Tag: Jesus Christ

Friday Morning: 15 Feb 2019 – John 13:1-20 ~ follow my example

Friday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening (Collect for Purity)

Almighty God: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of my heart through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ my Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – John 13:1-20 (NLT)

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”

“No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”

Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”

Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”

Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

“I am not saying these things to all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But this fulfills the Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me.’ I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I am the Messiah. I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.”
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Morning Reflection:

The Example of Christ

Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and they were taken aback, they didn’t know what to make of it all – the master served the slaves. And Jesus explains –

“I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.
I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master.
Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message.
Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.”
– John 13:15-17

So what do we already know that we can emulate, that God will bless us for doing?

+ Humility – The Word of God became a human being. Jesus voluntarily gave up his divine privileges, his perks… and was born as a human being. (Philippians 2:7)

Q: Do you consider yourself privileged? In what way are you better off than others? What advantage could you relinquish to love and serve others?

+ Self-denial – Jesus lived counter-culturally, embodying the values of the Kingdom of God – even though he “faced all the same testings we do….” (Hebrews 4:15)

Q: How does your lifestyle affect your emulation of Christ? Can you think of an act of self-denial that would bless and serve someone else?

+  Unrelenting love – For Jesus, loving meant serving others, even giving up his life for those who rejected him – washing the feet of the one who would betray him.

Q: Have you ever been betrayed? How did you respond? What would it mean for you to love them with unrelenting love?

Jesus had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth,
and now he loved them to the very end.
– John 13:1

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Morning Prayer:

Heavenly Father: Show me how to love and serve others, especially my siblings in Christ, as he has loved and served me. Empty me of my pride and feelings of self-importance. Show me where my lifestyle conflicts with your Kingdom values. And fill me with the love of Jesus, that I might love and serve even the most difficult people in my life. Help me fulfill your purpose for my life. through the power of your Spirit at work within me, and for your glory. Amen.
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“Build my life” – Housefires

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Thursday Morning: 14 Feb 2019 – John 12:34-50 ~ Jesus: light in a world of darkness

Thursday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening (Collect for Purity)

Almighty God: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of my heart through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ my Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – John 12:34-50 (NLT)

Jesus Predicts His Death (Continued)

The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?”

Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”

After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.

The Unbelief of the People

But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted:

“Lord, who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?”

But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said,

“The Lord has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts—so that their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and have me heal them.”

Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory. Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.

Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”
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Morning Reflection:

Jesus: light in a world of darkness

In today’s reading, Jesus uses the metaphor “light in the darkness” to describe his God-given mission. Earlier he declared himself to be “the Light of the World” (John 8:12), and he continues that theme as he addresses the crowd gathered in Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover.

But what does that have to do with us? Let’s see –

“Put your trust in the light while there is still time;
then you will become children of the light.” – John 12:36

+ Time is of the essence – Jesus was speaking specifically of his time left on earth, but it’s also true for us today. The clock is ticking until we go to meet Jesus, or Jesus returns to meet us in all his glory.

+ The world is enveloped in spiritual and moral darkness – Satan, the ruler of this world, delivers deception, distortion, death, destruction, and blindness in an attempt to extinguish the loving-kindness and goodness of God.

+ Spiritual and moral darkness disorient us – We don’t know who we are, or where we’re going. The darkness creates a kind of spiritual vertigo – where up is down and down is up – that results in lives spinning out of control, filled with chaos and confusion.

+ Spiritual and moral darkness threaten to overcome us – We get used to living in darkness where deception and distortion replace truth, death and destruction replace life, and spiritual and moral blindness become our new normal.

“I have come as a light to shine in this dark world,
so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.”
– John 12:46

Jesus’ appeal is to us:

+ To trust him, the light of the world – Faith in Jesus involves believing that he is who he says he is, and the world around us is what he says it is. Trusting him involves following him, even when it makes no sense to us and we don’t know where we’re going.

