Isaiah 65:17-25 - Christmas 2025 - Part 1

We are in Isaiah. The very end of Isaiah, chapter

Isaiah 65 · chapter mention

65. There are 66 chapters, so it's next to the

last one. And we'll be looking at this glorious

new creation. The Word of God, beginning of verse

17. For behold, I create new heavens and a new

earth, and the former shall not be remembered

or even come to mind. I'll be glad and rejoice

forever in what I create. For behold, I create

Jerusalem as a rejoicing and her people a joy.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem and joy in my people.

The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard

in her. nor the voice of crying. No more shall

an infant from there live but a few days, nor

an old man who has not fulfilled his days. For

the child shall die one hundred years old, but

the sinner being one hundred years old shall

be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit

them. They shall plant vineyards and eat their

fruit. They shall not build houses and another

inhabit. They shall not plant and another eat.

For as the days of a tree shall be the days of

my people, and my elect shall long enjoy the

work of their hands. They shall not labor in

vain, nor bring forth children for trouble, for

they shall be the descendants of the blessed

of the Lord and their offspring with them. It

shall come to pass that before they call, I will

answer, and while they are still speaking, I

will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,

The lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust

shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt

nor destroy in all my holy mountain, says the

Lord, says Yahweh. Let's pray. Father, help us

this morning, Lord, to make much of your Son

and his salvation. Oh, God, comfort your people,

Lord. Lord, we are in the Advent season, a season

of hope and comfort and expectation and longing.

But Lord, there's also a sadness for many. God,

give your people, Lord, hope and peace and joy

as we anticipate the future that we will live

because of Christ and because he lives. It's

in the name of Jesus, your blessed son, we pray.

Amen. It was Christmas Day, 1863. The United

States was in the midst of a very bloody civil

war. This man was grieving the recent loss of

his wife in a tragic fire, and he himself was

also injured in this fire. The war had also left

his son seriously injured. And on that Christmas

day, he heard the church bells ringing out, and

he was struck. He was struck by the dissonance

between the promise of peace on earth and the

terrible violence and the personal suffering

that he was now experiencing. So then this poet,

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, picked up his pen

and he wrote the poem, Christmas Bells. It was

later put to music with the title, I Heard the

Bells on Christmas Day. Some of you may be familiar

with it. I'll read the first stanzas, I only

put the last two on the wall, but he writes this,

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Their old

familiar carols play. And wild and sweet the

words repeat, Peace on earth, goodwill to men.

And how, as the days had come, the belfrys of

all Christendom had rolled along the unbroken

song of peace on earth and goodwill to men. Till

ringing, singing on its way, the world revolved

from night to day. A voice, a chime, a chant

sublime, a peace on earth and goodwill to men.

Then from each black, accursed mouth, the cannon

thundered in the south, and with the sound the

carols drowned of peace on earth, good will to

men. It was as if an earthquake rent the heart

stones of a continent and made forlorn the households

born of peace on earth and good will to men.

And in despair, I bowed my head. There is no

peace on earth, I said. For hate is strong and

mocks the song of peace on earth goodwill to

men Then peeled the bells more loud and deep

God is not dead nor doth he sleep The wrong shall

fail the right prevail With peace on earth and

goodwill to men. I actually love this carol.

I love the song Because it relates to us how

our present experience does not negate our ultimate

reality. In other words, how things are right

now is not how things will always be. Today's

the second Sunday of Advent and the focus is

on peace. The promise of peace, sounds good doesn't

it? It offers hope, it offers comfort. What?

Comfort and hope that better days are coming

to a people who are worn down by life. This present

life is hard. Job said that man who is born of

woman is a few days and full of trouble. Jesus

our Lord said, in this world, in this age, you

will have tribulation. But be of good comfort,

be of good cheer, for I have overcome this world.

If the world allows me to see January, this particular

January will mark the beginning of my 17th year

here as the pastor. It'll actually, in February,

mark the 22nd year that I came and joined pastoral

staff here at Mamory, February of 2004. And of

all those years, and they've been good, this

past year, 2025, was one of the saddest I've

ever experienced. There were so many funerals,

and so many sudden deaths, and it left us, and

it left me reeling, and it left us shaken. And

yet at Christmas at Advent, we're going to hear

the familiar promise in Luke 2, and I love Luke

2. For there is born to you this day in the city

of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And

this will be the sign to you. You will find a

babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a

manger. And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God

and saying, glory to God in the highest and on

earth peace, good will. toward men. It's funny.

