simply just endorsing

the status quo,

it sounds like.

Remain as you are,

nothing to see here.

I mean,

is this really the same guy

who wrote something

as radical

as Galatians 3.28?

There's neither Jew

nor Greek,

there's neither slave

nor free,

there's no male and female

for you are all one

in Christ Jesus?

Or who wrote

2 Corinthians 5,

16 through 17?

From now on,

therefore,

we regard no one

according to the flesh.

Even though we once

regarded Christ

according to the flesh,

we regard him thus no longer.

Therefore,

if anyone is in Christ,

he's a new creation.

The old has passed away,

behold,

the new has come.

Man,

whatever you make

of those verses,

they're anything

but boring endorsements

of the status quo.

So maybe we need to listen

a little more closely

to what Paul's principle here

in 1 Corinthians 7

is really saying.

And if we take a moment

and listen,

this is what Paul's saying to us.

As a member of God's people,

as a member of Christ's church,

nothing need now define you

and nothing need now rule

your heart and life

more than your status

in Christ Jesus.

You don't need to become

someone else

or go somewhere else

to be exactly who

and where God wants you

to be.

Eight times

in this first paragraph,

we find the language

of calling.

What does God's call

typically mean for Paul?

Well,

most often

when Paul speaks

of God's calling,

he's talking about

that moment,

that heart existential

spiritual moment

when the message

of the gospel,

of our radical sinfulness

and God's radical love

for us in Christ,

when that message

hits home

in our hearts.

In other words,

it's when the word

of the gospel

is no longer

just an idea

out there

that we can sort of

take or leave,

but it's when it becomes

a divine summons

to us personally

that we can no longer

refuse

and to which we respond

in believing

trust.

God's call.

And Paul says,

if that's happened

to you,

if God himself

has called you

through the proclamation

of his gospel,

the gospel of his son,

then friend,

the cultural group

that you belong to,

or your social position,

or your marital status,

these things are no longer

what really defines you.

And so,

they need no longer

be the source

of restless

striving

and anxious

fretting.

They need no longer

be the thing

that keeps you up

late at night

worrying

and plotting

and scheming

and even despairing.

You can remain

as you are

without fear,

without striving,

without a restless heart.

And that,

it seems to me,

is why we need to hear

this principle today.

Why do we need it?

Because we live

in such a restless age.

In my local coffee shop,

probably five to one,

the flyers

are about

classes

or workshops

or personal consultations

on how I can achieve

wholeness

or wellness

or inner peace.

Why so many?

Clearly,

there's a market for it.

Why is there a market?

Because,

friends,

we are all,

all of us,

striving for something

we often know not what.

Striving for something

that will satisfy us,

that will bring meaning

and joy

into our lives.

Striving for something

even

that will justify us,

that will somehow

make me feel right

in the world.

And the temptation

for all of us

is to take something

like some of these things

that Paul talks about here,

our cultural ethnic identity

or our socioeconomic position

or our marital status

and elevate it

to an ultimate position

in our lives

and say,

this is what's going

to satisfy me.

This is actually

what's going to justify me.

And so,

we obsess,

don't we,

over our job

or over our marriage prospects

or over whatever

in-group we do

or don't belong to.

We obsess.

And if we don't get it,

we turn down despondent

or cynical

or angry.

But if we do get it,

something almost just as bad happens.

Sooner or later,

we realize that it doesn't satisfy.

And so,

we go on to something else.

Thinking that maybe

that will be the thing we need.

And if that doesn't work,

we go on to another

and another

and another.

And of course,

we realize that this is

the definition of insanity.

We're doing the same thing

over and over again

expecting the exact same results.

Expecting different results.

What's the definition of insanity?

That's it.

Different results.

And yet,

even though we acknowledge

that it's lunacy,

we still can't get ourselves

off the hamster wheel.

And our restless hearts

keep on striving

and running,

looking for the next thing

or the next thing.

But here it comes,

like a voice

from a totally different world.

Here comes Paul saying,

remain where you are.

Be at peace.

Peace.

You don't have to keep striving

wishing you were someone else,

somewhere else,

with somebody else.

God is calling you,

summoning you

to stop placing your worth

and significance

in those things

and to put it in his son

who loved you

and gave himself for you.

After all,

you know,

think about it.

