A Primer On Parables

A funny thing happened a couple weeks ago. It was our last big snow.

And I have a pickup truck, which I love driving around in. I just drive around in it.

But I also have a snowblower. And when I can make those two come together,

put the snowblower in the back of the pickup truck, I love it.

So I cleared my snow around my house, loaded up the snowblower in the back of my pickup truck,

closed the back gate, and I was going to come over here to the church just to make sure that

if I could help out anyway, and it had already been cleared.

But I'm pulling out. I've got my truck in four-wheel drive. I punch it a little bit.

And I look up in the rearview mirror, and do you know what I see?

I see my snowblower rolling off the back of my pickup truck.

Apparently, the gate hadn't closed sufficiently because of snow.

And so I watched the snowblower roll off and then do about a three-foot bounce and fall back down.

I stopped. I rushed out. I ran up to my snowblower, which was on its side, looking dead.

What am I going to do?

I reached down, pumped the primer.

Are you going to be okay? Pull that cord.

That thing was ready to roar.

It needs a lot of work done to it.

But the engine was working great.

This morning, I don't want to punch the engine and drop you off the back of the gate.

I want to prime your pump.

I want your heart to be primed to receive the parables of Matthew 13.

And so this morning, we're going to take some time to take a look at these eight parables together.

Parables about the kingdom of heaven.

And if I can remind you what the kingdom of heaven is, the kingdom of heaven is a way of talking about the saving reign of God.

God being present and rescuing sinners to himself.

And the saving reign of God was inaugurated at the first coming of Jesus.

And it will culminate in the second coming of Jesus.

But this morning, I'm going to look at these eight parables in Matthew 13.

And we're going to see each one reveals some aspect of the kingdom of heaven.

Something about the saving reign of God.

And in order for you to fully appreciate each parable, you need to see how they're all functioning together as a whole.

Matthew 13, 1-53 is one extended teaching of Jesus.

It's all to be taken together.

And so what makes this teaching unique is that Jesus teaches in parables.

That's why it's commonly known as the parabolic discourse.

And personally, I just like saying parabolic.

I love the way that comes off my tongue.

Parabolic.

This parabolic discourse is one of five extended teachings throughout the Gospel of Matthew

that culminate in the climax of Matthew.

And that is the death and resurrection of Jesus.

But this morning, I want to prime your heart for these parables of the kingdom.

And so this morning, five primers.

You ready?

Number one, a parable is a kind of tool.

Primer number two, parables have a dual purpose.

Primer number three, the parables have an interwoven theme.

That makes it a beautiful tapestry.

Primer number four, and this is the one that I think you're going to be amazed by.

There is a very carefully constructed design here.

These parables are working together.

And primer number five, these parables point to a common focal point.

And his name is Jesus.

So primer number one, a parable is a kind of tool.

What's your favorite tool that you have?

Is it your phone?

Is it Google?

The remote control to your TV?

I was given a cordless drill by my mother-in-law about 10, 15 years ago.

And I love that thing.

That thing gets a lot done.

I've got an axe.

I love my axe.

I would carry it around my back if I could.

But I think it would raise too many questions.

And so I don't.

A buddy of mine let me use his chainsaw.

It's called a Husqvarna chainsaw.

It is awesome.

I would use it.

It would blow all this kind of wood chips all over the place.

I would smell like chainsaw exhaust and sweat.

And all that, all coming together, wood chips, exhaust, sweat.

Oh, man, it smelled so good.

But I have actually coined the fragrance.

It's a cologne.

It's called Weekend Warrior.

What's your favorite tool?

Jesus was a carpenter.

I'm sure he had a favorite tool.

But when it comes to teaching, one of Jesus' favorite tools was the parable.

A parable is simply a way to communicate truth.

It's a teaching tool.

And another thing you need to know about a parable, not only is it a teaching tool,

it's a teaching tool that communicates truth through comparison.

It's a very effective way to communicate spiritual truth,

and it does so through a comparison to everyday activity.

And so if you took a look at the eight parables in Matthew 13,

the parable of the sower,

you see this very visible presentation Jesus puts in your mind.

He paints a picture in your mind to make a point.

And so the parable of the sower is chapter 13, 3 through 9,

Isaiah 13 · chapter mention

and we see this sower throwing seed,

and it's being received by four different kinds of soils.