Peace on earth. Is there peace on earth right

now? I mean, look around. What do we see? The

war between Russia and Ukraine drags on. The

conflict between Israel and Palestine there in

Gaza. Christians, God's people, are ruthlessly

attacked in Nigeria, Sudan, as well as the Congo.

It's this year, just this past year alone, over

7 ,000 Christians have been martyred for their

faith in Nigeria. Look around, there's poverty

and hunger, human rights violations in many,

many parts of the world. Greed and corruption

exist at the highest offices on the land. We

don't even have to talk about human trafficking.

injustice, abuse of power, or ubiquitous. So

given this current situation, are we naive to

believe in the promise of peace? Are we gullible?

Are we just fooling ourselves that this angel's

declaration is true? I mean, what exactly did

the angel mean when he announced peace on earth?

Good will to men. I suppose if I were to give

you a one -sentence summary, here's what it would

be. Jesus, the Divine Son of God, took on flesh

and was born of the virgin's womb to reverse

the curse of sin. Peace on earth will be a reality

because Jesus came. God was born from that virgin's

womb. So this is what gives us hope. We live

in hope in the midst of a very sorrowful world

with our with the knowledge that our God will

ultimately banish in. That day's coming and He

will ultimately banish sorrow forever as well.

So what we currently experience, and we're not

denying it, there is sorrow, there is death,

there are trials, but that's not the way it will

always be. And that's the promise of our text

this morning in Isaiah 65. A new beginning is

on the horizon. A new realm of existence that

is so radically different from our present one

that the curse of God upon mankind, upon all

creation, upon all that we currently know will

be taken away. This is so pervasive. It is so

intense that it's called a new heavens and a

new earth. Now we're in Isaiah 65 this morning.

It's the final section of Isaiah, and Isaiah

is focusing on the consummation of God's plan.

So these verses, they help us, they move beyond

the present reality, the one which we currently

live in, to show this cosmic renewal that's already

begun. It's already started because God's final

plan began with Christ's first coming and it

will be fully realized or consummated at His

second coming. So what we see in Isaiah 65 is

a picture, a poetic picture of the consummated

kingdom of God. It shows us the eternal state.

Now when we talk about the kingdom, we can say

the kingdom of God is already here. Jesus said

the kingdom of God is within you. The kingdom

of God is present on the earth in seed form in

the lives of the believers, in the lives of the

church. But that's not the fruition. That's just

the beginning of the kingdom. It will be brought

to fruition. It will be brought to consummation

when our Lord returns again. But as we think

about that, The final age of the world is already

with us. The renewal of the world is already

underway. For when Christ, when He ascended into

heaven, the plan of God entered into its fulfillment.

This is why, if you look at the New Testament,

it says we are living in the last days. The last

days are the time between Christ's ascension

and Christ's return. In these days, Christ is

reigning. We're not waiting for Christ to reign.

He's reigning, but He's reigning in His church.

in word and sacrament. But this present day,

the one in which we currently live, is still

marked by suffering, pain, and heartache. The

evil one still attacks. Yes, he's already been

defeated at the cross, but he's still attacking

the church. So this present time, it's a time

of waiting and watching and witnessing to the

world of the gospel of Christ. I think about

right now life. We are still engaged in trials,

disappointments, true suffering, true grief,

true heartache, and we are waiting anxiously

for our Lord's return in power and great glory

and ushering in that final, eternal kingdom.

But what will that be like? What is the future

that you and I can anticipate? Isaiah 65, now

this is a poem. It's a Hebrew poem, but it gives

us a glimpse. There's a promise in verse 17,

if you look at it. For behold, usually in scripture

means, look, stop, this is something only God

can do. For behold, I create new heavens and

a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered

or come to mind. new heavens and new earth. Now

this, when you're talking about heavens and earth,

this is the totality of all things. The renovation

of the entire cosmos is coming. Everything, everything

in the heavens, everything on earth, is going

to be renewed. This renewal and transfiguration

is just that. It's not a replacement of the present

cosmos. What do I mean by that? Because if you

go to Revelation 21, we'll look at that later,

the word new in Greek is word kainos. Kinos is

understood as renewed in nature. It's not brand

-new in substance. That's an important distinction

here. So God is going to take what we currently

see and He's going to renew it, renovate it,

and it'll be so renewed, so absolutely remodeled,

if you will, that it's a new heaven and a new

earth. But this new creation, it began with the

resurrection and ascension of Christ. In fact,

you are a new creation in Christ. Christ is what?

He's the firstborn of all creation, Colossians

1. But all that he's doing right now will have

an end point. It will be consummated at the second

coming. And again, I look forward to this change

because it's going to be so thorough. It says

the things that are former, which is what we're

living right now, will not be remembered. And

then he goes it further, they won't even come

to mind. Former things not remembered. This does

not mean the loss of personal memory. Rather,

it's speaking of the total absence of sorrow

and sin and injustice. All that's former, all

that we currently know, the injustice and the

trafficking and the enslavement and the corruption

and the greed, all that's going to be wiped away.

Everything about the old order will be gone in

this renovation and you and I will forever live

in a completely new reality. This new reality

is paradise, what we had in Eden, restored. This

is the answer to the prayer that Christians have

prayed since our Lord taught us to pray. Thy

kingdom come, thy will be done. This is the answer

right here. This is how God's going to answer

that prayer. In the book of Romans chapter 8,

Romans 8 · chapter mention

Paul talked about creation being in bondage.

All of creation. Not just humans. We know we're

in bondage to sin until Christ liberates us.

But he said the creation itself, even the land

and the animals and nature, was also subjected

to bondage. And Paul spoke about a future day

when even creation will be liberated from its

bondage. Romans 8 beginning at verse 18. Now

notice the language here. For I consider that

the sufferings of this present time are not worthy

to be compared with a glory which shall be revealed

in us. Suffering is right now. Glory awaits.

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly

waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Now

look at verse 20, try to follow his logic. For

the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly,

but because of him who subjected in hope. Because

the creation itself also will be delivered from

the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty

of the children of God. For we know that the

whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs

together until now. Not only that, but we also

who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even

we ourselves groan within ourselves eagerly waiting

for the adoption. That is the redemption of our

body. Our present sufferings, Paul says, are

not worthy of comparison with the glory that

is coming your way. Now Paul is not a stoic.

He's not minimizing suffering. He does not tell

believers, hey, just keep a stiff upper lip and

don't ever cry and don't let them see you sweat.

No, he says you're going to suffer and you're

going to cry. But he offers hope in the midst

of it. He's saying, it'll be worth it, all friend.

It will be worth it. The pain, the tears, the

heartache, the disappointment that this age brings,

it's going to be swallowed up in glory, one second

into eternity. And every difficulty we have ever

experienced will be washed away. It will be but

a distant memory. I love that. Suffering doesn't

have the final word. Suffering is real. But glory

is real, too. Suffering, it is temporary, Paul

says. It's only for this age. It's temporary.

It has an end date. There's an expiration date.

But glory never expires. Glory is eternal. Paul

said in 2 Corinthians 4 17, for our light affliction.

Now, if anyone had affliction that was heavy,

it was Paul. And Paul said, our light affliction,

which is but for a moment, is working for us.

It's doing something. It's working for us a far

more far more exceeding and eternal weight of

glory. Affliction is light and glory is weighty.

Do you see what he's doing there? And he says,

right now, all that we seek, all of creation

is groaning under a curse, and it's crying out

for relief. And that relief will be given to

creation when Christ returns. And he says, yes,

right now you're going to suffer, friends. Even

the church, even Christians will suffer, but

don't despair, because glory is your future.

There will be that future transformation. The

curse that is currently over all of creation,

from Genesis 3 .15, will be reversed. Or Genesis,

sorry. Romans 8 .21. Because the creation itself

will be delivered from the bondage of corruption.

So right now we know something. Creation is not

as God intended it to be. It wasn't just mankind,

Adam and Eve, that were cursed when they sinned.

So was the land. So was the animal kingdom. The

entire cosmos. Everything was put under a divine

curse. And we can easily see the effects of that

curse in nature. In some parts of the world there

are droughts. Other parts of the world there

are floods. In some parts of the world there's

famines. In some parts of the world there's pestilence.

There's natural disasters. All those things come

because there was a curse. What about the animal

kingdom? We see violence right now in the animal

kingdom. You have predators kill and devour and

eat their prey. And Paul said all of this is

a sign that all of creation is under bondage.

It's frustrated because it is unable to attain

what God originally designed for it. Let me put

it this way. Creation itself knows that the things

which are currently are not how they should be.

This is not God's design. When man sinned, when

Adam fell, the entire created order was cursed,

and now we live in this frustrated, incomplete

state. But one day that's all going to change.

the present order will be transformed to a perfect,

pristine environment for the redeemed children

of God to forever live in. And it's so thorough,

this overhaul, that Isaiah and John in the book

of Revelation called it new, new heaven, new

earth, kainos, renovated. Instead of sorrow,

there will be only joy. Look at verses 18 and

19 of our text. But be glad and rejoice forever

in what I create for behold I create Jerusalem

as rejoicing her people a joy I will rejoice

in Jerusalem and joy in my people the voice of

weeping no longer heard nor the voice of crying

Notice that the terms that Isaiah uses here be

glad rejoice forever Jerusalem is a rejoicing

her people are joy God rejoices in Jerusalem

God takes joy in his people Two verses, many

times, over and over, he's letting us know something.

Here's what's going to happen in this new, created

kingdom. Everywhere you look, everywhere you

turn, there will be joy. You know what will not

be found? Sorrow. There won't be a sorrowful

person. Everyone will be full of joy. Now, can

you imagine living in a dwelling like this? Can

you imagine if this is your forever home? Every

sorrowful, painful, hurtful event, moment, and

memory are forever behind us. Everywhere. There's

only Forever joy. That means you're not going

to get that dreaded phone call. You're not going

to get that text that's bringing bad news. All

of that is going to be behind you. Your present

reality will only be forever full, overflowing

joy. Isaiah and John later would write, weeping

is no more. The sound of someone crying will

never again be heard in the renovated cosmos.

You ever been there when someone gets the news

of death and you hear a guttural cry like you've

not heard? I have. You ever been there when someone

has personally taken their last breath and the

family begins to weep? I have. And there'll be

no more broken -hearted tears that are shed.

Broken hearts are gone. because it's only joy

because of Jesus. See, man's greatest enemy will

also be missing. No more hospitals, praise God,

no more funeral homes, for death will be absent.

Now notice verse 20, and let me explain this

because some of you are going to pick up on something

right away. No more shall an infant from there

live but a few days, nor an old man who has not

fulfilled his days, for the child shall die one

hundred years old, but the same sinner being

one hundred years old shall be accursed. Now

you're saying, hey, how do you say death is missing

if there's talk of death if it doesn't exist

in this consummated kingdom? Couple points. First

of all, you have to remember something. Isaiah

65 is a Hebrew poem. It's conveying truths poetically.

Isaiah is using familiar earthly images to describe

realities that transcend our present categories.

So he's couching eternal realities in present

world categories. And this is a literary device.

It's known in Hebrew poetry. It's called the

prophetic idiom. Well, what's a prophetic idiom?

A prophetic idiom is when the author speaks of

the eternal in terms of the temporal so that

we can relate to it, so we can understand. This

is why, and this explains why he mentions death

and then long life, he's simply expressing blessing

in earthly terms. He is not implying that there's

mortality in the final state. Now, because if

you look closely, and this is so important context,

if you look closely at the text, you're going

to see what Isaiah is doing, and it's beautiful.

He is showing that the curse that God put on

man is being reversed. What was the curse? Death.

Death is being reversed. He's using imagery to

show that the age to come is marked by a life

that is free from those covenant curses of Deuteronomy

28. So notice, in the coming age, sorrow gives

way to joy, verses 18 and 19. Premature death,

a child, gives way to longevity, verse 20. Futility,

we'll look at that moment, gives way to productivity.

Separation gives way to intimacy. And animosity,

or division, gives way to harmony. So Isaiah's

showing everything that sin brought, which is

what? Sorrow, death, futility, separation, animosity,

it's gone. Because in the coming age, the curse

is no more. The New Age is one of shalom. It's

a Hebrew word. When you go to Israel, many of

you have gone. That's how they greet each other.

They say shalom. Shalom means peace. But shalom

doesn't simply mean no conflict. Like peace in

the Middle East, or I'm not fighting with someone.

It actually means shalom means everything is

working how God intended it to work. Everything

is in harmony. Now the Lord Jesus is the Prince

of Peace. He's the Prince of Shalom. He came

to bring shalom. He came to bring peace to the

entire created order, meaning he came to bring

back God's original design. All that God originally

intended will take place. Now, how do we know

this is not talking about death here? Because

the Apostle John, in Revelation 21, he picks

up Isaiah's message and he writes even more clearly.

Now, this is not a poem here in Revelation 21.

John writing, I saw a new heaven and new earth.

For the first heaven, the first earth had passed

away, and there was no more sea. Then I, John,

saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down

out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned

for a husband. And I heard a loud voice from

heaven saying, Behold, something only God can

do. The tabernacle of God is with men, and he

will dwell with them, and they shall be his people.

God himself will be with them and be their God.

And God will wipe away every tear from their

eyes. No more crying, like Isaiah said. There

shall be neither no more death nor sorrow nor

crying. There shall be no more pain, for the

former things have passed away. very clear and

ambiguous terms, John says, no sorrow, no death,

no futility. So Isaiah, if you go back there,

he's saying in this new kingdom, you won't work

and then someone else enjoy your labor. Because

remember, that was part of the curse. God told

Israel, if you do what I tell you to do, I will

bless you. You will build houses and live in

them. You will plant vineyards and you eat their

fruit. But if you break that, you will build

a house, someone else will live in it. you plant

a vineyard, someone else eat its fruit. Now look

at verses 21 through 23. In the coming age, he's

writing about covenant here. They will build

houses, inhabit them. They'll plant vineyards,

eat their fruit. They shall not build another

inhabit. They shall not plant another eat. For

as the days of a tree shall so shall be the days

of my people. And my elect, my chosen ones, shall

long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall

not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for

trouble. for they shall be the descendants of

the blessed of the Lord and their offspring with

them." What Isaiah is saying is that man will

enjoy fruitful labor under God. We will forever

enjoy perfect curse -free labor and never ever

again experience frustration as Adam once did

in Eden. Sometimes we think, again, we have the

wrong view of heaven. We think of heaven in some...

I think because we get our theology a lot from

TV and movies rather than from the Bible, we

picture heaven or the eternal state is where

disembodied spirits or perhaps we're just all

in one big room on our faces for eons, for eternity.

No. We're going to work. You're going to have

lives. You're going to have a new body. You will

have a body as real as the body you have now.

But it won't ever experience frustration anymore.

There won't be any frustrated labor. Again, God

said, if you don't do what I say, then you're

going to build and not eat, or you're going to

build and not live in it, and plant and not eat

of it. But that's all going to be taken away.

That's the curse that's removed. As a covenant

breaker, life is futile. But that has ended.

John Oswald, his commentary said, instead of

tears of frustration and futility, there will

be smiles. of fulfillment and satisfaction and

songs of praise to God. We're going to be working,

but you're going to be singing while you're working

because it's going to turn out the way God designed.

You ever do a job well done and you're satisfied?

And you know that feeling. That's all going to

be. You also ever do a job and you're like, oh

my goodness, I can't stand this. That's not going

to be there, is what he's saying. And most significantly,

there will be perfect communion with God. Verse

24. It shall come to pass that before they call,

I will answer." And while they are still speaking,

God says, I will hear. You ever just sometimes

feel that God does not hear your prayers? Yeah,

everyone does, I think. You ever just feel abandoned?

I'm not saying you are, but you feel it. Like

there's a disconnect. But in that final eschaton,

in that final kingdom, we will be overflowingly

satisfied in perfect communion with the Creator.

