Contemplation

Today's Old Testament lesson comes from the book of Isaiah, chapter 30, verses 1 through 18.

Isaiah 30:1–18

Stubborn children, declares the Lord, who carry out a plan but not mine,

and who make an alliance but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin,

who set out to go down to Egypt without asking for my direction,

to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt,

therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame,

and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.

For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hames,

everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them,

that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace.

An oracle on the beasts of Negev, through a land of trouble and anguish,

from where come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery serpent,

they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels,

to a people that cannot profit them.

Egypt's help is worthless and empty, therefore I have called her Rahab who sits still.

And now go, write it before them on a tablet and ascribe it in a book,

that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever.

For they are rebellious people, lying children,

children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord,

who say to the seers, do not see,

and to the prophets, do not prophesy to us what is right.

Speak to us smooth things, prophecy illusions.

Leave the way, turn aside from the path.

Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel,

because you despise this word and trust in the oppression and perverseness and rely on them,

therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall,

bulging out and about to collapse,

whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant,

and its breaking is like that of a potter's vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly

that among its fragments not a shard is found,

with which to take fire from the hearth or dip up water out of the cistern.

For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,

in returning and rest you shall be saved,

in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.

But you were unwilling, and you said,

no, we will flee upon horses.

Therefore you shall flee away,

and we will ride upon swift steeds.

Therefore your pursuers shall be swift.

A thousand shall flee at the threat of one.

At the threat of five you shall flee

till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,

like a signal on a hill.

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you.

And therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.

For the Lord is a God of justice.

Blessed are all those who wait for him.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

About a month ago, many of us in this room saw a film

at the National Gallery of Art by Laura Hinson

called Many Beautiful Things.

And it's a documentary about Lilius Trotter,

a 19th century British painter

who left a career that would have brought fame and fortune

in order to follow God's calling on our life

to be a missionary to the poor and downtrodden in North Africa.

In that departure to Africa,

she says that holiness, not safety,

is the end of our calling.

Holiness, not safety,

is the end of our calling.

That's been a refrain for us

these last few weeks in this season of Lent.

Holiness.

This sermon series is called

The Habits of Holiness.

We're looking at practices

that would build and nurture holiness and virtue within us.

The first week, we looked at submission.

What does it mean to live under the authority of Christ's lordship?

The second sermon we heard

was about scripture.

And what does it mean that the Bible is God-breathed?

Last week, we looked at contentment

and Paul's statement.

How he has learned in whatever situation to be content.

This week, these three themes

come together quite beautifully

in this 30th chapter of Isaiah

that we heard Megan read earlier.

We're going to see two problems that Judah had.

Self-reliance

and a refusal to listen to God's voice.

Self-reliance

or really failure to rely on God.

And a refusal to listen to God's voice.

We're going to see how those two faults are shared by us.

We have those same faults and sin tendencies.

And then lastly, we're going to look at two practices

to help us overcome those problems.

It would be kind of a black comedy

if we're going to talk about listening to God's voice

and we weren't to pray to ask God to help us with that.

So let's do that right now.

Amen.

God, thank you for bringing us here.

Thank you for guiding us.

Thank you that you don't leave us

without a knowledge of yourself

or how to relate to you as our Father

or to submit to you as our Lord.

So we would ask your guidance today.

Help us to hear your word.

Help us to lay aside all of our pride and arrogance

and our presuppositions

and help us to really, truly hear

what you have to say to us tonight.

And not just tonight, Lord,

but every day of our lives.

And in hearing you, trust you

with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So here in Isaiah 30,

we find ourselves towards the end of the 8th century BC.

And many years earlier, before this account,

Israel had split into two kingdoms.

The northern kingdom, which had kept the name Israel,

has already been conquered by Assyria,

and the Israelites have been hauled off into exile.

The southern kingdom, now called Judah,

finds itself a vassal state of Assyria

because of the actions and decisions

of the previous king Ahaz.

Ahaz's son, the current king, Hezekiah,

and by all accounts, a pretty good guy,

he wishes to be free of Assyria,

and so he seeks protection from Egypt

to the south.