Who pays the cost

of the new status

you get

if you want to become

circumcised,

as it were?

Who pays the cost

for you to move up

the socioeconomic ladder?

Who pays the cost

for you to get married?

You do.

You're the one

who has to go under the knife.

You're the one

who has to slave away

at the office.

You're the one,

or if you're lucky,

your parents

are the ones

who have to pay

the exorbitant fees

of the modern wedding industry.

You pay the cost

for that status

in the hope

that it will satisfy you

and justify you,

which it never does.

But friends,

in the gospel,

here's the one

status

that actually

does satisfy

and really

does justify

the status

of being known

by the living

and true God

and being called

his own.

And who pays

the cost

for that status?

Not you.

Him.

Christ pays it

through his death

on the cross

for you.

And Christ being raised

offers it to you

freely as a gift

and calls you,

summons you

to turn

and take it.

Now maybe Christianity

strikes you as strange

this morning.

That God would give you

a perfect status

before him

through his son

holy as a gift.

But friends,

is that any less strange

than believing

that some finite

status,

a job

or a marriage

can fill

the infinite longing

of our hearts?

St. Augustine

famously said,

God,

you have made us

for yourself

and our heart

is restless

until it rests

in you.

perhaps Christianity

is not so strange

after all.

So there's the principle

and why we need it.

Second,

let's briefly look at

how Paul applies

the principle

and how that might map

onto our life today.

First,

in verses 18

through 19,

he talks about

circumcision

and uncircumcision.

In other words,

in the church,

Jews shouldn't try

to become Gentiles

and Gentiles

shouldn't feel

like they need

to become Jews.

What counts

isn't the cultural

family or group

that you're a part of.

What counts

is keeping God's commands.

And if you're thinking

to yourself,

how does someone

who's circumcised

get uncircumcised?

They actually had

surgeries in the

first century

that tried

to remove

the marks

of circumcision.

You can imagine

how fun that was.

what counts

is keeping

God's commands.

Now,

Paul's clearly

being a little provocative

in verse 19,

isn't he?

He knows

full well

that circumcision

in the Old Testament

is a command.

But,

for Paul

and for the rest

of the earliest Christians,

the Old Testament

needed to be read

and applied

through the person

and work of Christ

who fulfilled

the Mosaic Law

and inaugurated

what they spoke of

as the New Covenant.

And read

through that lens,

it meant that

many of the ceremonies

and the regulations

and the boundary markers

of the Mosaic Law

were no longer binding.

That God had opened up

something new.

And so,

what matters

isn't the outward sign

of circumcision

or belonging to this

or that

cultural family

or group,

but what matters

is now living

a life

by God's grace

that pleases

God.

It's easy

to be captivated

by an in-group,

isn't it?

Whether it's

the cool kids

in your middle school

or the elite

inner circle

of your profession.

I remember

being in middle school

and all of my friends

had Nike t-shirts,

the ones with a really

big swoosh

on the front.

And I just thought,

man,

if I could get

one of those,

then I'd be in.

I'd have it.

Then I could be

one of the group.

And of course,

we look back at that

and we think,

that's kind of silly.

And then we look

at our lives today

and we realize

that we do

the exact same thing

in every other social environment

that we're a part of.

C.S. Lewis

once described this

as the draw

of the inner ring.

To be in that

inside,

privileged,

exclusive group,

to have their approval,

to feel superior

to those outside,

even if we wouldn't

quite put it that way

out loud.

And yet,

for Christians,

the status

that we have

in Christ

changes

how we feel

about all of that

or at least

it should.

After all,

was not Christ

the ultimate

insider

who went outside

for us

to bring us

outsiders

inside to God?

And so,

friends,

we know

that true,

real life

isn't found

in trying to get

into some inner ring.

If anything,

knowing this,

Christ compels us

to go outside

or better yet,

to remain

where we are

and to see

everyone

as an outsider

in need of God's grace

regardless of

whether they happen

to be in

or out

in the world's eyes.

God's grace

is found

in verses 20

through 23.

And now,

this one

to our modern ears

is a bit harder

to,

I think,

come to grips with.

Look down

at those verses

and I think

the immediate thing

you think,

or at least

that I think

when I read

those verses

is,

man,

is Paul saying

that slavery

is okay

in these verses?

If you're a bondservant,

don't worry about it.

