Desperate Measures

Our scripture reading this morning is from Luke chapter 8. We'll be looking at verses 40 through 56.

Luke 8 · chapter mention

If you would like a physical copy of the Bible, there are some in the back there, and the passage will be found on page 866 in those Bibles.

Luke chapter 8, verses 40 through 56.

Luke 8:40–56

Now, when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.

And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler in the synagogue.

And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about 12 years of age, and she was dying.

And as Jesus went, the people pressed around him.

And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for 12 years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone.

She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.

And Jesus said,

Who was it that touched me?

When all denied it, Peter said,

Master, the crowd surrounds you and are pressing in on you.

But Jesus said,

Someone touch me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.

And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling,

and falling down before him, declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him,

and how she had been immediately healed.

And he said to her,

And while he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said,

Your daughter is dead.

Do not trouble the teacher anymore.

But Jesus, on hearing this, answered him,

Do not fear.

Only believe, and she will be well.

And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him,

except Peter and John and James,

and the father and mother of the child.

And all were weeping and mourning for her.

But he said,

Do not weep, for she is not dead, but sleeping.

And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

But taking her by the hand, he called, saying,

Child, arise.

And her spirit returned, and she got up at once.

And he directed that something should be given her to eat.

And her parents were amazed.

But he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

This is God's Word.

If you have a Bible, please turn to Luke chapter 8, verses 40 through 56.

Luke 8:40–56

We're doing a series in the morning here at St. Columba's on encounters with Jesus.

And you'll notice in this passage,

there are, in fact, not just one encounter, but two encounters.

So, this morning, it's kind of two for the price of one.

Although, I'll try to make sure that the sermon doesn't last twice as long.

The film was called Desperate Measures.

Released back, I think, in 1998,

it featured Michael Keaton, Andy Garcia, Brian Cox.

And it told a story of a San Francisco police officer

who embarks on a frantic search for a compatible bone marrow donor

for his leukemia-stricken son.

And it's a Hollywood film.

In his desperation, he breaks into the FBI headquarters

to find a suitable donor.

He finds a match on the computer.

Unfortunately, it turns out to be some violent killer.

He's then plunged into a series of increasingly desperate actions

as he tries to save his son's life.

And the film really depicts the desperate,

the extreme measures that a person might go

in order to save their child's life.

We ourselves sometimes quote the proverb,

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

And in our text today from Luke chapter 8,

Luke 8 · chapter mention

we're introduced to two desperate individuals,

two people who've been pushed to the very limit,

two people who've been taken to that place of utter desperation,

pushed into taking desperate measures.

And in their desperation,

with no one else to turn to,

they reach out in faith to Jesus Christ.

And sometimes that is the way of it.

It's in the difficult experiences of life,

in the desperate times,

that people turn and cast themselves on the mercy of God.

It's in the hard times that people turn to Jesus.

How often it is that God uses circumstances of desperation and difficulty

to break into people's lives

and to bring them hope and salvation.

C.S. Lewis famously put it like this,

God whispers to us in our pleasures,

speaks in our conscience,

but shouts in our pain.

It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

And here in our text this morning,

we find these two very different people

being awakened and stirred up by desperate times

that push them into taking desperate measures.

I want to look at this passage under three headings.

The first thing I want you to notice is this,

is that Jesus here encounters the faith of the desperate.

Jesus encounters the faith of the desperate.

And as I mentioned,

this passage at the end of Luke 8

centers around these two very different individuals.

The stories are entwined together

as each in their own way comes to Jesus for help and healing.

Two desperate people reaching out to Jesus in faith.

And the scene is set,

you'll notice it there in verse 40,

as a crowd of people throng around Jesus.

The crowd, when Jesus returned,

the crowd welcomed Him.

They were all waiting for Him.

And there came a man named Jairus,

ruler of the synagogue,

falling at Jesus' feet.

He implored him to come to his house.

For he had an only daughter,

about 12 years of age,

and she was dying.

So the first person we're introduced to is Jairus,

a ruler in the synagogue,

charge perhaps of arranging the services there,

a prominent religious leader in the community,

man of standing and status,

perhaps a man of wealth,

certainly a man of devotion to God.

Everyone would have known him.

They would have known who he was.