Egypt, as we heard,

was a worthless ally.

In battle with Assyria,

they would be routed just 100 miles from their home,

while Assyria, 600 miles from their home,

just completely routed them.

God even mocks Egypt in verse 7.

It's pretty funny.

He calls her Rahab who sits still.

In other words,

Judah wasn't relying on Egypt,

the glorious, beautiful, powerful queen of ages past.

Judah was relying on Egypt,

the invalid grandmother who sits at home

watching Judge Judy and Fox News all day.

I'm pretty sure.

Ironically, and foolishly,

Judah is going back to her old slave master

to ensure her freedom.

But that isn't what made Egypt the poor choice.

Egypt was a poor choice

because Judah was to rely on God,

and God only for her protection,

and safety,

and salvation.

Judah was to seek God's guidance

instead of weaving her own web,

as the language here

could be literally translated in verse 1.

Here in verses 1 and 2,

we find the biblical insistence

that God's people be guided by God's revelation.

Ah, stubborn children

who carry out a plan,

but not mine.

Who make an alliance,

but not with my spirit.

Who set out to go down to Egypt

without asking for my direction.

The last bit here in verse 2

could be translated literally,

you did not inquire for my mouth.

You did not inquire for my mouth.

This might lead some of you

to recall the sermon from two weeks ago.

Tommy preached from 1 Timothy,

1 Timothy 3:16

chapter 3, verse 16,

which says,

all scripture is God-breathed.

Well, I mean, that idea wasn't new to Paul.

God here is affirming it

many hundreds of years earlier.

God's revelation isn't static or dead.

His revelation is his mouth.

And it comes to us by his Holy Spirit.

And in that sermon we heard two weeks ago,

we heard also 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 21,

1 Peter 1:21

which says,

for no prophecy was ever produced

by the will of man,

but men spoke from God

as they were carried along

by the Holy Spirit.

And here in Isaiah 30,

it's the prophet Isaiah

that is being carried along,

delivering God's message.

But Judah wouldn't receive it.

They would refuse it.

As a matter of fact,

in verses 9 and 10,

God notes how not only is Judah

unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord,

but they were telling Isaiah

to say something else.

The people had wanted Isaiah

to change his message.

They wanted him to lead them astray

from the Holy One of Israel.

In chapter 6 of Isaiah,

the prophet Isaiah has a vision.

A vision of God and his temple.

Glorious.

Breathtaking.

Indescribable.

So holy and indescribable

that Isaiah could only describe

the hem of his robe.

And Isaiah had devoted his whole career

to communicating this message

of God's holiness.

This beautiful, amazing vision.

But Judah wouldn't see it.

They didn't want to see it.

They wanted Isaiah

to just shut up about it.

And instead,

communicate smooth,

affirming things.

And not of a God

whose splendor

demanded

the impossible things of them.

Does that sound familiar?

Yes.

It does.

Right?

That's us.

2,700 years later.

That's us.

I know, because it's me.

It's me.

Now, if Judah were to listen

to this strange man,

they would have to alter

their view of God

and their way

of responding to him.

But as Flannery O'Connor wrote,

the truth does not change

according to our ability

to stomach it.

The truth does not change

according to our ability

to stomach it.

So let's summarize

Judah's problems

and see how they apply to us.

Okay?

The first,

in the face of trial and danger,

Judah devises their own plan

to get help

instead of seeking God.

And that's us.

Right?

I mean, just think back

this week,

this month,

when an issue arose

at work

or at home

or in your relationships

and you had to figure out

a solution.

Did you ask God for help?

Was he the first person

you asked?

Well,

you might say,

I'm a surgeon

and should I ask God

for a magical air

to show me where to cut?

You know,

where the patient

is dying on the table?

Or like,

I'm a musician

and should I just

wait for God

to show me every note

on the page to play?

Is that the kind of reliance

you're talking about?

No, no.

That's not what I'm talking about.

But this is an air trombone,

by the way,

if you're wondering.

So,

what scripture teaches,

cover to cover,

is that God's children

live in utter dependence

on their father.

Throughout a day,

God's children

have a spiritual posture

of kneeling.