There will be unmediated, immediate fellowship

with God. Remember how Adam used to walk with

God in the cool of the day in the garden, face

to face, walking with God? That will once again

take place. We will do that. We will enjoy that

unbroken fellowship with our Creator. And I love

this promise, before they call, I will answer.

It's like God says, I already, I know what you're

going to say. And before you even ask, I've already

answered it. What a beautiful promise. What a

beautiful hope. And finally, there's peace, harmony.

Look at verse 25. The wolf and the lamb shall

feed together, the lion shall eat straw like

the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food.

They shall not hurt nor destroy in my holy mountain,

says the Lord. Wolf and lion and snake, those

are all dangerous animals. But in the final kingdom,

all that will be changed. Why? Because nature

will no longer be an enemy to man. Animals won't

fear us. There will be harmony. Shalom in all

of creation. But Isaiah, notice he mentions,

he says, but dust will be the serpent's food.

That sounds a little out of place. No. Think

what he's saying here. All the current sorrow

and heartache and hostility and pain we experience

now is all because of the serpent's interference

in the garden. He was cursed. Again, John Alliswalt

says, God announced that the snake would crawl

in the dust forever and that although that snake

would bite the heel of Eve's child, that child

would crush the snake's head. Here the snake

is finally condemned, not only to crawl in the

dust, but to eat only dust forever. When that

happens, the curse will be truly broken, and

as the Lord says, there will be none to hurt

or destroy in all his holy mountain. May God

grant it. Paradise is restored because the Messiah,

the Lord Jesus, has conquered. He's conquered

over all disorder. It's still the same heaven,

still the same earth, but renewed. Redeemed man,

we will still work. We will still enjoy culture.

We will still live in community, but without

sin, without curse, without sorrow, without death,

without futility. What are you saying? It'll

be perfect communion with God. Isaiah 65 points

forward to the glorious reality that awaits all

those who have been redeemed by the Lord Jesus

Christ. This renewal began in the incarnation,

which is what we celebrate right now when God

was born and took on flesh. But it was Christ's

victory over death. That's what inaugurated this

new creation. It was Christ's death that removed

the curse for us, Galatians 3. Christ has redeemed

us from the curse of the law. having become a

curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone

who hangs on a tree. What did they put on Jesus's

head? A crown of thorns. Where were thorns come

from? Because the ground was cursed. Everything

about that day was a sign of the curse. Jesus

was cursed so you and I will not be eternally

cursed. And friends, let me just close this in

my last statement here. With these truths before

us, may this Advent season Be a time of peace

as you meditate on the glorious reality that

awaits you. Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

nor have entered into the heart of man the things

which God has prepared for those who love Him.

Amen. Can you imagine that? God said it's so

great I can't even tell you about it. You're

just gonna have to wait. No spoilers here. I

can't, I hasn't seen it, ears not heard about

it. By the way, you've not even thought about

it. It is more grand and more glorious and more

awesome and every other adjective I could think

of than you can possibly think of. So I'm not

even gonna tell you about it. Just wait and see.

But we get glimpses, we get previews of Isaiah

65 and Revelation 21. So children of God live

in peace in light of this Advent season for what

Christ has done for you. Let's pray as we prepare

our hearts to commune with Christ. Father, thank

you for your word. Lord, it's so rich. It's so

good. Thank you, Lord God, for this truth. And

Lord, I pray, Lord, my prayer this morning, Lord,

is for your people. But Lord, there are some

who are hurting, really, really hurting. Lord,

the heart is broken. Oh Lord, I know that words

sometimes can just fall deaf if we're not careful.

But Lord, I pray your spirit would use the truth

and the reality of what is to come to encourage

those who today, Lord, perhaps wear a smile,

but inwardly they're broken. Give them peace,

Lord. Grant them shalom. Father, I pray for your

church, Lord. Help us, grow us in our faith.

Make us more like Jesus. in this Advent season,

Father, let us not get caught up with all the

busyness, Lord, with all the trappings and all

the things we must do and the gifts buying and

the children's events and the school events.

But Father, help us to be quiet and still before

you and Lord God to meditate on what God has

done for us in Christ. Oh Lord, you're making

all things new. We look so forward to that day.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen. I'm going to

ask the deacons if you would come as we