+ To become children of light – Becoming children of light is a process through which we grow ever brighter through faith and trust. It’s not just a matter of having a light to see where we’re going, it’s also a matter of radiating the life of Christ in us to others. In other words, to let our little light shine.

+ To live forever in the light – Our choice to trust and obey, or reject and ignore has eternal consequences. Jesus has come to save us from judgement. Rejection leads to judgement.

“For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.”
– John 12:43

Questions for consideration:

  • Do you believe that the world around you is spiritually and morally blind? How does that affect you? Please explain.
  • If you were to publicly declare that you are a follower of Jesus, how would that affect your relationships – with your family? with your friends? with your neighbors? with your coworkers or associates? Please explain.
  • How would living as a child of the light affect your behavior, your choices, your lifestyle? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer:

Lord Jesus: Every day is a new adventure walking as a child of the Light. Fill us with joy and wonder as we discover afresh your beauty, your loving-kindness, and your goodness in this dark world. Fill us with your Spirit that we might radiate your light and life to those around us. Our hope is in you, Lord; you alone have the words of eternal life. Amen.
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“Light of the World” – Tim Hughes

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Wednesday Morning: 13 Feb 2019 – John 12:12-33 ~ We want to meet Jesus.

Wednesday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening (Collect for Purity)

Almighty God: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of my heart through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ my Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – John 12:12-33 (NLT)

Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted,

“Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:

“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.”

His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.

Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”

Jesus Predicts His Death

Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.

Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

“Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to your name.”

Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.

Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this to indicate how he was going to die.
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Morning Reflection:

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was certainly sensational. Jesus himself orchestrated the event that he knew would put him on a collision course with the religious authorities. Palm Sunday began Jesus’ journey to the resurrection.

Everyone wanted to see Jesus, but how many would follow him?

Jesus attracted a huge crowd, but what were they hoping to see?

+ The promised King of Israel – the one who would throw off Roman rule, and resurrect the Davidic Kingdom?
+ The miracle worker – the one who raised Lazarus from the dead, and even Lazarus himself in the parade?

Everyone wanted to see Jesus, but who were they?

+ The crowd – Passover visitors who heard the news and came out to see what was going on.
+ The curious – Greek Jews in town for Passover, who wanted to meet Jesus personally.
+ The committed – Disciples, and close friends, who believed in Jesus, but had no idea where all this would lead.

And how many would follow Jesus to the end?

Those who love their life in this world will lose it.
Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.
Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me,
because my servants must be where I am.
And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
– John 12:25-26

Ordinarily, Palm Sunday is a cause for celebration and rejoicing. But John’s account and the subsequent reading leaves me with a profound sense of sadness – sadness for Satan’s grip on this world, sadness for the clueless people he came to save, sadness for the necessity of Jesus having to endure the torturous cross, and sadness for every disciple who takes up his/her own cross and follows Jesus – it’s not an easy path to follow. But it is the path that leads to eternal life.

“Now my soul is deeply troubled.
Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’?
But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to your name.”
– John 12:27-28

Questions for consideration:

  • What do you expect from Jesus? Please explain.
  • Can you remember when you first met Jesus? Please explain.
  • What would it mean for you to “care nothing for [your] life in this world?” What would you lose? Please explain.
  • Can you remember a time when you followed Jesus down a path that didn’t want to go? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer:

Lord Jesus: Less of me, and more of you. Give me the courage of my convictions – that, empowered by your Spirit, I may walk in your footsteps and carry the cross you have given me – all to the honor of your Name. Amen.
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“Lead Me to the Cross” – Hillsong

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Tuesday Morning: 12 Feb 2019 – John 12:1-11 ~ the price of devotion

Tuesday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening (Collect for Purity)

Almighty God: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of my heart through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ my Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – John 12:1-11 (NLT)

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.
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Morning Reflection:

In an act of selfless devotion, Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume during a dinner held in his honor. The occasion was Jesus’ return to Bethany prior to entering Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover.