He was a man perhaps used to getting his own way,

used to being in control,

used to being in charge,

used to other people coming to him.

But here the tables are turned.

And as the crowd mills around,

this man Jairus approaches Jesus

and throws himself down at his feet.

Now for such a man to abase himself in such a way,

that would have been, I think,

a shock and a surprise

to all who were gathered there.

He falls on his knees.

He begs Jesus to come to his house

because his 12-year-old daughter is dying.

And we're not told the nature of the illness,

only that there's not much time.

The implication here is that a quick and speedy response

is required if she is to be saved.

There are, of course,

many difficult and hard things in this life,

but there are not many more traumatic to a parent

than a sick or dying child.

I wonder if there is anything as hard

and difficult to deal with as that.

I know there are people here,

people listening,

and they know exactly,

you know exactly what that is like.

And in falling down at Jesus' feet,

you get a sense of this man's fear

and panic and desperation.

Jairus will do anything

to see his little girl restored.

He's terrified she's going to die.

He's terrified he's going to lose her.

And so driven by need and desperation

in a very public way,

he humbles himself

and he throws himself upon Jesus' mercy.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

And you can imagine how his hopes

start to rise

as Jesus agrees to go with him,

his insides churning with fear and anxiety.

Will they make it in time?

And so Jesus,

Jairus,

and the crowd

hurry toward Jairus' home.

There's a sense of anticipation

in the crowd.

Are they going to witness

yet another miracle?

And it's as they make that journey

that we're introduced

to another person

of desperate faith.

Verse 42,

as Jesus went,

the people pressed around him,

and there was a woman

who had a discharge of blood

for twelve years.

And though she'd spent

all her living on physicians,

she could not be healed by anyone.

She came up behind him

and touched the fringe of his garment,

and immediately

her discharge of blood ceased.

Here is a woman

of quiet desperation.

Unlike Jairus,

she had no social standing

or position in the community.

She's not even named.

She had lived

with a private medical condition

for some twelve years,

probably some kind

of menstrual problem.

It had rendered her

religiously,

socially unclean,

according to Levitical law.

She was in reality

in a perpetual state

of uncleanness,

socially isolated,

ostracized.

She perhaps couldn't even visit

others in their homes.

The synagogue services

were off limits.

For her,

it was physical debility

and social isolation

to the maximum degree.

And not only that,

but this ailment

had drained

all her financial resources.

She'd sought the help

of doctors,

but to no avail.

This condition

absolutely dominated her life.

In fact,

it was sucking

the life out of her.

It affected her

physically,

socially,

financially,

spiritually,

emotionally.

She lived

with an inner sense

of shame

and grief.

What an unhappy woman

she had become,

driven to the very end

of her tether

by this persistent

and apparently

untreatable

medical condition.

She longed

to be healed.

She longed

for a normal life.

She longed

to be made clean.

She longed

to be set free

from this illness.

And the shame

that she felt.

How many there are

in this world

just like her.

And many feel

for whatever reason

that they don't fit in,

that they're unacceptable,

that they're unclean,

that they're a disgrace.

Sometimes,

as I say,

through no fault

of their own.

Here's the words

of Ed Welch,

a Christian counselor.

He says this

about shame.

What is shame?

You are shunned.

Faces are turned

from you.

They ignore you

as if you didn't exist.

You're naked.

Faces are turned

towards you.

They stare at you

as if you were hideous.

You're worthless

and it's no secret.

You are of little

or no value

to those

whose opinions

matter to you.

And this unnamed

woman,

I think,

had a deep sense

of shame.

Not because

she'd done

something wrong,

but because

of this condition

that dominated

her life.

She carried

around with her

a profound

sense of dis-ease.

And those

kinds of feelings,

however they arise,

often cause people

to hide away,

to retreat.

Maybe to hide away

even in a marriage,

to hide away

from former friends,

to hide away

from church,

even to hide away

from themselves.

And this woman,

I think,

was used to hiding.

And here she was,

hiding in the crowd.

We're not told,

but some commentators

suggest she may

even have been

disguised.

But as she sees

Jesus in the crowd,

she devises a plan.

She'd heard of

the wonderful things

He'd done for others.

Maybe,

just maybe,

He could do

something for her.