It's like you're there.

You can imagine it.

Very vivid.

It's a comparison.

The parable of the weeds in chapter 13, 24 through 30,

that's the second parable.

Weeds and wheat growing up together.

It's like you're there.

The parable of the mustard seed in chapter 13, 31 through 32.

The parable of the leaven in 13, 33.

It's like when I hear Jesus saying that,

I imagine a lady just kneading dough

and kneading leaven through a lump of dough.

Very visible.

But they're there to make a comparison.

You go on to the hidden treasure in the pearl of great price.

The hidden treasure in 1344.

Can you not imagine a guy digging in the middle of a field?

I'm like there.

The parable of the net.

Fishermen getting this huge catch of mixed fish together.

That's 1347 through 58.

And the last parable, of course,

is the parable of the master of the house.

That's in 1352 where this guy comes out

and out of his treasure shares new and old things.

Each is very vivid.

And each is making a comparison.

So what a parable does is

it teaches truth through a comparison.

Jesus is going to point us to an everyday experience

we all deal with

and make a spiritual connection to it.

Jesus is absolutely brilliant.

Now, a parable is a teaching tool

that makes a comparison in order to communicate truth,

but it also provokes a response.

You just can't read it and kind of like,

well, I'm going to move on.

It provokes a response.

And it's not just these parables in Matthew 13,

but in Matthew 18,

there's the parable of the unforgiving servant.

It's an extended parable.

And you can't help,

but when you get done reading,

you're like,

am I forgiving everybody

the way I'm supposed to be forgiving everybody?

It provokes a response.

Or the parable of the talents

in Matthew 25.

Am I faithfully stewarding

what God has entrusted to me?

And am I doing that in a way

that when He comes back,

He will be pleased?

You see, parables are very vivid,

but they're designed to provoke

a response from us.

And so when you read the parable of the sowers

and you learn about all these kind of different soils,

you find yourself asking the question,

well, what kind of soil is my heart?

That's the right response.

If you read the parable of the hidden treasure

and you see this guy

who stumbles across this treasure hidden in a field

and you see his response

that in joy,

he sells everything that he has to buy it.

You find yourself asking the question,

am I responding that way to the kingdom of heaven?

Do I have that kind of joy?

Very effective teaching tool.

And so a parable is a kind of teaching tool

that compares everyday events

to make a spiritual connection

to a spiritual truth

and it's designed to elicit a response.

And Jesus used parables

like no other before or after.

You can even say that Jesus

was the prince of parables.

He's that good.

So primer number one,

parables are a kind of a tool.

Primer number two,

a parable has a dual purpose.

Think vertical blinds.

I'll come back to it.

Remember, Matthew 13 is coming after

a couple chapters

dealing with people's responses to Jesus.

Remember in John chapter 11,

John 11 · chapter mention

John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus

and basically asks him,

hey, are you the one?

Are you the Christ?

And Jesus responds to John's disciples.

He says, well, let's see here.

The deaf hear.

The blind receive their sight.

The dead are raised.

The poor have the gospel preached to them.

You go tell John that I'm the one.

But John the Baptist was somewhat undecided.

And then what we see throughout the gospels too

are those who are decidedly followers of Jesus.

His disciples.

But we also see people who are decidedly against Jesus.

They have rejected Jesus as the Christ,

the son of man, the son of David.

In chapter 12, we see the conflicts

between Jesus and the Pharisees,

the religious establishment of the day.

There were some significant tensions rising.

And for the rest of the gospel of Matthew,

all the way up to chapter 26 and 27,

there is going to be this rising tension

between Jesus and the religious establishment.

We're kind of left asking this question though

as we're reading through the gospel of Matthew.

Why doesn't everybody see Jesus for who he really is?

For us, it's kind of clear.

We see Jesus to be the Messiah.

The one long anticipated.

The King of Kings.

The Lord of Lords who has come.

Why isn't everybody seeing Jesus that way?

Why are some people rejecting Jesus as the Messiah?

We see that happening in Kenosha.

Not everybody sees Jesus for who he claimed to be.

What's up with that?

Well, Matthew is helping us come to grips

even here in Matthew 13.

He's helping us come to grips

with the fact that not everybody

is going to become a Christian.

They're not going to receive Jesus

as God's promised Messiah.

