Back to the Garden

Let's turn again to, not the second chapter, but the first chapter of Genesis.

! Of course, it's the second chapter, or much of the content of the second chapter that I'd like us to think about.

But in the first chapter, you get the first account of the creation of man.

And it's in verse 26. Genesis 1, verse 26.

Genesis 1:26

Then God said,

And subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

This is where we find the source of our being.

It answers one of the most fundamental questions that we could ever ask, which is, who am I?

No other creature asks that question.

It is a question that is entirely found within human beings.

Animals don't know and don't care who they are.

They act in instinct, and no matter how intelligent we think they are or they appear to be, it is only humankind that asks the question, who am I?

Because it is of fundamental importance to our being.

And if ever there was a day when the world needs to hear that we find our origin in God, that is how the question of identity can be decisively answered.

If you take away God, then it's open season for anyone you can identify as anything you want to, because God is not in the picture.

We are only atoms and molecules having been thrown together by chance.

But here is God's decisive, loving, clear, authoritative message to all of mankind, which is, you are who you are because of me.

Because I have made you who you are.

You find your identity in me.

And so it is vitally important that this message comes across clearly and loudly to a confused world.

A world that is in darkness and despair.

And a world that needs to find God to lift them out of that despair.

He alone is the answer.

So that's why I want us to look at the content of what I've read in chapter 1 and chapter 2 and to explore it in some greater detail.

And I want us to think of, I was going to think of four things, but I don't think we're going to have time.

I want to keep things as short as possible.

This is the end of a working week.

I'm sure many of us are tired.

And so we probably won't get on to the fourth one.

But here they are anyway.

Number one is I want us to explore the uniqueness of man.

Now when I use the word man, I'm not being sexist.

I'm not trying to offend anybody.

I'm old school.

I use old school terminology.

And so man means generic humankind.

If you prefer me to use humankind, that's fine.

I'm okay with that.

But I just am conditioned to say, well, man is just human beings.

So you'll forgive me if I trade on anybody's toes.

Humankind, it's the same thing.

The world, then secondly, I want us to look in chapter 2 at the work that is given to humankind, Adam and Eve.

I want us to look at the work as the reason why humankind was created, why Adam was created.

He was, God put him to work right away.

The first thing he does is that he assigns him this task in the Garden of Eden.

I want us to explore that and humankind's ability and the gifts that God gave him in order to fulfill this mandate of being able to subdue the world and to have dominion over it.

But then thirdly, I want us to look at the companion that God created for him.

Not just as the marriage bond, but as the foundational bond from which every other type of relationship arose.

So you get ripples.

You get the first two human beings, Adam and Eve, and God brought them together in their marriage.

But then from then on, you have every other human relationship because you have the beginnings of community and family and friendships and every other kind of human relationships.

And once again, I think we're going to see that we were created in order to have that kind of relationship.

But the fourth thing I was going to talk about is that the choice that God gave to Adam and Eve.

But we're definitely going to leave that until tomorrow night.

And the choice, of course, is that either Adam was to fulfill the command that God gave him, which was the permission to eat of any tree in the garden or to eat of the forbidden fruit.

And sadly, as we know, because you'll know the end of the story, that he decided to do the latter.

We're going to explore that tomorrow and what the consequences of those were.

I want us to look, first of all, then, at how unique human beings are.

And, of course, when we go back to the very beginning, we're talking about our first parents.

We're talking about that uniqueness that has extended.

Despite the fact that we've become separated from God, nonetheless, that humanness has extended throughout all the generations and it belongs to us.

And so when I talk about Adam and Eve, I'm talking about ourselves as well as belonging to that same species of creation.

And I want us to look at it in terms of the way it's presented to us here in such dramatic form.

First of all, let's look at in the process of creation in chapter one.

You'll notice that there's a kind of repetitiveness about it.

Up until the sixth day, God says, let there be, let there be, let there be fish, let the fish, let the seas team with, let there be animals, let there be, and so on and so forth.

But when it comes to the sixth day, there's a kind of dramatic pause, isn't it?

If you read it, just as often, we just don't read the Bible often enough as within the flow that God intends it to be.

Because as you read that, when you get on to the sixth day, it's almost like God is saving the best to last.

There's a crescendo happening.

There's an upward movement in creation.

And then at last, he changes the language that he's using.