If only she could

touch the fringe

of His garment,

then perhaps she too

could be healed

and be restored.

And she believes

that Jesus has the power

to do what others

could not do.

And yes,

in some ways,

her thinking is

quite superstitious.

Yet such is her

sense of desperate need

that amidst

this bustling crowd,

she reaches out

in secret

to touch Jesus

and be healed.

Desperate times

call for desperate

measures.

It's the briefest

of touches.

It's only

the fingertips

of faith.

But it transpires

that this is all

that is needed

for her

to be delivered.

So here are these

two very different

individuals,

both coming to Jesus

in desperate faith,

conscious of their

weakness,

their frailty,

their powerlessness,

and they reach out

to Jesus.

they reach out

the hand of faith

to connect with him.

Jesus encounters

the faith

of the desperate.

And that brings me

to the second thing here.

And that is that

Jesus tests

the faith

of the desperate.

This unnamed woman

did not want to

grab the limelight.

She was perhaps

a private person,

her medical condition,

the shame that she felt

about it,

probably had reinforced

that outlook.

For a woman

in her condition

to touch a rabbi

was a great taboo.

And ashamed,

she didn't want

to be in the spotlight.

Like many people,

she preferred

to be in the background.

She wanted

to keep hidden.

And that's why

she resolved

to reach out

to Jesus in secret.

She thought

she could be healed

quietly and then

just steal away.

What transpires

is that Jesus

is not prepared

to let her do that.

And Jesus said,

verse 45,

who was it

that touched me?

When all denied it,

Peter said,

Master,

the crowds

are surrounding you

and are pressing

in on you.

But Jesus said,

someone touched me.

For I perceive

that power

has gone out from me.

Jesus is conscious

that in some way

power has proceeded

from him.

And the touch

he asks about

is not simply

a physical touch,

but a touch

that sought help

and found it.

And he determines

that the silent

and secret faith

of this woman

needs to be exposed.

Perhaps we might

think that was

a kind of cruel thing

for Jesus to do.

Why didn't he just

let her slip away

unnoticed into the crowd?

Why does he embarrass

her in this way?

It must have been

very frightening

for the woman.

Why did he make

her go public?

Verse 47,

when the woman saw

that she was not hidden,

she came trembling,

falling down before him,

declared in the presence

of all the people,

why she had touched him

and how she had been

immediately healed.

The woman actually

comes forward

of her own accord.

She saw that she

was not hidden.

Trembling,

she comes,

and like Jairus,

falls at Jesus' feet.

She's afraid

of public exposure.

She's embarrassed

at being the center

of attention,

but she comes clean.

She gives her testimony

nonetheless.

And whatever fears

her fears might have been,

they are soon dissolved

as she hears

these words of Jesus.

And he said to her,

Daughter,

your faith has made you well.

Go in peace.

It's the only time

in the Gospels,

I think,

that Jesus uses

this term daughter.

A word of tenderness

and affection.

It's interesting,

isn't it?

We've got Jairus' daughter

on the one hand

and this daughter

on the other.

Jairus' daughter

is 12 years old.

This woman

has had a medical condition

for 12 years.

And Jesus underlines

this point

that it's her faith

that has made her well.

As I said,

she appears to have

a somewhat superstitious

understanding

of Jesus' powers.

She thought that she

could be healed

on her own terms.

That is never the case.

And that's why Jesus

makes her publicly

identify herself.

It wasn't the touch

of His garment

that had healed her.

It was her faith

in Him.

Her healing

was not about

superstition.

It was about faith

in Jesus Christ.

It's very important

to see that distinction

because,

unfortunately,

superstition

still rules

the lives

of many,

many people,

often giving

the illusion

that we're in control

because of

certain artifacts

or rituals

or ceremonies

and confusing

these outward signs

with real faith

and trust

in Jesus Christ.

And real faith

is the hand

that receives

the blessing.

It may be

a shaking hand,

it may be

a trembling hand,

yet Christ

feels that touch

though a whole world

of need

presses upon Him.

And so the woman

comes clean

and falls trembling

at Jesus' feet.

Her secret faith

made public.

And she and the crowd

are reminded

the wholeness

and healing

and salvation

come

by faith

alone.

And yet,

if this woman's

faith is exposed

and in some way

tested by Jesus,

so too

is that of Jairus.

because this whole

incident with the woman

seriously interrupts

and delays

Jesus coming

to deal

with His daughter.

Now,

you know,

we all know

what it's like

when we're anxious

to get somewhere.

Perhaps it's for

an appointment

or a meeting

and then we're detained

or we're delayed

unexpectedly.

You know,

there's a traffic jam.

Every light

turns to red.

We're stuck

behind a slow-moving

vehicle

or a cyclist.

If you're here

in Edinburgh,

the city council

have suddenly

created roadworks

overnight

that you didn't

know they were there.

And it can be

hugely stressful

and incredibly

frustrating.

Well,

just imagine

how this whole

encounter with the

woman must have

affected Jairus.

He's desperate

to get home.

He's desperate

for Jesus

to heal his daughter.

Time is short.

It's an urgent

situation.

They must get

home before

she dies.

And yet,

Jesus keeps

both Jairus

and his daughter

waiting.

And it must have

seemed to Jairus

and the disciples

that Jesus was

delaying,

really,

for no good reason.

This was actually,

this was a matter

of life and death.

Why doesn't Jesus

hurry up?

Why does he delay?

And sometimes

we can feel the same.

We question God.

We wonder why

things are taking

so long.

Why doesn't he

just sort things

out now?

It can be very

difficult.

Maybe God is

delaying something

in your life.

How are you

responding?

Are you just

going to give up,

throw in the towel?

Are you frantic

and impatient

for some kind

of resolution?

Or do you

trust him?

And there comes

the news

that Jairus

must have been

dreading,

how his heart

must have sunk.

Verse 49,

while he was

still speaking,

someone from

the ruler's

house came

and said,

your daughter

is dead.

Do not

trouble the

teacher

anymore.

But Jesus,

on hearing

this,

answered him,

do not fear,

only believe,

and she

will be

well.

A test

of faith

for Jairus.

Jesus looks

into his eyes

and says,

trust me.

Do not fear,

believe.

Maybe he's

looking at you

today and

he's saying

the very same

thing.

Despite the

way things

appear,

just now,

trust me.

Have

faith.

William

Cooper's

famous hymn

has the

verse,

judge not

the Lord

by feeble

sense,

but trust

him for

his grace.

Behind a

frowning

providence,

he hides

a smiling

face.

When he

came,

verse 51,

to the house,

he allowed

no one to

enter with

him,

except Peter

and John

and James

and the

father and

mother of

the child.

All were

weeping and

mourning for

her,

but he

said,

do not

weep,

for she

is not

dead,

but sleeping.

And they

laughed at

him,

knowing that

she was

dead.

Jesus

eventually gets

to the

house,

he encounters

the scene

of profound

grief and

loud mourning

in the

Jewish culture

of the day.

Mourners were

only called

after death

had been

established.

And in the

midst of this

tumult of

sorrow and

anguish,

Jesus calls

on those

present to

stop their

lamentation,

because he

says the

girl is

not dead,

only asleep.

But his

words prompt

not faith

and obedience,

but just

laughter and

derision from

those who

are gathered.

They

consider Jesus'

statement to

be utterly

ludicrous,

a fantasy,

a fiction.

This girl is

now beyond

all human

help.

What else

is there to

do but

grieve and

mourn?

Jesus'

hope and

Jesus

sometimes

tests the

faith of

the desperate.

That brings

us to our

third point.

Not just

Jesus encounters

the faith of

the desperate,

tests the

faith of the

desperate,

but thirdly

here, Jesus

rewards the

faith of

the desperate.

The miracles

of Jesus

in the

Gospels,

it's important

to understand

what they

are.

And these

two miracles

here of

Jesus are

really pictures

of what

Jesus has

come to

do.

They're

windows into

the work

of salvation

that He is

bringing to

His people,

visual aids

designed to

help us

grasp just

what Jesus

and His

in-breaking

kingdom will

accomplish.

The New

Testament

commentator

Darrell

Bopp writes

this,

these miracles

are audio

visuals of

important truths

related to

Jesus'

sovereignty.

As important

as each

event is

in itself,

even more

important is

the picture

involved.

The overcoming

of disease

and death

in this

passage is

but a

foretaste

of the

ultimate

comprehensive

overcoming

of disease

and death.