Well,

okay,

we need to keep

two things in mind

when we run across

these kinds of passages.

First,

when we hear

the word

slavery,

what do we

immediately think of?

We immediately

think of what

took place

in the antebellum

American South,

a kind of slavery

that was race-based,

lifelong,

and unbelievably cruel.

A horrible

human institution.

In Paul's day,

slavery

was actually

quite a very

different thing.

It wasn't race-based.

It wasn't

necessarily lifelong.

Dale Martin,

a professor here at Yale,

has written a whole book

on this topic

published a number

of years ago.

But he showed

that for many

in the first century,

becoming a slave

or a bondservant,

as the ESV,

I think helpfully

translates it here,

becoming a slave

provided not only

for many

economic security,

but also upward mobility.

It was a totally

different reality

than what we think of.

Something maybe

even more akin

to what we would

think of as

indentured servitude,

although there's

not perfect analogies

between those two.

So slavery

was kind of

a different thing

in Paul's day.

We need to acknowledge

the historical

difference there.

However,

just acknowledging

that,

that doesn't mean

that Paul was

for or

against it.

In the letters

we have of Paul,

he's not reflecting

on the first century

institution of slavery

as such.

He's never sort of

taking a step back

and saying,

let's think about

the cultural institution

of slavery

and let's make

a judgment call

about it

based on the gospel.

He never does that

in his letters.

Slavery was such

a pervasive reality

of his world

that in his letters

he's trying to help

Christians live

faithfully in that world.

Imagine finding

a few letters

written by an army

chaplain

in the field of combat

to soldiers

under his care.

My guess is

you wouldn't be able

to necessarily tell

where that army

chaplain stood

with respect

to pacifism

or just war theory

based on the counsel

he was giving

his troops,

his men

in the middle

of battle.

His letters

were probably

more concerned

with helping

those men

in the situation

they were in.

I guess what

I'm trying to say

here is that

we can't just

sort of look

at this text

carte blanche

and say,

oh,

Paul in the New Testament

was for slavery.

That's just not

a careful reading

of the text.

In fact,

I think if you read

the rest of verse 21

through 23,

you actually get

the opposite sense.

Here's what I mean.

As soon as Paul says,

don't freak out

if you're a slave,

Paul immediately says,

but if you can gain

your freedom,

be sure to do it.

And then,

he totally deconstructs

the freed-slave dichotomy

in light of the gospel.

Look,

the bondservant

is really free in the Lord.

The free is really

a bondservant

of the Lord.

The power dynamics

are totally turned

on their head

in light of the Lordship

of Christ.

And then he says,

flat out,

to conclude it all,

by the way,

don't become bondservants

of men.

Add on top of that

the fact

that all of the things

in which we think of

that would have fallen

under our modern

conceptions of slavery,

the Bible would have

looked at those things

and condemned them.

Friends,

whatever Paul is doing here,

he's not supporting

slavery as an institution.

In fact,

many commentators

look at these verses

and see that Paul's

sowing the seeds here

that's eventually going

to undo the institution

of slavery

in due time.

Well,

how do we think

about applying all this

to us today?

Well,

I think it's very easy

for us to think

that real flourishing

is found

if we could just

get into a different

socioeconomic status.

if I had a different job,

if I made more money,

if I belonged

to a more respected

profession,

if I only owned

my house,

if I only lived

in such and such

a neighborhood,

then

I'd really be able

to live.

Now,

again,

notice how careful

Paul's advice is here

and how it's actually

a little nuanced

for each thing

he's talking about.

Notice Paul's advice

to the bond servants.

Look,

if you can get your freedom,

do it.

Paul is not against

socioeconomic improvement

either for the individual

or for communities,

just the opposite.

And the Bible as a whole

has a lot to say

about justice

and righteousness

for the poor

and for the marginalized.

However,

friends,

if the ruling desire

of our hearts

is to climb

the socioeconomic ladder,

if that's what drives

our thoughts

and our hearts

and our aspirations,

if that's what we find

ourselves waking up

and thinking about,

if that's where we're

sort of placing fullness

in the shape of our life,

if that is the case,

then we're missing

an important way

in which the gospel

applies to us.

Because the status

that we have in Christ

frees us

from seeing ourselves

solely through the lens

of social class.

That our dignity

and our worth

doesn't ultimately come

from our job title

or our salary amount

or our housing situation.

Friends,

Christ was infinitely wealthy

and became utterly poor

for us

so that we who were

spiritually poor

might become

spiritually rich

toward God.

and if you know

that you have

that status,

yes,

you'll seek improvement

and the improvement

of those around you,

but you'll know

that that's not your life

and it's okay

to remain

where you are.

Instead,

you can be open

to how the Lord

might be using you

for his kingdom

right there,

right where God

has you.

And in fact,

friends,

I would contend

that it's not

until we find

that deep contentment

with where we are

that we can actually

work in a good way

for social change.

Without vindictiveness,

without an unhealthy

animosity and hatred,

we can actually do it

from a place of strength

and peace,

which is what the world

so desperately needs.

Third application.

Verses 25 through 28,

Paul deals with

marital status.

And this actually

brings us back

to the main theme

of the chapter,

doesn't it?

Paul's sort of gone

on a bit of a loop

and now he's come home.

Now next week,

Matt's going to pick up

in verse 25

and take us through

the rest of the chapter

and he's going to preach

a whole sermon

on singleness.

So I don't want to

take too long here,

but the point I want us

to see is that

marital status

is not ultimate

for believers.

Just like cultural background,

just like socioeconomic class

aren't ultimate either.

Friends, the church

should not be making

an idol of marriage

and the church should not

be making an idol

of singleness.

Now since Jesus

didn't give specific commands

about what Paul's

going to talk about

during his earthly ministry,

during Jesus' earthly ministry,

Paul then proceeds

to give some apostolic advice.

And it's this,

if you're single

and you want to marry,

do it.

It's not a sin.

Marriage is a good thing.

But if you're single,

consider that there are benefits

to that as well.

In verse 26,

Paul mentions

the present distress.

What does he mean by that?

Well, I think what Paul

has in mind here

is probably some sort of

trial or difficulty

that the church

or the city

or maybe even the region

was going through.

A lot of commentators

think Paul might be referring

to a famine

that afflicted Corinth

during this time.

Our present struggles

and trials.

Whatever it was,

in Paul's mind,

it would have made marriage

and providing for a family

very difficult.

Keep in mind,

in the first century,

birth control

wasn't super reliable.

So,

getting married

probably meant

you were going

to have a family.

And if you lived

in a time

of severe economic hardship,

that was going to be

a hard thing to take up.

And so,

Paul advises,

you know,

it's good

if you can remain

as you are.

You'll experience

a lot less worldly trouble

that way,

as he says in verse 28.

But of course,

there's nothing wrong

about marriage.

You have the freedom

to do that as well.

So,

if you want to marry,

go,

get married.

It's good.

Friends,

isn't it surprising

how open Paul is

toward either option?

Yes,

he's leaning

toward singleness here.

He's commending it

as a way of life.

But you know,

when you step back

for Paul,

marriage or singleness

wasn't the be-all,

end-all

of a Christian's existence.

Because there's a status

that means infinitely

more than that

and brings infinitely

more comfort,

freedom,

and significance.

And it's our status

in Christ.

The one who loves us

with an everlasting

spousal love

and who will remain

faithful to us

all the way

to the end.

And as we take in

all three of these

applications,

it would seem

that what Paul is saying

is don't obsess

over what you don't have.

Instead,

realize who you are

in Christ

and as a member

of his church

which far outstrips

any of these

finite worldly statuses.

So,

brother and sister,

this morning,

if you're tempted

to envy

what others have,

remember that you,

you,

have been purchased

by the Lord

and that his steadfast love

to you will not fail.

Or,

if you're tempted

to pine away

with regret

over what might have been,

you're not looking

at others and thinking

I wish I had what they had,

but you're looking

at your past

and thinking

I've lost it.

I wish I had

something else there

and now I'm in a position

that,

ugh,

just isn't where

I wish I was.

Friends,

instead of pining away

after those things

with regret,

you can be confident

that your sovereign

and gracious

loving God

has you in a place

where he can advance

his kingdom

through you.

God's not making mistakes

with your life

and your mistakes

aren't so big

that he won't turn them

for your ultimate good

and for his kingdom's glory.

Remain where you are

with peace,

with confidence,

with a restful heart

and trust

that God has you there

for a reason.