Not physical,

but a spiritual posture

of kneeling,

hands up,

palms up,

in need of God's provision.

The posture simply says,

help.

Help me.

Have mercy on me.

Personally,

when I get into a bind,

if I remember to do this,

I say what's called

a Jesus prayer,

an ancient prayer

that helps us focus on God

and his helping us,

which says,

Jesus,

Son of God,

have mercy on me,

a sinner.

And I say it a lot.

But often,

I don't go to that.

You know,

I get nervous pretty much

every time I play music

in front of people.

That would mean on Sundays

when I lead worship.

And this is,

I've always had this problem.

And I remember once

being asked by a friend,

like,

what do you do

when you get nervous?

How do you get through that?

My response was,

well,

I just,

hmm,

what do I do?

I just rely on the things

that I've practiced,

things that I've learned

in my training.

And then he asked,

do you pray?

And I realized I,

I didn't most of the time.

I realized that I'm much more

of an orphan

than a son of the Father.

At least that's how I behave.

An orphan who relies

on his instinct,

the strategies,

strategies and coping measures

he's learned on the streets,

never fully trusts anyone,

even after being received

into a loving family

and given parents

who truly love him.

We see overtones of this

in verse one,

right?

God says,

aha,

stubborn children.

So that's Judah's

first problem,

self-reliance.

And Judah's other problem

is that they don't listen

to their father's voice.

We've touched on this.

They either ignore God's voice

or because of their pride

and arrogance,

they twist his words

to support their own agenda,

to support their own

systems of belief,

or to prevent God

from interfering

with the things

that they desire.

So what should have Israel done?

Verse 15 says,

For thus said the Lord God,

the Holy One of Israel,

in returning and rest

you shall be saved.

In quietness and in trust

shall be your strength.

Again,

he's addressing

posture.

Returning

means repentance.

And once we've

returned

to the Father's presence,

we become quiet

and still.

And in that silence,

God gives

to us

of himself.

We find strength.

faith.

So what does that mean

for us today?

Does it mean we literally

need to find times

of silence

and solitude?

Well, yes.

Yep, of course.

And I think that's

exactly what it means.

And Jesus knew

how critical it was, too.

He knew how critical

it was to find times

of silence

and solitude.

And if the Son of God,

the Son,

who had known

intimacy

with the Father

in a perfect

dance

of never-ending love,

if he

needed to

find time

alone

with the Father

to be intimate,

in silence

and solitude,

how much more

do we?

Right?

The world is

so noisy.

You know this.

It's noisier

than it's ever been.

Audio,

visually,

informationally,

we're drowning

in information.

We seek it

on our smartphones

as soon as we wake up

and just before

we go to sleep.

As we walk on the street

or wait in a line,

a ubiquitous

din of words

resulting

in an epidemic

of numbness.

And I think

you've felt that.

I have.

And for whatever reason,

we prefer the noise

because it's so much

more preferable

to the alternatives

the hard work

of recognizing

the true

aesthetic beauty

that surrounds us,

the hard work

of empathy,

recognizing that

every human soul

we encounter

is both made

in the image of God

and suffers the weight

of a broken humanity,

the hard work

of living with

our own thoughts

and feelings

and neuroses

and hurt.

And there's

an alternative

that's more frightening

than the three

of those.

and that's

plain old silence.

Silence is frightening.

I know this

because I watch

science fiction.

I really don't

reference science fiction

in every sermon.

I know this

because I remember

cutting the science fiction

reference from my last sermon.

Anyway, bear with me.

Science fiction

has a way

of tapping

into our fears

through the enemies

it projects.

Now some of you

may remember

the Borg

from Star Trek

Next Generation.

If you remember

when the Borg

was created

it was at the end

of the Cold War, right?

The Borg was an enemy

that was likened

to the communist state

in which

individuality

and self-identity

is eradicated

and all members

are in complete service

to the collective, right?

It's a very

Cold War fear.

Now one thing

that was supposed

to be frightening

about that enemy

is that if you

were assimilated

you could never

keep the voices

and thoughts

of the other

individuals

out of your head.