These events

point beyond

to eternal

realities.

And it's

important that

we bear that

in mind.

And in both

these instances

we discover

that faith

in Jesus

is rewarded.

He said

to her

daughter,

verse 48,

your faith

has made

you well,

go in peace.

The word

translated,

made you

well,

same word

Luke uses

of salvation.

You could

read verse

48 as

your faith

has saved

you.

Her

desperation

gives way

to salvation,

to healing,

to wholeness.

She is

rendered whole

and happy

and complete.

read.

Friends,

it's important

to understand

faith is

not magic.

It is

a laying

hold

of Jesus

Christ.

It is

the key

instrument

in receiving

the salvation

that God

offers.

Without

it,

we will

never

find

wholeness.

We will

never

find

deliverance

and we

will

never

find

peace.

We

can

be

moral,

we

can

be

religious,

we

can

attend

church,

we

can

be

devout,

we

can

become

conscientious,

we

may

do

may

all

manner

of

good

works.

And yet

one true

believing

touch

of

Christ

is

worth

more

than

all

these

things

put

together.

Our

pride

may

not

like

it,

but

it

is

true

nonetheless.

We

have

no

claim

upon

Jesus

Christ.

We

can't

control

Him.

We

can't

manipulate

Him.

We

have

nothing

to

offer

Him.

We

have

nothing

to

give

Him.

We

can't

bend

His

will

to

ours.

faith.

Simple

faith,

naked

faith,

faith

alone

in

Christ

alone.

And

you'll

notice

here

that

Jairus'

patient

and

trusting

faith

is

also

rewarded

as

Jesus

raises

His

little

girl

from

the

dead

amidst

the

scorn

and

derision

of

the

faithless.

Taking

her

by

the

hand,

verse

54,

saying,

Child,

arise,

and her

spirit

returned.

She

got up

at

once.

He

directed

that

something

should

be

given

her

to

eat,

and

her

parents

were

amazed,

but He

charged

them to

tell no

one

what had

happened.

With

tender

love,

Jesus

takes

the

little

girl

by

the

hand

and

bids

her

to

get

up.

In

one

sense

here,

the

death

of

this

young

girl

issued

a

challenge

to

the

power

of

Jesus

Christ.

Here

is

death

throwing

its

gauntlet

down at

his feet,

as it

were.

When

faced

with

death,

must

Jesus,

like every

other

person,

bow the

knee and

surrender?

By no

means.

For here

is Jesus

facing the

greatest

enemy,

the most

formidable

of opponents,

the strongest

of foes,

God

of

God

is

God

of

God.

For if

Jesus

has us

by the

hand,

nothing

can

ultimately

destroy

us or

hurt us,

not even

death.

Even

death must

bow the

knee before

Jesus

Christ.

He is

King of

Kings,

Lord of

Lords.

how vital

it is

that we

understand

and grasp

that truth.

The old

commentator

J.C.

Ryle

writes this

in his

expository

thoughts on

the Gospels.

Death is

indeed a

cruel enemy.

He makes

no distinction

in his

attacks.

He comes

to the

rich man's

mansion

as well as

to the

poor man's

cottage.

He doesn't

spare the

young,

the strong,

and the

beautiful

any more

than the

old,

the infirm,

and the

gray-haired.

Not all

the gold

of Australia,

not all

the skill

of doctors

can keep

the hand

of death

from our

bodies

in the

day of

his power.

Death will

come to

our houses

whether we

like it

or not.

Death will

take each

of us

away despite

our dislike

to hearing

about it.

Surely

it is the

part of a

wise man

to get

ready for

this great

change.

Why should

we not

be ready?

There is

one who

can deliver

us from

the fear

of death.

Christ has

overcome

death and

brought life

and immortality

to light

through the

gospel.

He who

believes on

him has

everlasting

life.

Though he

dies, yet

he shall

live.

Let us

believe in

the Lord

Jesus,

then death

will lose

its sting.

Some years

ago, the

vicar of

St.

Andrew, the

great church

in Cambridge,

a man called

Mark Ashton,

he was

diagnosed with

an inoperable

cancer.

And he

wrote a

book about

his experience

called,

his little

book, On

My Way

to Heaven,

Facing

Death with

Christ.

And in

the book,

he recounts a

story of

going to

the

hairdressers,

I think in

Eastbourne.

And, you

know, in the

hairdresser,

there's a lot

of talk and

chat and all

the rest of

it.

This is what

he said.

When she

asked me how

I was, and

I replied that

I'd been told

that I'd just

got a few

months more

to live, the

ordinary

friendliness

and chattiness

of the

place ceased.

I could not

get another

word out of

her for the

rest of the

haircut.

I think that's

fairly typical.

Rather than

accept and

prepare for the

inevitable, we

try to close

our eyes to

the reality

of death.

Ashton wrote,

our age is

so devoid of

hope in the

face of death

that the

topic has

become

unmentionable.

And that's

true.

We don't

even want to

talk about

it.

And yet,

surely we

must.

Not in

some morose,

morbid

fashion, but

with the

hope that

only Jesus

Christ can

give.

Jesus said,

my sheep

hear my

voice.

I know

them.

They

follow me.

I give

them eternal

life, and

they will

never perish,

and no one

will snatch

them from

my hands.

According to

Jewish custom,

both the

little girl and

the woman here

were viewed as

being ceremonially

unclean.

Touching them

should have

rendered Jesus

unclean, but

the reverse

proves true.

cleansing,

healing, and

new life flow

from Jesus to

those who reach

out to him in

faith.

The good news

for unclean

sinners of

whatever hue is

that Jesus

Christ is the

contagiously clean

man.

In him the

unclean are

made clean.

That's what we

see at the

cross, where

Jesus took

upon himself

the curse of

our unclean

condition, and

carried our sin

all the way

down to the

grave and

buried it

there for

good.

Yes, at

times we

live in a

world full of

desperate people,

and sometimes

it's a quiet

desperation, like

the unnamed

woman in our

text.

No one really

sees or

understands, all

hidden away,

behind closed

doors, often

in a solitary

life.

And yet at

other times it's

like Jairus, it's

open, it's

public, it's

visible.

Maybe you're

someone in

desperation over

your sins, or

overwhelmed with

feelings of guilt

for the things

you've done, the

people you've

hurt.

Maybe it feels

as if life is

crashing down

upon you.

Maybe you're

filled with

anxiety over

the future.

Maybe you're

struggling to

make sense of

what's happening

in your life.

Maybe you're

hiding away from

others.

Maybe you're

consumed with

shame.

Or you're

concerned about

illness and

approaching death.

Friend, let

your desperation

drive you into

the arms of

Jesus.

For there is

abundant grace

and mercy for

the desperate

in Jesus

Christ.

He is a

great and

mighty Savior.

Let me

encourage you

to reach out

to Him

today with

the empty

hands of

faith, or

even with

the fingertips

of faith,

and discover

for yourself

His love,

His blessing,

and His

power.

Jesus Christ

is utterly

approachable.

He invites

all men and

women to

come to

Him, to

come with

your shame,

come with

your fears,

come with

your sin.

You don't

have to

unburden

yourself to

come.

In fact,

it's your

burden that

qualifies you

to come.

Come to

me, all

who labor

and are

heavy laden,

and I will

give you rest

as Jesus.

Take my

yoke upon

you, learn

from me.

I am gentle

and lowly in

heart, and

you will find

rest for your

souls.

Jesus loves

to welcome

sinners still.

He delights

to give strength

to the weary

and the worried

and the weak.

He is the

great physician

who took on

our sickness

to heal

and to make

us whole,

and who

tasted death

that we

might live.

And today,

He invites you

to reach out

to Him

in faith

and discover

for yourself

the God

who is in

Jesus Christ

already reaching

out to you.

For the Lord

is good

and faithful.

He will keep

us day

and night.

We can

always run

to Jesus.

Jesus,

strong

and kind.

Let's pray

together.

Amen.

Amen.

God our

Father,

you know us

better than

we know

ourselves.

We may

hide from

others.

We may

even try

to hide

from ourselves,

but we

cannot hide

from you.

Lord,

we pray

that by your

grace and

the work

of your

Holy Spirit,

you may

help us

that we

may rest

our faith

and trust

in Jesus

Christ.

May we

find

in Him

salvation,

forgiveness,

and new

life.

As we pray

these things

in His name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.