You might not be here forever,

but make the most of it

while you are

and don't wonder

whether God

could or can

or might be able

to use you.

As Paul told the Corinthians

back in chapter 1,

God delights

to choose the weak things

in the world's eyes

to shame the strong

and to choose

the foolish things

in the world's eyes

to shame the wise

and the low

and the despised things

in the world's eyes

to bring to naught

the things that are.

So maybe you're not

a part of the

in crowd

at school

or at work.

Maybe you don't have

a flashy job

or a profession.

Maybe you wish

your marital status

was different,

but friends,

don't be afraid

to remain where you are.

Be at peace.

For ultimately,

God is with you.

Notice the end

of verse 24

where Paul summarizes

this church-wide principle

he's been laying out.

What does he say?

Remain with God.

With God.

That's what matters.

Being with God.

Because one day,

God is going to remake

and renew this world

from the top

to the bottom.

And that brings us

to the third

and final point.

The overarching reason

why we can take

all of this to heart

because God's future

is coming,

friends.

In verses 29

through 31

at the end of our text,

Paul says,

in essence,

don't cling

too tightly

to the things

of this life.

Live as though

you don't really have them.

In other words,

don't sink

your identity

too deeply

in those roots.

Don't rest

your whole heart

on them.

because even

your most intimate

human relationship,

like the relationship

between a husband

and a wife,

as Paul says

in verse 29,

is only a reflection,

a glimmer

of the intimacy

of what's to come.

And soon,

your mourning

will give way

to joy

and your joys

will give way

to bliss

and your business

and your busyness

will soon give way

to a kingdom

that cannot fade

and a feast

that does not end.

Paul's not saying

that this life

is of no importance.

It matters

deeply.

But this life

is not

an end

in itself,

you see.

And the present form

of this world

is not the final word.

The ethnic divisions,

the class distinctions,

all the ways

in which our world

is fractured

and divided

these things

aren't going

to last forever.

The present form

of this world

is passing away

and a new creation

is dawning.

Now, yes,

it's been 2,000 years

since Paul wrote

these words.

But when he says

that the appointed time

has grown very short,

he's not thinking

about regular

chronological time,

a certain number

of days or hours

that pass off

as the clock

spins round.

This sort of empty,

neutral time

that we can fill up

like space.

No, friends.

The appointed time.

Here it's the Greek word

kairos.

This is time

if you will have it

from God's own perspective.

This is time

that is imbued

with God's

redemptive purposes.

And in that sense,

for the entire

church age,

the appointed time

has grown very short.

we, too,

with Paul,

wait on the edge

of the drama

of redemption

knowing

that the next act

is the finale.

And if the next act

is the finale

and if the curtain

is already beginning

to sway

and if the orchestra

is tuned

and poised

and ready

to strike up the music

for that final scene,

then, friends,

why are we wasting

any time fussing

and fretting

over whether I'm

in seat B7

or B8

or whether I'm

circumcised or not

or whether I'm

a bondservant or not

or whether I'm

single or not?

Why struggle

and strive

and let your heart

be consumed

with being somewhere else

or someone else

or with somebody else

if the Lord

has called you

and here you sit

on the cusp

of redemptive history?

Those things

don't have to define

you any longer.

You're the Lord's.

And the present form

of this world

is passing away.

God's new creation

is imminent.

The renewal

of all things

and thus you need

not cling

to this world,

its joys

and its sorrows,

its business

and its busyness.

Be faithful

where you are.

Don't grasp

and claw

for something else

as if that's going

to justify you

or satisfy you.

Christ has already

done that, friends.

And soon,

the curtain

will open.

And like we read

earlier from Zephaniah,

we will see the Lord God

in our midst,

a mighty one

who will save

and he will rejoice

over you with gladness

and he will quiet you

by his love

and he will exalt

over you

with loud singing

and he will gather

those who mourn

for the festival

and we will suffer

reproach no more.

Let's pray.

Amen.

Oh Lord,

make us a people

who are so

enraptured

with you

and who we are

in Christ.

Help that reality

sink so deep

down in our hearts,

God,

that we can sit loose

to the worldly statuses

that so often

pull and push

and tear us apart.

God,

give us

that deep

wellspring

of contentment

in Christ.

And Lord,

help us

to keep our eyes

on you

and help us

to be faithful

for the coming

of that day.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.