Mankind is created, last of all, after a pause, a dramatic pause, in which God rephrases his terminology.

And he says this, let us make man.

Now, scholars have argued and wondered about what does the us mean?

Let us make man.

And I believe, quite simply, I don't, certainly I'm not going to start going into the different opinions that some people have offered.

I'm going to say very plainly that this is the first glimpse in the Bible of God as Trinity.

God as one and God as more than one.

And, of course, in the course of the Bible, he identifies and he clarifies who he is as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We have the great privilege of being able to read Genesis 2 through the lens of the New Testament.

And so we can see, I believe, quite clearly that God is speaking to himself.

The Father is speaking to the Son.

And, of course, there's a council in the Trinity coming together.

And they are intentionally and deliberately making a point of this moment in time, this climax in creation,

in which they're saying, now it's time to do something completely unique.

I'm not saying that the animals weren't unique.

Of course, there's a uniqueness about them.

But now, this is different.

This is God reaching the peak of his process of creation.

He's not going to do anything more.

He's reaching the very pinnacle of the process of creation.

And he says, let us make man.

But he says more than that, doesn't he?

He says, let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

In other words, what God is doing is, for the first time in history, if I can call it that,

for the very first time in creation history, God, who is himself relational,

Father, Son, and Spirit, three persons of the Godhead,

He is creating a being who is relational and who can relate not only to his own species, but to God.

He is creating a being in his likeness.

There is something God-like about Adam and God-like about Eve.

First time ever that's happened.

Never happened before.

He's creating someone outside of himself who he can speak to and relate to and indeed have communion with.

This is a momentous moment.

This is a historic moment.

And it is the moment when our species, who we are, came into being.

It's really important, I think, to read slowly these verses

and to notice the deliberate drama that is in order to impress upon us

that this is a unique moment.

You notice also that it's not simply a fiat.

Remember in Genesis chapter 1, the way he creates other forms of life is

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

let there be lights and let there be extended.

I'm not trying to trivialize this, by the way.

I'm just saying there's a certain repetitiveness in it.

And God said let the water swarm with living creatures

and let them fly above the earth, across the expanse of the heavens.

But now there is not just a let there be,

but there is an intentional creation process.

He makes man not out of nothing, but out of the dust of the ground.

He takes what already is and somehow he forms the man.

He fashions and molds him and creates him from what already exists.

It's interesting, isn't it, that there is an affinity

between humankind and the rest of the world, the rest of the natural world.

I'm not surprised that people love the natural world.

It's part of our human nature to love what God has created,

whether it's mountains or rivers or trees or flowers or whatever.

We feel an affinity toward us because God's created us from this world.

He's used the world as the raw material to create humankind.

It's also why it's not surprising that there is a DNA similarity,

that there is some relationship.

I'm not a scientist.

I'm not a biologist.

I don't know much about it, but again,

there is an affinity between humankind and the rest of creation.

But then God gives him a command,

and he is to subdue.

He's told in common with every other life form that he is to propagate.

He is to go out and to fill the earth.

But then he is to subdue.

He's to exercise dominion over the world.

He is to do so with authority and with ability.

It's almost like God comes to the point of creation where he stops,

but there's still more work to be done,

not this time in creating something brand new,

but in developing what God has already done.

He's to explore it and to discover it,

and he's to manage it,

and he's to have dominion over it.

Now, right away,

I know what some of you are thinking.

You're thinking,

well, I don't like dominion.

I don't like the idea of humankind having dominion

because that's where all the trouble of the world comes from,

is humankind rising above everything else

and exercising his own selfish will on the earth.

Yes, you're right.

You're absolutely right.

But that's not because man doesn't have dominion.

It's because of sin.

He's become a tyrant.

He's become selfish.

He does things for his own good or for his own benefit

rather than for the glory of God.

But this is before sin comes into the world.

This is what our original purpose was,

to live, to enjoy.

We'll see tomorrow that God gave him every tree in the garden.

It doesn't get better than that in a perfect world.

But he gave him,

he set before him the whole world to explore and to manage

and to subdue.

So Francis Schaeffer is not wrong when he says,

there is something great about man.

I think we can all identify with that.

We're all aware, of course, of our deficiencies in ourselves and in others.

But nonetheless, there is something grand about human beings,

men and women, boys and girls.

There is something truly remarkable

in comparison with every other creature.