Nowadays

that's so much

more preferable

than the alternative.

And the alternative

is the antagonist

in season six

of Doctor Who.

Anybody know

who that is?

The silence!

Right?

The silence.

Frightening.

And the members

of the silence

look like that guy

from The Scream

you know that

expressionist painting

that guy?

Like that's what's frightening.

It's just silence.

It's tapped into our fear

and silence represents

our deepest fears.

Who knows what monsters

and devils

we would find

in a vacuum

of sound waves

in the space

of our own

minds and hearts.

But silence

is exactly

what God prescribes

for his people.

For this reason

we need

to hear from God.

We need to hear

from God.

Jesus often said

he who has ears

to hear

let him hear.

Our minister

of care

and community

Melissa Litwiller

met with our

core group leaders

this past Wednesday night

and she made

this profound point.

If our God

is a God who speaks

and we truly believe that

then in order

to hear that voice

we need to offer God

the hospitality

of silence.

Isn't that beautiful?

The hospitality

of silence.

Silence is the space

in which we welcome

God to speak.

Soren Kierkegaard

said the first thing

the unconditional condition

the very first thing

that must be done

is create silence.

Bring about silence.

God's word

cannot be heard

in the hullabaloo.

Create silence.

The kind of silence

we need for listening

is not that momentary silence

of turning your attention

to someone.

It's much more than that.

It's the act

of self-emptying

and bringing our

whole selves

before God.

It's not a stupid silence.

It's more a question

of mobilizing

our knowledge

and our experience

and making them

fluid

and lively

so that they will

serve the attention.

So that they will

serve the attention

instead of replacing it.

Now many of us

can be good

at reading the Bible

but silence

is the space

in which the Bible

reads me.

It's the place

where we put to death

our pride

and we truly listen.

One author writes this,

reading these pages

that form the Bible

written and transmitted

by men of the past

thus becomes

listening to the voice

of God in them.

A process

that requires

a particular attention,

vigilance,

and availability.

This attention,

this vigilance,

this availability

are contrary

to the hardened

pride

in which I presume

to know better

than others

what they're saying

and what they mean

and better than God

how he may act

and how he may

reveal himself.

Right?

Just an issue

of pride

and humility.

Silence

is a posture

of humility

before a God

who speaks.

and we've talked

about

Judah's two problems.

Self-reliance

and failing

to hear

God's voice.

And we've explored

how we wrestle

with the same things.

And I hope

I've made a compelling

case for the need

to rely on God

and for the need

to seek silence

but I've prayed

a lot about this sermon.

I walked down

the streets

of Mount Pleasant

actually saying

Jesus,

Son of God,

have mercy on me,

a sinner.

And I feel like

I need to

present

real concrete

applications

on how to rely

on God

and how to hear

his voice.

Habits of holiness

that would deepen

our trust in God

by remembering

God's works

of provision

for us

and that would

create a space

to hear God's voice.

So let's start

with a habit

that would deepen

our trust in God.

We see all

throughout the Bible

God exhorts us

to remember

to remember

God's works

for us.

And as a matter of fact,

Jesus gave us

this table,

a sacred memorial

where we remember

and enact

Jesus' death,

life,

and resurrection.

Over the course

of hundreds of years,

the church has given

us practices

to help us remember

God's active presence

in our lives.

One of those

is called

the Daily Examen,

E-X-A-M-E-N.

It is to be done

at the end of a day.

A really great time

of day to do it

is just before

you fall asleep.

The things we

think about

right before

we fall asleep

are often the things

that are close

to our hearts,

aren't they?

They're the idols

that we covet,

the things we desire,

things that we think

would bring us happiness.

or there are

deepest fears.

And the examine

pushes those things

out of our minds

and brings God

to the forefront.

There's basically

five steps

to an examine.

The first is

to become aware

of God's presence.

Become aware

of God's presence.

It's helpful to remember

that God is a Father

who is always

waiting for us,

always ready

to welcome us,

no matter

what we've done.

The second step

is to review

the day with gratitude.

Now there's

four different things

that will come to mind

as you review the day.

All right?

The first is

ways that you

have obeyed God.

And when that

comes to mind,

give God thanks

for the strength

to be able to obey.

The second is

ways that you've

failed God,

ways that you've

sinned.

So confess those things,

ask for forgiveness,

and move on.

The third thing

is a way God

has shown

his faithfulness

to you,

how he's provided

for you,

a way that

God has shown up

and it's been obvious.

And a fourth thing

that will come to mind

is a time when

God didn't seem

to be there.

A difficult time

in trial.

And you didn't

notice his presence.

And then

you look to see

ways that God

was present

even in that

difficult situation.

Like, wow,

this,

even despite

like the pain

or the sadness

of the situation,

this person

really cared for me.

Right?

Or I,

my prayers

became more passionate,

maybe more angry,

and God

seemed really

much more real

to me

than he ever has.

So,

beware of God's presence,

review the day

with gratitude.

Third is pay attention

to your emotions.

The fourth is

choose one feature

of the day

and pray from it.

And the fifth

is to look

toward tomorrow.

Now,

if you fall asleep

while you're doing this,

like,

if you don't finish

and you fall asleep,

don't feel bad.

What

father or mother

would feel hurt

or offended

if in talking

to the child

in their arms,

the child falls asleep?

What a gift

to be able

to fall asleep

during the examine.

Now,

the examine

is a practice

you can do

as a family.

I know that

not every one

of us here

has children,

but I think

this will still

be helpful for you

if you can't

remember five steps,

you can remember this.

The fact that

we go throughout

the day

and we experience

God in both

positive and

negative moments

in our lives,

that's a paradox,

right?

And paradox

sounds like

a pair of ducks.

And this is a,

this duck is dirty

and this is a,

this is a clean duck.

And our,

our family does

the examine

every day,

every time we sit

down for dinner

together

and we say,

okay,

what were your

yay ducks?

And what were

your yuck ducks?

And the kids love it.

They love to talk

about the positive

things that happen

in the day

and then we talk

about the negative

things that have

happened in the day

and then we help

the children to see,

well,

okay,

that might have

happened,

but did you see

how like,

mommy really cared

for you in that

situation?

Isn't it great

that God has

provided you a mommy

that's like really

loving,

generous,

compassionate,

like,

or,

or in that situation

you had to stay

at your friend's

house.

Isn't it nice

to have a friend?

See what we do?

Now,

with all of the change

our family has gone

through the last six

years,

this has been a helpful

practice in keeping

God's goodness

at the center

of our thoughts.

As a family,

we've seen God's

presence and faithfulness

every day

in all situations.

It's been a practice

that's helped us

to know contentment.

All right,

so that's the first

practice,

the examine,

or yay ducks,

yak ducks,

however you choose

to remember it.

And the second practice

that we're going

to talk about

is a practice

to help us hear

and listen to

the word of God,

and that's called

the Lectio Divina.

There are many

variations on this

practice.

The one I like to use

is produced by the

Irish Jesuits,

and it's called

Sacred Space.

You can find it

at sacredspace.ie,

and they frame it

as a structured way

of entering into

a disciplined,

fruitful silence.

Let me review

the second steps.

If you forget it,

just go to

sacredspace.ie.

It's that,

because it's produced

by the Irish Jesuits.

So the first step

is entering into silence.

Relax,

slow down,

and become centered

in Jesus.

Let the thoughts

and the stresses

of the day go.

Be still.

The second step,

encounter the

presence of God.

Jesus says,

Behold,

I stand at the door

and knock.

If anyone hears

my voice

and opens the door,

I will come into him

and eat with him

and he with me.

Jesus always arrives

before me,

desiring to connect

with me,

even before,

even more than

my most intimate friend.

The third step

is freedom.

I remind myself

that there are things

God has yet to teach me

and I ask for the grace

to hear them

and to be changed

by them.

The fourth is consciousness,

which is really

the examine,

which we've just discussed.

The fifth

is scripture.

So I take time

to read a scripture passage

slowly,

a few times.

Now,

what word,

a phrase,

captures my attention?

So like,

enjoying a piece

of hard candy,

I slowly let

that word

or phrase

slowly circulate

in my mouth

as my tongue

explores

and savors its surface.

I allow myself

to dwell

on anything

that strikes me.

The sixth

is conversation.

What feelings

rise up in me

as I pray

and reflect

on this passage?

I imagine

Jesus himself

sitting in a chair

opposite me

and I open

my heart to him

and share with him

my thoughts,

feelings,

and reflections.

And then I conclude.

It's the seventh step.

With this,

now may the God

have peace

through the blood

of the eternal covenant

brought back

from the dead,

our Lord Jesus Christ,

that great shepherd

of the sheep.

May he equip you

with everything good

for doing his will

and may he work in us

what is pleasing to him

through Jesus Christ

to whom be glory

forever and ever.

Amen.

The idea of listening

may be nerve-wracking

for many of us.

I don't know about you,

but to sit down

and to be silent

by myself

causes anxiety.

The staff

has been doing

the Lectio Divina

now

for a while

and still,

like,

every time I sit down

to do this,

my heart rate goes up.

Ah,

this is so quiet.

I need to be doing something

or looking at something

or hearing something

or what have you.

But over time,

I've really looked forward

to this time

because I know

it's going to be a time

where I'm really

richly fed.

It also might be

nerve-wracking

because it begs

the question,

if I listen to God,

what am I going to hear?

Is it going to be

the sound of my voice?

Is it going to be

the voice of Morgan Freeman?

The exhortation

to listen to God

is very much the same

as listening to a spouse

or friend, okay?

So we go to Scripture

and we listen

the same way

we're to listen

to a friend,

discerning

what is my friend

really trying to say

in the things

that he's telling me?

Does that make sense?

Like, what's really

at the source

and core

of what he's trying

to communicate?

That's listening to God.

Offering to God

the hospitality

of listening

is the opposite

of giving God

the pitiful offering

of an instant

of our attention.

It's relinquishing

our arrogance,

inclining toward God,

and offering to Him

our whole being.

Speaking of anxiety,

you might feel

some anxiety

as we talk about this

because you feel

guilty or ashamed.

Because you know

you should do this

and you haven't done it.

Or you don't do this enough.

Or you don't see

how you could ever

possibly do it

because life

and circumstances

seem to prevent

even a moment

of silent reflection.

I totally get you.

Okay?

I feel this too.

And here's what you

and I both need

to remember.

These practices

have never bought

anyone favor with God.

Because Christianity

is not about

what we do for God.

It's about what God

has done for us.

The Father

is always waiting

for us,

ready to give

Himself to us.

Isaiah chapter 30

Isaiah 30:18

verse 18,

what we heard earlier,

says this,

Therefore,

the Lord waits

to be gracious

to you

and therefore

He exalts Himself

to show mercy

to you.

For the Lord

is a God of justice.

Blessed are all

those who wait

for Him.

God shows us

His justice

in that everything

we could feel

shamed about

or guilty over

He's taken care

of on the cross.

There's no judgment

or wrath

or disapproval

that awaits

God's children.

There's nothing

left of that.

We go to Him

in silence

not to give

but to receive,

to receive a work

that's already

been done for us,

accomplished for us,

the work of Christ's

life,

death,

and resurrection

which has brought us

into God's family

and into the relationship

with the Father.

Coming to Him

in silence

is not climbing

a high chair

and hoping to receive

one or two

small spoonfuls

of God's grace.

Coming to Him

in silence

is jumping

into an ocean

of God's grace.

That grace

is what awaits us

in returning

and rest,

in quietness

and trust.

In the name

of the Father

and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Let's pray.

Amen.

Lord, we would want

to be holy.

We recognize that

as your calling

in our lives.

So we first

thank you

for making us holy,

for declaring us

forgiven,

for declaring us

justified,

for declaring us

to be righteous

because of what

your Son did for us.

Give us faith

to receive that.

And then give us faith

to pursue you

in silence

and then to be

pursued

by your word,

to be read by it,

changed by it,

and transformed

by it.

God,

thank you

for speaking to us

through your word

and for

speaking to us

and transforming us

by your sacrament.

We look forward

to that even now.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.