Everyone was there – Mary, Martha, Lazarus, family friends, and the disciples (including Judas). And in the middle of it all, Mary expresses her love, and devotion, and gratitude to Jesus – uniquely, in her own way. And for this she paid a price –

+ Her finances – the perfume was worth a year’s wages. How much would that be in today’s currency? How long would it have taken her to save enough to purchase it? How long would it take for you to save a year’s wages?

+ Her pride – foot washing duties were assigned to servants. But Mary took it a step further by anointing Jesus’ feet, and then wiping his feet with her hair. Mary “let her hair down” without embarrassment or concern for what her guests might think.

+ Her reputation – Judas’ virtue signalling was couched in concern for the poor, when in fact he was the one skimming from the community purse. Disdaining Mary’s devotion to Jesus, he demeaned her reputation to enhance his own.

But Jesus would have none of it:

Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.
You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
– John 12:7-8

Mary’s devotion to Jesus was costly – finances, pride, and reputation. And so it is today.

Questions for consideration:

  • Do you consider yourself devoted to Jesus? Please explain.
  • Can you think of a time when your devotion has been costly? Please explain.
  • How do your finances relate to your devotion to Jesus? Please explain.
  • How does your pride relate to your devotion to Jesus? Please explain.
  • How does your reputation relate to your devotion to Jesus? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer:

Lord Jesus: I confess that I hold myself in reserve in my devotion to you. My finances are held in reserve for emergencies and retirement. My pride inhibits me from worshiping you with abandon in public. My concern for what others will think inhibits me from speaking the truth, even in love, to those who might disagree. Please forgive me and set me free from my reserve and inhibitions that I might delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
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“All To Jesus I Surrender” – Robin Mark

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Monday Morning: 11 Feb 2019 – John 11:45-57 ~ Miracles and Unbelief

Monday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening (Collect for Purity)

Almighty God: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of my heart through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ my Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – John 11:45-57 (NLT)

The Plot to Kill Jesus

Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this [Lazarus raised from the dead] happen. But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”

Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”

He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.

So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.

It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began. They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, “What do you think? He won’t come for Passover, will he?” Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him.
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Morning Reflection:

Miracles and Unbelief

Seeing is not always believing, as we discover in today’s reading. The religious leaders acknowledged that Jesus was performing “many miraculous signs.” But saw these signs as a threat to their authority, rather than a manifestation of the “glory of God.”

“The glory of God is when we know what He is.”
“We never truly glory in Him until we have utterly discarded our own glory…
whoso glories in himself glories against God.”
– John Calvin (“Institutes”)

Let’s follow Calvin’s line of reasoning –

If we believe Jesus to be the Word of God, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, our Savior and our Lord, we will then recognize Jesus’ signs and wonders as an affirmation of his identity and a manifestation of God’s glory. And, like John the Baptist declare: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  – John 3:30

However, if we’re intent on maintaining our power, or wealth, or position, or fame, we will then see Jesus’ signs and wonders as a threat to our self-importance, and deny Jesus’ identity and any manifestations of God’s glory that draw attention away from us. And so the religious leaders declare: “If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him.” – John 11:48

So what is the root of unbelief? It’s our human propensity for self-aggrandizing – making ourselves look good, and attempting to draw attention to ourselves , e.g. “What can I do to get more followers on Twitter, or Facebook?” “Who will tell me how wonderful I am today?” “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

But in the end there is only One who is the fairest of them all, and the only thing left for self-aggrandizing unbelievers to do, is to kill him.

Questions for consideration:

  • Can you think of people in the news who you would describe as “self-aggrandizing unbelievers?” Please explain.
  • How do they affect your culture? How do they affect believers? How do they affect you? Please explain.
  • Can you think of a way that you can decrease, so that Christ can increase? How would that manifest God’s glory? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer:

God of Wonders: Transform us by the power of your Word and Spirit – that Christ might increase in us, and our propensity for self-aggrandizing might decrease – so that you alone might receive the glory due your name. Amen.
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“Fairest Lord Jesus” – New Life Worship

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen