Friendship with God

Well, good morning and welcome back or welcome if you're joining us for Church Online this

morning.

As it happens, this is the last time we will be coming from my house.

Next week, we look forward to being back in the building for some of us, live streaming

the service all being well.

Today, we're going to begin a new series about thinking about spirituality in the Psalms,

how to live as the people of God, how to grow in our love and our obedience, how to respond

to God in our Christian lives.

And then in the evening and for the next six weeks, we're doing a thing called Questioning

Christianity, where we're tackling or at least beginning to tackle some of the big questions

about the Christian faith that you or perhaps some of your friends might have tonight thinking

about the question, can I trust the Bible?

So it's great to be able to share with you again.

I hope that God will speak to each one of us as we hear from him and his word today.

I'm going to begin with some words from Jesus.

Today, we're setting the scene for a Christian spirituality by reminding ourselves from the

word of God that the goal of life and the Christian life is to enjoy friendship with God.

So here in John chapter 14, as Jesus is anticipating the cross, he says this to his disciples,

John 14 · chapter mention

do not let your hearts be troubled.

You believe in God, believe also in me.

My father's house has many rooms.

If that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for

you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that

you also may be where I am.

So there's that great promise.

Jesus has come to make peace between sinful people like ourselves and a holy God so that

one day he'll come back and take us to be with him forever.

That's our hope.

Now let's sing as we begin our time together the hymn Across the Lands and then after that

we'll pray.

God bless you.

God bless you.

God bless you.

God bless you.

You're the word of God the Father from before the world began.

Every star and every planet has been fashioned by your hand.

All creation holds together by the power of your voice.

Let the skies declare your glory.

Let the land that sea rejoice.

You're the author of creation.

You're the Lord of every man.

And your cry of love rings out across the land.

Yet you left the gaze of angels, came to seek and save the lost, and exchanged the joy of

heaven for the anguish of a cross.

With the prayer you fed the hungry.

With the word you calmed the sea.

Yet how silently you suffered that the guilty may go free.

You're the author of creation.

You're the Lord of every man.

And your cry of love rings out across the land.

And your cry of love rings out across the land.

With the sound of creation.

You're the Lord of every man.

You're the Lord of every man.

You're the Lord of every man.

You're the Lord of every man.

You're the Lord of every man.

Now you stand before the Father.

Interceding for your own

From each tribe and tongue and nation

You are leading sinners home

You're the author of creation

You're the Lord of every man

And your cry of love rings out across the land

You're the author of creation

You're the Lord of every man

And your cry of love rings out across the land

Let's pray together

Lord God we thank you that we come before you

As Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Thank you for the privilege of calling you our Father in Heaven

For being able to pray in the name of Jesus

Our Saviour and the one who mediates for us

And who prays for us

Thank you for the help of your Holy Spirit

As we seek to pray

Lord we thank you for inviting us to know and enjoy your love

We recognise that you are an eternal fellowship of perfect love

And we thank you that you have made us as people in your image

To enjoy the overflow of that love you have eternally shared

Lord thank you for what we heard from the words of Jesus

A reminder of the journey that he went on

Believing the glory of Heaven

In order to become one of us

To perfectly represent us

To perfectly obey the law that each one of us has broken

And then to go to the cross

In the place of sinners

In order to take the punishment that we deserve

So that by faith in Jesus

We might be reconciled and have peace

With our God

We might enjoy friendship with God

So that in the end

We can look forward to eternity

With our Saviour

In a world made new and perfect

Lord we thank you

For the grace

That you have shown to us

In our lives as your people

Thank you for the grace

That we have enjoyed in this past week

For all your goodness and kindness

And preserving and caring of us

And we pray that you'd help us to be a people

Who would learn more and more to trust you

As we find you to be faithful

As we recognise your love

Both in your word and in our experience

May you help us to trust you

To trust your promises

So that for today and tomorrow

And for whatever this week holds

We would know that you will be with us

And you will supply what we need

In ways that will be for our good

And for your glory

Thank you that we have a chance together

To read the Bible

Thank you for the Bible as the word of God

Thank you that it is your wisdom for us

That when there are so many voices

Competing for our attention

Thank you that we have revelation

From the true and the living God

And so we pray that your spirit

Would help us to hear

To understand

To obey

To respond

Towards you

From what we hear

In your word today

And we pray it in Jesus' name

Amen

So we are going to

Read together

From Psalm 25

And we are going to think in particular

About verse 14

So that is Psalm 25

And I will read

The whole Psalm for us

In you Lord my God

I put my trust

I trust in you

Do not let me be put to shame

Nor let my enemies triumph over me

No one who hopes in you

Will ever be put to shame

But shame will come on those

Who are treacherous without cause

Show me your ways Lord

Teach me your paths

Guide me in your truth

And teach me

For you are God my Saviour

And my hope is in you all day long

Remember Lord

Your great mercy and love

For they are from of old

Do not remember the sins of my youth

And my rebellious ways

According to your love remember me

For you Lord are good

Good and upright is the Lord

Therefore he instructs sinners in his ways

He guides the humble in what is right

And teaches them his way

All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful

Towards those who keep the demands of his covenant

For the sake of your name Lord

Forgive my iniquity

Though it is great

Who then are those who fear the Lord

He will instruct them in the ways they should choose

They will spend their days in prosperity

And their descendants will inherit the land

The Lord confides in those who fear him

He makes his covenant known to them

My eyes are ever on the Lord

For only he will release my feet from the snare

Turn to me and be gracious to me

For I am lonely and afflicted

Relieve the troubles of my heart

And free me from my anguish

Look on my affliction and my distress

And take away all my sins

See how numerous are my enemies

And how fiercely they hate me

Guard my life and rescue me

Do not let me be put to shame

For I take refuge in you

May integrity and uprightness protect me

Because my hope Lord is in you

Deliver Israel O God

From all their troubles

So as I said earlier

We're going to use the book of Psalms

To explore together

Christian spirituality

What does it look like to live in relationship

With the living God

And how do we develop and grow

In that relationship

But today

Almost by way of introduction

I want to remind us of the goal

Which is friendship with God

But I guess we're maybe aware of

The rise, the growing interest

In spirituality in our days

You know, the growing number of people

Who identify themselves as spiritual

But not religious

People who want to connect with the other

Recognize that there is something more

And they're trying to find various ways

To make that connection

Well, the God of the Bible

Very directly and personally

Answers that longing

We're going to see in this psalm

That the Lord offers friendship

But there are also

And maybe this is especially true

In the church

People who are

Perhaps religious

But not spiritual

In the sense that maybe

There's a going through the motions

Where perhaps Christianity can feel fairly

Lifeless and flat

And perhaps in that case

It's because we've lost sight of the centre

Which is to know and enjoy God himself

But then I imagine there are others

Who are listening

And you're exploring Christianity

Wondering what's it about

Is this something that I really need?

Is it an optional extra?

Is it something that's fundamental?

And the message of the Bible

Is that we are made for God

We're made in the image of God

To know and enjoy him

And that through Jesus

Sort of the barrier of sin is broken down

So that friendship

Relationship with God

Is now possible

And that stands at the heart

Of the Christian message

And the longing of every heart

Others of us I know

Are growing Christians

And again for us to persevere with joy

To have hope for the journey of life

With all its highs and lows

What we need is to cultivate

And to enjoy that friendship with our God

So I hope this will be helpful for you

Whoever you are today

And that over the course of these next eight weeks

We'll see the Psalms as a really useful guide

For our spiritual life

Spiritual wisdom for how to relate to our God

So over the weeks we'll think about

Praise and thanksgiving

And confession

And honest lament

And a variety of different things

But here I want us to focus on the goal of all

Which is friendship with God

Enjoyment of the God who made us

So we're going to focus our time

On Psalm 25 verse 14

Psalms 25:14

Asking three very basic questions

First of all

What is friendship with God?

Who gets it?

And how do we get it?

So first of all

What is it?

Well

I read from the NIV

So let me read it again

Verse 14 says

The Lord confides

In those who fear him

He makes his covenant known to them

Now another English translation

The ESV says this

The friendship of the Lord

Is for those who fear him

And he makes known to them his covenant

Now can we see how those two things are related

The Lord confides in

And the friendship of the Lord is for

Think about your own experience

Who is it that we share our secrets with?

Who is it that we confide in?

Who is it that we as it were let all the way in?

Well it's not just anybody is it?

We don't just walk up to strangers

And share our secrets

No it's with our close friends

Those that we have an intimate connection with

Those are the ones that we choose to confide in

Friendship and confidence

Derek Kidner

An Old Testament commentator

Who's got really helpful books on the Psalms

Talks about God's counsel

As his circle of close associates

But also God's counsel

God's counsel

Those matters that get discussed

With close associates

What is Psalm 25 verse 14 reminding us of?

Psalms 25:14

Well it's this remarkable truth

That the Lord of the universe

Invites you and me

Into his circle

That by faith in the Lord Jesus

We're called all the way in

To share intimate loving friendship

That's been God's intention

God's heart from the beginning

When you read the story of Adam and Eve

In the Garden of Eden

We discover that God walked and talked with them

In the garden

That as image bearers of God

It stands to reason

That we are made for friendship

We are made with withness

Because God isn't solitary

God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit

This eternal friendship

God is friendship

And so we are made for friendship

And especially friendship with God

So that we are truly ourselves

When we come to know him

And we grow to be more like Jesus

So spirituality and connecting with the divine

In Christianity becomes really personal

Because we are invited into friendship

With our God

Now what does this say about God?

What does this say then about our spiritual lives?

Well first of all it reminds us

That God is a personal relating God

Who draws near

He's not distant

He's not unconcerned and uninvolved

In the world that he made

In fact the whole history of redemption

And salvation that we find in the Bible

We can describe as God's great act of friendship

Having made people for relationship

To glorify him, to enjoy him

Adam and Eve and everybody since

We have rebelled against God

We have turned our backs on God

We have rejected friendship with God

In favour of setting our own course

That is sin

But in response to our sin

What has God done?

God in love has pursued his people

He has established covenants

Covenants of grace with people

And ultimately he would send his own son

Jesus

In order to save us

In order to restore us

To peace

To reconcile us

To give us friendship with God

And to provide for us the hope

Not just for this life

But for all eternity

Of being united

With God

Of being made like Jesus

And being with Jesus

In a world made new

So the whole of history of redemption

Is God's act of friendship

Secondly it reminds us

That God offers us

What our hearts long for

Who doesn't want to know love?

Who doesn't want to have

Close friendships?

People that will receive us

And love us

And welcome us

And be with us

And for us

And the Bible says

God offers a real connection

With the divine

Something that's personal

Not vague

That the God of the Bible

Offers secure

And lasting friendship

That God in covenant

Actually chooses to bind himself

To us

So here is the friendship

That you're looking for

From God

It also reminds us too

That knowing

And enjoying God

Is the goal

Of our faith

Sometimes we can lose sight of that

But it's so important

For us to remember

When we read our Bibles

It's not just so we can

Tick a box and say

I've performed my religious duty

No we read the Bible

To hear from God

He wants to speak to us

And relate to us

Who he is

And how we should live

In response to him

So every time we read

We're being invited

Into friendship

And likewise

To pray

Is for us to respond

God speaks as we read the Bible

And we respond as we pray

There's no higher privilege

Than this relationship

This friendship with God

That as we come

To church

As we think about

Meeting together

Physically as we used to

In the past

Some of us will do next week

God says he is

Particularly present

To bless his people

As we gather together

To remind us once again

Of his goodness

His love

His faithfulness

His gospel

So the goal of our faith

Is God himself

The greatest gift

God could give us

Is himself

He wants to relate to us

He wants us to grow

In our friendship

And so we have the Bible

We have prayer

We have church

We have other things

To help us

In that

So that's just a little bit

On friendship with God

Now the next question

To think about

Is who gets

That friendship

And again

We turn to Psalm 25

Psalms 25:14

Verse 14

To help us here

So it says

The Lord confides in

Those who fear him

So there is that condition

Attached to friendship

Those who fear him

Now what does that mean?

I was listening to a talk

From a pastor in the States

Tim Keller

Many of you will perhaps

Have heard of him

And he reminded me there

That with true friendship

There is always transparency

By which we mean

Each friend is allowed to be

Who they truly are

That the other is accepted

On their own terms

It's true friendship isn't it?

Well with God

To accept God on his terms

Means that we live

In relationship to him

Acknowledging that he is

Our creator

He is our king

He is our judge

He is our lord

And saviour

So to allow him

To be who he truly is

Therefore is to fear him

In the sense of honouring

And respecting

Of showing him awe

Of showing obedience

To what he commands

Now psalm 25

Now psalm 25 gives us

Some helpful pointers

To flesh out

What it means

To fear God

One aspect that comes out here

Is it involves trust

So the psalm begins

In you lord God

I put my trust

I trust in you

Do not let me

Be put to shame

There is

There is

Aseemращ

fundamentally relying on God, making him the foundation upon which your life is built,

allowing God to set the direction that your life will follow. So when the Bible sets the pattern

for the people of God that there is suffering first with glory to follow, that the cross comes

before the crown, we're willing to receive that and we will trust God in that. So there is trust as part

of fearing God. There is also teaching. There's an emphasis on teaching in this psalm, by which we

mean letting God be our teacher and guide. So verses four and five, show me your ways, Lord,

teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me for you are God, my saviour.

Then verse 12, who then are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways that they

should choose. So to fear the Lord is to receive his teaching, to be instructed by it, to allow

God's teaching to guide us. Which means for us we need to be immersed in the word of God,

to recognise it as ultimate truth. One of the reasons our series this evening begins with,

can I trust the Bible, is because the Bible is so foundational to our faith.

That to fear the Lord is to be guided by the Bible for right thinking, to recognise the Bible as a

reliable guide for us as to what God's will is for our lives, for how we are to obey, for the ethics and

the morality that we are to follow, to allow it to govern our speech and our actions and for the word of God

to reveal to us the way of salvation. Not through our own efforts at getting up to God, but recognising

that God has sent Jesus to come down to us so that through his grace we might be saved, and not by our

works, but by trusting in Jesus and the forgiveness and the new life that he secures. Fundamentally then,

we want God to be the one voice we choose to listen to. When we hear so many different alternatives for

how we are to live and how we are to direct our lives, we want to be guided by God's teaching if we

are to fear the Lord. So there is trust and there is teaching and there's also a turning that we find

here in Psalm 25, turning from sin to God. So verses 6 and 7, remember Lord your great mercy and love for

they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth in my rebellious ways. According to your love

remember me, for you Lord are good. The psalmist has a healthy spiritual life where he is honest about

his sin. And what does he do with the sin? He confesses it to his God. He has that humility

that recognises his own moral and spiritual failure that comes confessing his need before his holy God.

Notice too that the psalmist David here was quick to acknowledge when he has broken friendship with God,

when he has broken trust with God and he contrasts that with God's steadfast love.

We let our friends down and we have to deal with the pain and the guilt that we feel because of that.

God never lets his friends down. So David prays for forgiveness and a restored sense of fellowship

asking God to not remember his sin but to remember his love and his mercy. To fear the Lord is to

recognise our sin and our need of his mercy and forgiveness and to ask for it. So when it comes to

the question, do I fear the Lord? Ask yourself questions like this. In my day-to-day life, who do I trust in?

Really? Am I trusting in God or am I trusting in myself, my resources and my abilities? Who do I listen to?

Am I being guided daily by the word of God or is it the voices of my friends or my family or my culture?

What moral standard do I live by? Is it what God teaches in his word or is it the wisdom of the age in which we live?

As we think about the fear of the Lord, it's really important that we see Jesus as the perfect example

of what it looks like to live with the fear of the Lord. You can go to the point in Jesus' life at the

beginning of his public ministry where he's being tempted by the devil and Jesus will say,

man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Jesus' intention was to live in perfect obedience to God's word.

And again as he was tempted, he said, worship

the Lord and serve him only.

God is foundation. God is guide.

God is Lord and King. God is the one he would live to please.

God is the one he would live to please.

God is the one he would live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live.

And yet Jesus was willing to die in our place for our sins

to experience in his physical body a sense of abandonment

so that he would cry out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

as he lost a sense of the Father's love for him

as he took on himself for us.

The Father's just and holy anger against sin.

As we look at the cross, we see that the Father did not spare him,

did not spare Jesus so that he might save us.

Making that choice so that, by faith in Jesus,

we might enjoy the Father's love and the Father's friendship.

He supplies grace to help

so that we can live with the fear of the Lord.

Now, the last thing for us to think about is this.

How do we get it?

How do we get to enjoy friendship with God?

And again, verse 14 helps supply the answer.

The Lord confides in those who fear him.

He makes his covenant known to them.

So covenant, God's covenant with his people,

is the basis for us receiving friendship with God.

God, out of sheer grace in response to our sin,

God, in his great mercy in response to the human misery caused by sin,

established a covenant with his people.

The theme of the covenant is everywhere in the Bible

and it's closely tied up with the theme of friendship.

That here is the God of the universe

and he chooses to establish these covenant relationships.

So he binds himself to individuals and he binds himself to families

and then he commits himself to the nation of Israel

and ultimately he commits himself in loving relationship to the church

through Jesus, committed to loving, saving, blessing, protecting, guiding them.

And as you look in the Bible,

you think about each stage of the covenant that you see,

especially in the Old Testament,

all the key figures, what we see is they enjoy a special relationship,

a special friendship with God.

So we thought about Adam, Adam and Eve,

walking and talking with God in the garden

and from the beginning established in friendship

and even when they fell into sin

and everything was broken,

God still came,

where are you, Adam?

And he established that promise

that one of their seed would crush the serpent

and that the forces of evil would be destroyed ultimately by Jesus.

Then we think about Noah,

at a time in the world when the whole world was full of evil,

what happens in the story of Noah is that Noah finds favour,

Noah finds grace,

Noah enjoys friendship with God.

Abraham, likewise,

when the whole world it seems is filled with the worship of idols,

what happens?

Abraham is called by God by grace.

God reveals his plans and his heart to Abraham.

What about Moses?

We're told that Moses spoke to God face to face,

just like a man talks with his friend.

Or David, God's chosen king,

he was the man after God's own heart.

And then we see Jesus,

the last great,

the ultimate covenant figure.

He is the one who establishes the new covenant.

He is the son of God

who represents,

reflects the glory of God,

who enjoys eternal friendship with God

and he becomes the way for us

to know that friendship ourselves.

His body is broken,

his blood is shed,

as we remember when we share the Lord's Supper,

as our substitute,

as our sacrifice,

to satisfy God's justice,

to show God's love,

to bring us back

into that friendship with God

that was lost in the Garden of Eden,

that through Jesus we are reconciled,

through Jesus we have peace.

Jesus, shortly before going to the cross,

said to his disciples,

greater love has no one than this,

to lay down his life for his friends.

And that's exactly what Jesus would do

for his disciples

and for the church.

And here is the goal

for our lives.

Friendship with God

through Jesus.

Here is the heart of

true spirituality.

Not to know a vague sense of the other,

but to know God as our Father,

to know Jesus as our Saviour,

to know the Spirit living in us,

to enjoy friendship with God.

And Jesus, the Son of God,

opens up the way

for us to enjoy friendship with God.

So for the next seven weeks after this,

we're going to think about

how do I respond to that?

How can we grow in that friendship?

But today,

are you enjoying a living

and a growing friendship with God?

That's what God, through Jesus,

graciously offers to each one of us.

Now let's pray together in response.

Lord, as we think about your great offer

of friendship,

we pray that you would help us

to set the course of our lives

towards pursuing friendship with you.

Thank you for all the means

that you have given to us

to enable us to develop that friendship,

to have the Bible that we can read,

to have the gift of prayer,

to have fellowship,

and to have a church to belong to

so that we might grow in our relationship.

Give us that desire to meet with you,

to grow.

For those of us who aren't Christians,

help us to see

how fundamental to our true self it is

to be in relationship with the God who made us.

To be so thankful to Jesus

for coming to deal with the sin

that separates and spoils that relationship

so that we might all be trusting and believing.

Lord, we thank you that one of the ways

that we can grow in our friendship

is through church.

We thank you for the church

that you've purchased with your blood.

Thank you for the precious privilege

of being able to gather to worship.

We felt it as we've not been able to meet together.

Thank you that at least some of us

will be able to do that again as of next week.

Lord, we pray that you'd give us wisdom

and all the arrangements that need to be made.

We pray your mercy that you'd keep us safe.

We pray that we'd be sensitive towards one another,

knowing that some people will be anxious

and will not be keen for health reasons

and other reasons not to meet just yet.

Lord, we pray it'd be a time of unity and peace

and of knowing much of your blessing.

Lord, we also are aware

that there are so many around us who are suffering.

There's so many who are anxious,

so many who are grieving.

We pray that for your people,

they would know your friendship in a special way,

that they would appreciate your love

and your peace being poured out on them.

Lord, we think about suffering that we see

all around the world.

Lord, we pray thinking about the tragic accident

outside of Stonehaven.

We pray for the different families

who have been affected,

who have lost loved ones,

who are grieving.

Lord, we pray for your comfort and healing.

Lord, we pray for Beirut

and the nation of Lebanon

with the various problems that it is facing.

We think of Belarus.

We think of nations like India.

We pray for Myanmar

with internal fighting

and the impact on the Chin people

and Christians there.

Lord, we recognise so much suffering

and we pray for your comfort and your mercy.

And ultimately, we pray

for the hope of the gospel,

the light of Jesus to break through,

that people in darkness

and in desperation and in danger

would turn to Jesus

and find life in him.

We pray these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Now, we'll sing together.

We'll sing, first of all,

a section of Psalm 16

and then we'll sing the hymn

Yet Not I, But Through Christ in Me.

I'll praise the Lord my God

Whose counsel guides my choice

And even in the night

My heart recalls instructions voice

Before me constantly

I set the Lord alone

Because He is at my right hand

I'll not be overthrown

Therefore my heart is glad

My tongue with joy will sing

My body too will rest secure

In hope unwavering

For you will not allow

My soul in death to stay

Nor will you leave

Your Holy One

To see the tombs decay

You have made known to me

The path of life divine

Bliss shall I know

At your right hand

Joy from your face

Will shine

What gift of grace

Is Jesus my Redeemer

There is no more

For heaven now to give

He is my joy

My righteousness and freedom

My steadfast love

My deep and boundless peace

To this I hold

My hope is only Jesus

For my life is wholly bound to His

Oh how strange and divine

I can sing

All is mine

Yet not I

But through Christ in me

The night is dark

But I am not forsaken

For by my side

The Savior He will stay

I labor on

In weakness and rejoicing

For in my need

His power is displayed

To this I hold

My shepherd will defend me

Through the deepest valley

He will lead

All the night has been won

And I shall overcome

Yet not I

But through Christ in me

No fate I dread

I know I am forgiven

The future sure

The price it has been paid

For Jesus bled

For Jesus bled

And suffered for my pardon

And He was raised

To overthrow the grave

To this I hold

My sin has been defeated

Jesus now and ever is my plea

O'er the chains are released

I can sing

I am free

Yet not I

But through Christ in me

With every breath

With every breath

I long to follow Jesus

For He has said

That He will bring me home

And day by day

And day by day

I know He will renew me

Until I stand

With joy before the throne

To this I hold

My hope is only Jesus

All the glory

All the glory

Evermore

Evermore

To Him

When the race is complete

Still my lips

Shall repeat

Yet not I

But through Christ in me

When the race is complete

Still my lips

Shall repeat

Yet not I

But through Christ in me

And let's close

Praying

Using words

Of Jesus' prayer

For His church

That we find

In John chapter 17

John 17 · chapter mention

Jesus prayed

Father

I want those

You have given me

To be with me

Where I am

And to see my glory

The glory

You have given me

Because you loved me

Before the creation

Of the world

I have made you known

To them

And will continue

To make you known

In order that the love

You have for me

May be in them

And that I myself

May be in them

Lord God

We thank you

That Jesus came

To offer this

Richest of relationships

To see His glory

To know your love

To know your presence

In our lives

Not just for today

And tomorrow

But for all eternity

Lord we pray

That you would

Strengthen our hope

Strengthen our joy

And we pray

That the grace

And the mercy

And the peace

From our God

Who is Father, Son

And Holy Spirit

Would rest on

And be with each one of us

Amen

Now just a reminder again

That Digital Tea and Coffee

Will be on at 12

As usual

And then we're back

Tonight at 5.30

And just to say

If you have people

Who you know

Who maybe have a lot

Of questions about the Christian faith

It might be helpful

To invite them

To listen in

And then

The one other thing

Is that we have

A time of prayer

Still on Wednesday

At 8pm

With a special focus

On returning to church

Praying for ourselves

As a church

As well as

Some other things

So again

It was good to share

And really looking forward

To seeing some of you

In person

In church

Next week

But for all of us

May we know

God's love

And God's care

In this coming week

Okay bye for now