Not everyone in this city

is going to joyfully bow their knee

to Jesus as their Savior and King.

Why not?

Well, Jesus helps us understand that

in Matthew 13.

Right after he speaks the parable of the sower,

his disciples in chapter 13, verse 10,

if you want to look there with me,

his disciples notice something.

They notice that Jesus is speaking

only in parables to the crowds.

It's a change of his method.

Why do you speak to them in parables?

This was new to them.

And so they're like,

what's going on here?

Why are you just speaking to the crowds in parables?

And then in verse 12,

Jesus answers them.

He says,

To you it has been given

to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven,

but to them it has not been given.

For to the one who has,

more will be given,

and he will have an abundance.

But from the one who has not,

even what he has will be taken away.

This is why I speak to them in parables,

because seeing they do not see,

and hearing they do not hear,

nor do they understand.

Indeed, in their case,

the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled

that says,

you will indeed hear,

but never understand,

and you will indeed see,

but never perceive.

Jesus is explaining to them

why not everybody is bowing their knee to him

as the king.

Jesus is saying something

very significant here.

The parables serve a purpose,

but it reveals something

about those who hear the parables.

Would you just turn back

in your Bible to Matthew 11,

Matthew 11:25

verse 25?

In verses 20 through 24,

Jesus has just pronounced woe

to Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum,

these cities in the greater Galilee

and Metroplex

that Jesus has been doing

all sorts of kind of miraculous works,

and what Jesus says,

woe to you,

because you've seen the works,

but you've not believed,

you've not repented.

And so they essentially rejected him

for being the king.

And so what we see in verses 25

through 27

is a little bit of an explanation.

At that time,

Jesus declared,

I thank you, Father,

Lord of heaven and earth,

that you have hidden

these things

from the wise and understanding

and revealed them

to little children.

Yes, Father,

for such was your

gracious will.

All things have been handed over

to me by my Father,

and no one knows the Son

except the Father,

and no one knows the Father

except the Son,

and anyone to whom the Son

chooses to reveal Him.

We're starting to get the sense

of the purpose of parables.

The purpose of parables

are twofold.

They hide

and they reveal.

And so what Jesus is saying here is

those who have eyes

to see the parables

and what they mean,

that's been revealed

to them by God.

That's God's grace.

It's God's grace

that you can see

the meaning of a parable.

It's His kindness to you.

But what we also see here

is that God holds us,

everyone accountable

for their hearts.

Jesus is very clear

that saying He chooses

whom He will reveal

God's saving reign to.

And what that goes to

is it goes to the depth

of our spiritual depravity.

We are unable to see God

unless God by His grace

reveals Himself to us.

That's the extent

of our sinfulness.

So Jesus speaks in parables

to the crowds

as a way of hiding

the kingdom from the proud

and revealing the kingdom

to the humble.

It's a dual purpose.

You know what vertical blinds are?

Come with me.

Let's say that this window right here

has a set of vertical blinds.

You know, long,

about three inches wide.

If I had a cord right here,

I could make the vertical blinds

dance back and forth.

You know what I'm talking about?

Well, let's say

that we have a vertical blind

right here

and I pull the cord

and I set it

at about 45 degrees.

So if I'm standing here,

what am I looking at?

I'm looking at the broad side

of the shade.

Will I be able

to see through the window?

I won't be.

It's, the window's been

hidden to me.

But for those of you

who are sitting over there,

if the blind was set

at 45 degrees,

would you be able

to see out the window?

You would be able

to see out the window.

And so a parable functions

like a vertical blind.

For those who have hearts

that are hard towards Jesus,

the parable will keep them

from seeing the truth

of the kingdom

that the parable teaches.

But for those people

who have tender hearts

towards Jesus,

humble hearts

towards Jesus,

the parable is open to them

so that they can see

the truth of the kingdom

that it conveys.

A parable has a two,

has a double purpose.

To hide the truth

of the kingdom

from those who have hard hearts

Jesus is not going

to throw his pearl

unto swine.

But he is also,

it serves to help

those with tender hearts

to see the truth

of the kingdom

that Jesus intends.

How do you respond

to something like that?

Well, for those of us

who have been given eyes

to see and ears

to hear Jesus

and what he means,

look at chapter 13,

verse 16.

He says to his disciples,

but blessed are your eyes

for they see

and your ears

for they hear.