Let's just explore that in just a little bit more detail.

that what is it about us?

What is it about Adam,

which is different to every other creature?

Well, he's first of all self-aware.

If there was a mirror in the Garden of Eden,

there wasn't one until I guess he must have

probably looked at the river at some point

and saw himself in the reflection.

I wonder when that happened,

when he actually saw himself.

It's interesting, isn't it?

All these firsts that there must have been.

When did he first see himself?

When did he first look at himself

in whatever reflective material that there was?

I don't know.

But if he did have a mirror,

he would reflect.

But it would be more than just,

well, let me look for the next branch that I can eat.

No, it's a fundamental question.

Who is this?

Who is this person?

It's an important question.

He possesses that reflective core.

He can relate to himself.

He's not only conscious.

He is self-conscious.

He is Adam.

He can rationalize.

He can analyze.

The very fact that he's asking,

who am I, is unique in itself.

No other creature asks that question.

He perceives that there has to be a reason

why the world is as he sees it and why he is.

Now, when I was preparing this,

I looked up AI.

It wasn't ChatGPT.

It was Google.

You can do this yourself when you get home.

And I asked the question,

what's the difference between human beings and animals?

All right?

So this is the answer.

And the answer was truly astonishing.

Where did you hear this?

And remember, this is not the Bible.

This is AI.

Right?

Listen to this.

If I can find it.

Humans possess the capacity for abstract reasoning,

complex problem solving and logical thinking,

allowing them to analyze situations,

form hypotheses,

and develop innovative solutions.

Humans are self-aware,

meaning they can understand their own existence

and mental states.

They also have the ability to understand

the mental states of others,

a concept known as the theory of the mind.

Humans have developed complex symbolic language,

enabling them to communicate abstract ideas,

share knowledge,

and build intricate social structures.

That's exactly what the Bible tells us.

And how did all that come about?

How do you explain why all of these features

and characters exist in humanity?

It can only be explained

by their having been created

in the image of God

and the likeness of God.

And so the reason we look in the mirror

and ask the question,

who am I,

is because we're human.

And sometimes, of course,

the process of asking who am I

can lead to all kinds

of distorted answers.

But that doesn't necessarily mean

it's wrong.

It is entirely natural

to ask the question.

But then humans are built

with this horizontal capacity

of being able to relate

to one another.

Chapter 2,

we read that God saw

that it wasn't good

for the man to be alone.

And this means, of course,

that because man is relational,

he needs relationship,

which involves communication

and mutual interaction

with all,

with mutual interaction

of all kinds,

with someone of his own kind.

And so God created

another of the same kind

to be a helper

that was suitable for him.

We'll look at that

a little bit later on.

Man was built

with the capacity

to relate horizontally.

But then,

he is also able

to relate vertically.

Because God didn't create him

just to interact

with his own kind

or to name the animals.

He created him

so that he could talk to him.

He speaks to Adam.

Adam listens

and understands

and obeys.

He's made him capable

of conscious understanding

his mind and his will.

They're on the same page.

When God says something,

Adam knows what he's saying.

Animals can only respond

to distinct happenings

and according to their

inbuilt programmed instincts.

instinct,

but we can respond

and sometimes instinctively,

but we can also see

the world

from God's side.

And so can Adam.

He sees

the big,

big picture.

But he's also able

to obey.

When he hears God,

he understands

the command of God

and he has the ability

to obey.

We'll see tomorrow

he also has the ability

not to obey.

That's part of the free will

that God gave to Adam uniquely,

but we'll wait

until tomorrow to see that.

But nonetheless,

it was entirely possible

for him to obey.

That's because obedience

wasn't alien to Adam.

It was natural.

It was second nature,

if you like.

He was made for God

and he knew

that happiness

was found.

The security

that he had

was found

in God

and he's of one mind

with God

and yet it was

possible for him

to take the other road

as well.

So then,

that was the uniqueness.

What about

the work

that was given

to man?

And I'm not going to spend

as much time

on this,

but you'll notice

that both from chapter 1

and chapter 2

that both accounts,

they tell us

that right away,

immediately,

he was sent to work.

God built

the garden

for him

and he

was sent

into it

and he gave him

the ability

to fulfill

the mandate

that God

gave to him.

He has the

managerial skill

to rule over

the earth.

He has the creative

ability

to rationally

reorder the environment.