Blessed are you,

brother and sister in Christ,

for God in his grace

has given you eyes

to see and ears to hear.

And it also gives us

something to remember

because when we're talking

to others about Jesus,

our confidence

is not in our ability

to make a compelling case

about Jesus,

but our confidence

is in God's grace

to give people eyes

to see and ears to hear

so that they would

eventually understand

who Jesus is

and what he's done.

So this is primer two.

The parables have a dual purpose.

You've got to be thinking

vertical blinds.

Primer three.

The parables share

common interwoven themes.

I'm a fan of the antique roadshow.

I could binge for far too long

on antique roadshows.

But there was this one

antique roadshow

where someone brought in

this ancient Native American tapestry.

And they had it up

somehow hanging on this

kind of nice woodwork.

And it was,

the wovenness to it,

the design was so intricate

and lovely.

These parables

have interwoven themes to them.

And let me just identify

some of them for you.

There's a theme of

the proclamation of the kingdom.

We see that in the parable

of the sower.

The sower throws the seed.

And at the very last parable,

the parable of the master

of the house

who brings out of his treasure

both new and old.

That's a reference to

Jesus fulfilling the Old Testament.

It is making God's word known.

Proclamation of the kingdom.

Another interwoven theme

is the different responses

to the message of the kingdom.

The parable of the sower,

you have four different responses.

You have wheat

and you have weeds.

You have different kinds of fish

that are all caught together

in one big net.

Then they're sorted out

good and bad.

You have the hiddenness

of the kingdom.

The parable of the mustard seed.

It is so small

you can barely see it.

Leaven goes unseen.

The hidden treasure,

the pearl of great price

is rare.

You just don't see those around.

There's the interwoven theme

of hiddenness of the kingdom,

but it doesn't stay hidden.

It grows.

And so the theme

of the parable of the mustard seed

and the parable of the leaven

is that it starts small

and unseen

and surprise,

it grows into something impressive.

There's another theme

of that those of the kingdom of God

are in close proximity

to those who are

in the kingdom of Satan

in this world.

We see it in the wheat

and the tares

growing up together,

separated at harvest.

We see it in the parable

of the net

when all these fish

are caught together

at the same time

then are eventually separated.

There's also the interwoven theme

of final judgment.

The parable of the weeds

ends in judgment.

The parable of the net

ends in sorting.

A reference to judgment.

And then there's the theme

of the incredible value

of the kingdom.

Of course, the hidden treasure

should come to your mind.

The pearl of great price.

But even in the parable

of the sower,

the good soil yields

a wonderful yield.

A valuable yield.

All these themes

are woven together

in this rich tapestry

of parables

that make up 13.

It's all connected.

It's a detailed tapestry

of themes related

to the kingdom of heaven.

The saving reign of God.

That's primer three.

Primer four.

These parables share

a common,

carefully crafted design.

Now, notice,

I'm not sure if you're aware

of this,

but the first four parables,

Jesus speaks

to the crowds

on a beach.

Would you look at

verses one and two?

That same day,

Jesus went out

of the house

and sat beside the sea

and great crowds

gathered about him

so that he got into a boat

and sat down

and the whole crowd

stood on the beach.

So the first four parables

is Jesus preaching

to crowds,

those who aren't following him yet,

on a beach.

That's the first four.

And then the last four,

Jesus moves from the beach

to a house

and moves from talking

to a crowd

to talking to his disciples.

And you see that

in verse 36.

Then he left the crowds

and went into the house

and his disciples

came to him saying,

explain to us

the parable of the weeds.

And from there,

he goes on to share

four more parables.

So, do you know

what just happened?

There's a very subtle division

in Matthew chapter 13

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

that divides

these eight parables

into two groups of four.

It's kind of like a butterfly.

You know,

have you ever seen

a butterfly flutter?

We're going to be seeing him

in a little bit.

I can't wait.

But when a butterfly flies,

you see the symmetrical wings, right?

Matthew is setting up

a symmetry

that we're going to,

he's going to help us

to see in a little bit.

But a butterfly's wings

support its body.

That's where all the action

is going on.

There's another aspect

of design here

that you may not have noticed.

The first parable,

the parable of the sower,

and the last parable,

the parable of the master

of the house,

they have introductions

to the parables

that are different

than the middle six.

The middle six parables

all start with something like

the kingdom of heaven

may be compared to,

the kingdom of heaven

is like,

the kingdom of heaven,

the kingdom of heaven,

the kingdom of heaven,

the kingdom of heaven.

But the first parable

and the last parable

don't start that way.

But they're about

the kingdom of heaven.

So what Matthew does

by doing that

is helps you to say

this parable is this beginning,

this parable is the end,

all these parables

are to be taken together

even though

four is on one side

and four is on the other.

Do you,

you're starting to see

that Matthew's actually

crafted this chapter

very carefully?

Now,

there's still another design

to this passage.

And I'm guessing

that when you walked

into this room

this morning

and if you've read

Matthew chapter 13 before,

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

I'm guessing you weren't aware

of what is going on

below the surface.

this.

And I want to show it to you

because it's striking

when you see it

because it is so elaborate.

It's called a chiasm.

And it's carefully crafted chiasm.

Now, you might say,

chiasm, what is that?

It sounds like some condition.

Chiasm is taken,

is from a Greek letter

X,

chi.

And what you need to note

about the letter chi

is its form.

It has two strokes

and there is an intersection

in the middle.

Do you see it?

Why don't you hold up

your hands right now

and go like this,

make an X with your fingers

and say,

chiasm.

And just say parabolic

because it's so fun to say.

So, in Matthew 13,

1 through 53,

there is a chiasm

and it's easier

to show you it

than to try to explain it.

So, I've asked Andy

to put it up on the screen.

You guys ready?

Follow with me.

I think you'll be encouraged.

This chiasm begins

with Jesus' arrival

in Matthew 13,

1 through 2.

Why don't you throw it up there?

Is it up there?

Sorry about the size.

It's the only way

to squish it all

on one screen.

One screen.

Jesus arrives.

He shows up.

And the next part,

progression of this chiasm

is the parable of the sower.

So, that's number two.

And the parable of the sower

is about the word

of the kingdom

being received.

Remember the four

different soils.

The next progression

of the chiasm

is in chapter 13,

verses 10 through 17.

There's a Q&A.

The disciples ask Jesus

about parables.

Why are you speaking

in parables?

And then Jesus explains them

by pointing to Isaiah 6.

The chiasm progresses

even more

in chapter 13,

18 through 23.

The explanation

of the parable

of the sower.

Jesus explains

what the soils represent.

That's number four.

And then the fifth point

on the progression

is the parable

of the weeds.

And that's chapter 13

through 24 through 30.

People are the wheat

in the weeds.

Judgment is the harvest.

And then He moves

into a pair

of parables.

They're like kissing cousins.

This pair

kind of runs together.

The first parable

is the parable

of the mustard seed.

It's a shorter parable

and it's about

the kingdom of God

growing.

That's 31 and 32.

But its kissing cousin

is chapter 13,

verse 33.

The parable

of the leaven.

And that too

is about the kingdom

of heaven spreading.

And so they're different

but they're to go together.

And that brings us

to the intersection

of the chiasm.

The very point.

And the point of it,

I'll come back to it

in a little bit,

but it's Jesus

is the fulfiller.

And that we see that

in chapter 13,

34 through 43.

So that's the intersection.

But now we're going

to reverse our direction.

Okay?

And here's where

I want you to see

the balance

because it's beautiful.

So from Jesus

the fulfiller,

there's the parable

of the hidden treasure.

Which is a one verse parable

kind of like

the parable of the leaven.

And then with it

comes the parable

of the great

pearl of great value.

And the parable

of the hidden treasure

and the parable

of the pearl

of great value,

they're kissing cousins too.

They're supposed

to go together.

And so,

do you start seeing

the balance

that's forming here?

Well, let's go on.

After the parable

of the pearl

of great value,

there's the parable

of the net.

People are compared

to fish.

The judgment

is the sorting

that goes on.

And it parallels

the parable

of the weeds.

And then Jesus

explains the parable

of the net.

Just like Jesus

explained the parable

of the sower.

And then

in number three

coming back,

there's this Q&A

in verse 51.

Instead of the disciples

asking Jesus

a question about parables,

it's Jesus asking

his disciples

about parables.

Do you understand

what I'm saying?

And they say,

yes!

And from there,

Jesus gives

the parable

of the master

of the house

in verse 52.

And where the parable

of the sower

was about the word

being received,

the parable

of the master

of the house

is about the word

going out.

He brought out

from his treasure

things new and old.

And then,

Jesus departs.

1353.

It is balancing

Jesus' arrival

and 131.

Do you see

the chiasm?

Do you see

the X?

Do you see

the point?

Now,

there is beauty

to this.

Now,

if you came

into this building

this morning

and you're like,

man,

I hope I see

a chiasm

in Matthew 13

this morning,

I would really

be surprised

by that.

But you're going

to leave this building

and you might find,

did you know

that there was

a chiasm

in Matthew 13?

And it's beautiful.

What it gets at

is Matthew,

this former tax collector,

he was very careful

about crafting

a structure here

that makes a point.

Now,

if you're like me

who love words

and love how words

kind of relate

to each other,

you can just

kind of get stuck

on the structure

of the literature.

But we're not

to stay there.

We're not

just to say,

isn't this thing

a beautiful thing?

It serves

a purpose.

And so,

the fourth primer

I wanted to make here,

help you anticipate,

was this passage,

it's carefully crafted.

But the fifth primer

is this craftsmanship,

it makes a point.

Now,

if you look up

on the screen,

did you notice

how the shape

of the structure

is like the pointing

of an arrow?

Do you see it?

Where is the arrow

pointing?

It's pointing

at the center

of the chiasm.

And so,

Matthew has,

under the inspiration

of the Holy Spirit,

arranged it this way

to call your attention

to Jesus.

These parables

call your attention

to Jesus.

And so,

these parables

make a common point.

It's all about Jesus.

And in verse 34

through 35,

Matthew,

the narrator,

inserts himself,

which is an indicator

just from the start.

Hey,

something going on here.

And he says that

Jesus speaking parables

is the fulfillment

of Psalm 78 too.

That doesn't happen

every day.

It's a big claim.

But he doesn't stay there.

He goes on to say

in verses 36

through 43

is the explanation

of the parable

of the weeds.

And in that explanation,

Jesus references

himself as

the Son of Man

twice.

And so,

what your attention

is called to

is nowhere else

in Matthew 13

does Jesus refer

to himself

as the Son of Man.

Just here.

And Matthew

has it here

to bring to your mind

that Jesus

is the focal point

of all these parables.

They're parables

of the kingdom

and the kingdom

is all about Jesus.

He is the great

fulfiller.

Now,

coming back

kind of around

your ability

to understand

a parable

has everything

to do

with your posture

of heart

towards Jesus.

If you're

hard-hearted

towards Jesus,

you're not going

to understand

His parables.

It's the vertical blinds

that are going to

close out

the truth of the kingdom

to you.

But if you're

humble of heart,

poor in spirit,

His parables

will reveal

the spiritual truth

they convey

about the kingdom.

And it's amazing.

It's all about Jesus.

It's all about His grace.

So, in closing,

I hope I have primed

your pump

for the parables.

Remember,

a parable is a tool.

And it uses comparison

to provoke a response.

A parable has a dual purpose.

Vertical blinds.

Parables have interwoven themes

that hold them all together.

It's a rich tapestry

in Matthew 13.

And these parables

have a careful design.

It's called a chiasm.

And of course,

these parables

make a common point.

It's all about Jesus.

I hope you've had

your pump primed

because next week

we're going to take

a detailed look

at the parable

of the sower.

Let's pray.

God in heaven,

we thank you so much

for Jesus.

We thank you

for the Gospel of Matthew.

We thank you

for our Bibles

and the beauty

of the literature

that is in our hands.

Thank you, God,

for this chiasm.

Thank you

for the loveliness of it.

Thank you

for these parables.

Thank you, God,

that you have given

many of us in this room

ears to hear

and eyes to see.

We are so thankful

for that.

But God,

we're also aware

that these parables

are all about Jesus.

And so,

over the next few weeks

as we're heading

through these parables,

God,

would you make Jesus clear?

Would you teach us

about the kingdom of heaven,

the saving reign of God?

And God,

you would have your way

with us

with the parables

that you would reveal

yourself to us,

that you would change us,

that you would make us

a people who are

faithful disciples

on mission,

following after our King,

our Savior,

Jesus.

Thank you for this time

together,

and we pray

in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.