He's got the

scientific ability

to explore

and to describe

and to catalogue

and to discover

features of other

creatures in the world.

There's a world

of discovery

to be had

if he had

obeyed God.

You can see,

of course,

as you make

your way

through Genesis,

the way

that culture

develops,

that industry

develops,

a very interesting

family

in chapter 4,

which one of them

is called Jabal,

another one is called Jubal,

and another one is called

Jubal Cain.

You can read it

in chapter 4.

And Jabal,

chapter 4,

verse 20,

became the father

of those who dwell

in tents

and have livestock.

He was the first

agricultural man.

Then you have Jubal,

chapter 4,

verse 21,

and he's the father

of all those

who play the lyre

and the harp.

He's the culture man.

And then you have

Jubal Cain

in chapter 4,

verse 22,

and he's the forger

of all instruments

of bronze and iron.

We have the first

glimpses

of industry.

mechanics.

You have the first

industrial man.

So it's no surprise

that in the opening

chapters,

the opening words

of these chapters,

that God didn't leave

man a day

to himself.

He is made

to work,

he's given the ability

to work,

and he is given

the mandate

to work

and to explore

and to systematize

the world.

And in that world,

God built

or created

a garden,

the Garden

of Eden,

the perfect,

the place

of perfect

bliss

and happiness.

Apparently,

they tell me

that the word

Eden is a Hebrew

word meaning

delight.

It's a place

of idyllic

delight

and rest.

The idea

of the garden

is an enclosure,

a place

of security,

a place

of a royal

parkland,

apparently the word

paradise.

It means

the royal

parkland.

And that

picks up

echoes of the

biblical narrative

and here the

subordinate king

is placed by his

overlord

in a protected

shelter spot.

He was invited

to fill the

earth

and every

moment

was joy

to him.

It's hard

for some of us

to think of

work as joy.

I know that

some of you

probably enjoy

your work

and it's a

great thing.

Be very thankful

if you enjoy

your work.

Be very thankful

if you wake up

on a Monday

morning and

say,

yes,

I'm going

to go to

work.

I love it.

I can't

wait to get

in because

it could

equally be the

opposite.

I saw

an interview

with somebody

and there was

this big

train exhibition

down in

Derby last

week and

they asked

this train

driver about

his work

and this is

what he said.

He says,

if you love

your job,

you come to

work for

the fun of

it.

Well,

that could

be said

for Adam.

Adam,

every day

was bliss.

Every day

was just,

he couldn't

wait to

do what

God had.

It's hard

for us to

understand that

because in

a sinful

world,

very often

work becomes

tedious.

It's a chore

and there are

all kinds of

frustrations.

Many of you

tonight,

you'll probably

say,

I don't want to

hear about

this.

I've had a

week,

I'm up to

my eyes

with,

you have no

idea the

kind of

frustrations

I've been

having at

work and

you want to

talk about

work in a

sermon.

That's just

completely not

what I came

here to

do.

Well,

you need to

maybe rethink

work.

And you

need to

reorient

your

theology of

work because

there is a

theology of

work.

Remember that

work existed

before the

fall.

It's not a

consequence of

the fall.

It is a

privilege.

Okay,

in a sinful

world,

things go

wrong,

as they do

everywhere.

Nonetheless,

work is

our

calling.

It's where

God has

sent us

to.

And if

anything,

even this

weekend,

I hope it

will be a

strength to

us,

having

gazed

again on

what Jesus

did to

secure our

salvation,

that we

go out in

renewed

strength,

back into

Monday morning,

ready to

do our

work to

the glory

of God.

that's

what we've

been programmed

to do.

Despite

all of

the

problems,

I know

what it

was.

I was

in

secular

employment

before I

went into

ministry,

and even

in ministry

there is

frustrations.

There are

frustrations

everywhere.

I know

what it's

like to

fall out

with people

at work.

I know

what it's

like when

there's

jealousy,

and when

there's

griping in

the workplace,

and when

things go

wrong,

and when

there's

injustice,

and when

work

becomes

a

joke.

I

know all

about

that.

And yet,

when we

come back

to it,

God has

said we've

been created

to work,

and it is

possible to

work to

his glory.

So,

then,

very briefly,

and time

is fast

running out,

the companion

that God

made for

man.

Now,

let me just

say,

I know

that some

of you

are not

married,

and I'm

not going

to make

this,

I don't

want to

focus only

on the

marriage

bond,

because I

don't

believe that

this does

focus only

on it,

primarily,

because this

was the

first human

to human

bond that

God created,

from which

every other

relationship

would arise.

But,

again,

there is

something

deeply

dramatic

about what

God does.

He doesn't

just create

a woman

out of

nothing.

He takes

the man,

he puts

him to

sleep,

he opens

him up,

he takes

a rib

out of

him,

and from

the rib

he creates

this

perfect

soulmate

for Adam.

And when

he brings

him to

Adam,

Adam's

words

are,

this

at last

is bone

of my

bones,

this is

what was

lacking,

this is

bone of

my bones

and flesh

of my

flesh,

she shall

be called

woman,

because she

was taken

out of

man,

therefore

shall a

man leave

his father

and mother

and hold

fast to

his wife.

This was

the first

marriage

bond,

but it

was the

first primary

human

relationship,

and from

then there

came

children,

and from

them came

more children,

and cousins,

and family,

and wider

family,

and ripples,

and community,

and towns,

and villages,

and friendships,

and all kinds

of working

relationships in

which we could

relate to one

another and find

meaning and

belonging,

and fellowship.

so we are

here for

this evening.

God has

called us

into fellowship

with one

another,

a unique

relationship

in the

family of

God.

I don't

want to say

anything else

about that.

There isn't

time.

What I want

to do is

in two

minutes,

I want to

talk about

takeaways.

how does

this relate

to where

we are

this evening?

Well,

let me ask

this question.

When we

think of

Eden,

and what

God did

there at

the very

beginning of

the world,

and what

God is

doing now

in the

gospel,

and what

God will

one day

do in

bringing

about the

new heaven

and the

new earth,

as he

will one

day,

what about

now?

What about

this life

now?

For you

and me

as Christians,

as God's

people.

Here's my

question.

Is there

any sense

in which

we have

been restored

to Eden?

Or,

let me put it

another way,

is there any

sense in which

Eden has

been restored

already?

We know

it's going

to be restored

one day.

We know

it's going

to be a

new heaven

and a

new earth.

The Bible

tells us

that.

But what

about now?

Is the

life that

we live

now only

to be

tolerated

until we

get to

heaven?

Is it

something to

be suffered

only until

we get

to heaven?

I want to

suggest to

you very

strongly the

answer to

that is

no.

The life

we have

now,

it is

not perfect,

it's not

complete,

but God

has already

started the

process of

recreation

within us.

let me

prove that

from the

Bible.

First of

all,

let me

give you

some

quotes.

All of

them are

from the

New

Testament.

First of

all,

when Paul

tells us

that for

God who

said let

light shine

out of

darkness,

he has

shone in

our hearts

to give

the light

of the

knowledge

of the

glory of

God

in the

face of

Jesus

Christ.

In

other

words,

in the

gospel,

God

has gone

all the

way back

to

Genesis

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

and verse

!

1,

and the

same God

who said let

light shine

out of

darkness,

he's done

the same

again in

the gospel,

except this

time he's

done it in

our hearts

through Jesus

Christ.

New

creation,

new process.

Here's the

next one,

Colossians 3

Colossians 3:10

verse 10,

listen to

this,

we have

put on

the new

self

which is

being

renewed

in

knowledge

after the

image of

its

creator.

That's

not in

the future,

that's

now.

Right

now,

God is

renewing

his

image

in

us.

What did

we say

before?

When God

created Adam

and Eve,

he created

them in

his

image.

What does

he say

in Colossians?

He's created

us in

his

image.

We

bear the

image of

God in

a new

and a

living

way in

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ.

And

then,

he tells

us in

Romans

Romans 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8,

for those

whom he

foreknew,

he

predates

to be

conformed

to the

image of

his

Son.

In

other words,

remember all

these things

I said?

The horizontal

relationship,

the vertical

relationship,

it's all

there.

It's all

there now

in us.

God has

done it.

He's made

us into

new creation,

a new

creation in

the Lord

Jesus

Christ.

Christ.

And so,

as we

come to

remember

Christ's

death,

let's

do so

as

God's

new

creation

in

Christ

Jesus.

That's

who we

are.

God's

And when

!

And when

we think

about our

deficiencies,

as we

naturally do

at a time

like this,

we should be

doing it

every day,

but we do

so in the

context of

we are

new

creatures

in

Jesus

Christ.

That's

the first

thing.

Because that's

what God

has promised

us.

confidence

and that's

what gives

us confidence

to come

to God

and to

know

that He

is our

Savior

and has

done a

marvelous

work in

our hearts.

Because the

truth is that

when we talk

about Adam's

fellowship with

God,

that vertical

relationship that

we talked about

earlier on in

which God

spoke,

Adam understood

and he spoke

back to God

and there was

this

wonderful,

wonderful

interaction.

We have

it.

Let me

prove it to

you.

1 John

1 John 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

and verse 3.

The purpose

of the

gospel,

John says,

is that we

have fellowship

and indeed

our fellowship

is with

the Father

and His

Son,

Jesus

Christ.

That's

now,

tonight,

we have

fellowship

with the

Father,

and His

Son,

Jesus

Christ.

Now,

the first

thing that

comes into

our minds,

I guess,

is,

well,

I wish

it was

better.

I wish

I was

more

conscious

of it.

I wish

I was

more

obedient.

Well,

we're

coming

tonight

to God

with whom

we have

fellowship

and who

hears

and answers

all our

prayer.

And when

we're asking

God,

Lord,

I want

to be

more like

you.

I am

so,

so

conscious

of my

who do

you think

has put

that

consciousness

into your

heart?

The

Holy

Spirit.

He's

troubled

you,

rightly

so.

What's

the purpose

of that

trouble?

To bring

you afresh

to Jesus

where there

is a

reminder

of His

forgiveness

and His

cleansing

and the

newness

of life

that He

promises

to give

us.

God

did not

love

Adam

any more

than He

loves you.

You say,

I have a

problem with

that.

Adam was

perfect.

God didn't

love him

because he

was perfect.

God loved

him because

He loved

him because

He was a

man after

His own

image.

And as

God has

recreated

us in

Christ Jesus,

He loves

us with

that same

love.

He did

not love

Adam any

more than

He loves

us.

And so

therefore,

in that

love and

in the

confidence

that that

love ought

to bring

to us,

we

worship

worship and

adore

the God

who has

created us

and has

redeemed

us in

the Lord

Jesus Christ.

Let's pray

together.

Our

Father in

heaven,

we ask

that you

will bless

your word

to us.

We thank

you for

who we

are.

We thank

you for

giving us

not only a

self-awareness

but an

awareness of

God.

Thank you

for speaking

to us and

for giving us

ears that

listen and

that want to

listen to

more.

We thank

you for

giving us

willing hearts,

repentant

hearts,

for drawing

us afresh to

Jesus.

And we

pray that you

will continue

to do that,

not only through

the course of

this weekend,

but on and

on and on

through the

course of

our lives

as we

live in

the light

of your

Spirit.

So,

Father,

take us,

we pray,

accept us,

we confess

all of our

failures to

you.

And we

ask that

you will

remind us

of the

blood of

Jesus

Christ that

cleanses us

from all

sin.

In his

name,

amen.

Well,

we're going

to close by

singing in

Psalm 8.

We've already

started singing

it.

It's the

Sing Psalms

version.

It's on

page 8.

And we're

singing from

verse 5 to

verse 8.

The last

three stanzas,

verse 5 to

verse 9.

You made

him little

less than

those who

dwell in

heaven above,

and you

have crowned

and honoured

him with

glory and

with love.

You gave

him charge

of all the

works created

by your

hand, and

everything that

you had

made, you

gave him

to command.

We'll sing

these last

three stanzas

from 5 to

verse 9,

and we'll

stand if

you're able

to.

you made

him little

less than

those who

dwell in

heaven above,

and you

have crowned

and honoured

him with

glory and

with love.

You gave

him charge

of all

the

works

created

higher

on,

and everything

that you

had made,

you gave

him to

command.

All

flocks and

birds and

birds and

fish, all

he's

clothed,

wild and

tame,

in all

the

earth, O

Lord our

Lord,

our

glorious

sister

name.

And now

may the

grace of

our Lord

and

Saviour

Jesus

Christ,

the love

of God

the Father,

and the

communion

and

fellowship

of the

Holy Spirit

rest on

and abide

with each

one of

you both

now and

always.

Amen.

put it

put it in.

Thank you.

Thank you.