"They have taken away my Lord!"

Below is the full text of the sermon, and this is the video link if you'd like to watch as I preached the sermon:
https://vimeo.com/92524175


Meditation on John 20:1-18

Easter 2014

***

     “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

       But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’

       She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. He said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ 

       Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ’

     Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.”

***

   

      A toddler cried softly in the back of the church as Pastor Dean began his Good Friday message.

      And I was glad when he said how happy he was that we were all gathered together on this important night—all of us Christians from a variety of churches and “persuasions,” and that he was happy to hear the noise of children in church! And that their parents believed it was important enough to bring their children to church on Good Friday—and not necessarily to hear all of Pastor Dean’s message, but to show their children how very important it is to them to go to church on Good Friday, one of the most important days—if not the most important day—of the church year.

    I listened to his message eagerly. I found myself nodding, even quietly saying, “Amen!” a few times. Truthfully, I have wondered why so few children attend our special Lenten services, especially during Holy Week. Is it possible that we parents want to shield our children from the horror and violence of the cross? And yet the joy of Easter and the hope of our Risen Savior cannot be understood until we know what Christ endured and accomplished for our sakes on Good Friday!

     While Pastor Dean spoke, I had a fleeting memory of when I was about 8 years old and went with my parents to a Good Friday drama at my grandmother’s church in Florida. This was in the late 1970s, and it may have been an adaptation of the popular Broadway musical, “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The drama overflowed from the stage into the audience—blurring the lines between actors and audience—and making us feel truly like we were there!! When Jesus was arrested in the garden. When Peter denied him as Jesus was tortured. When Pilate said, “I find no case against him,” and the crowd shouted, “Not this man, but Barabbas!”

      When the soldiers whipped and mocked Jesus by thrusting a crown of thorns on his head and dressing him in a purple robe. As they jeered, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him in the face. As Pilate tried to reason with the crowd, but the crowd shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

      As Jesus struggled under the weight of the cross he was forced to carry. When the soldiers tore off and divided his outer clothing, casting lots for the tunic. As Christ’s mother, Mary Magdalene, Mary, wife of Clopas, and the disciple whom Jesus loved stood weeping near the cross. I wasn’t the only one in the audience to cry as Jesus looked up and said, “It is finished.” Then bowed his head and died.

***

     If today’s gospel reading were an Easter drama, the curtain would open to the backdrop of the tomb. The stage lights would be dim because it is early in the morning—still dark—on the first day of the week, when Mary comes to anoint Jesus, but then finds the stone is missing from the entrance.

      In John’s gospel, the stone hasn’t just been “rolled away,” as it has in Matthew, Mark and Luke. The stone has been “removed” or “taken away.” And only in John does Mary come to the tomb alone—without the other women who were with her at the cross.

     Mary doesn’t look inside before running to tell the disciples, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him!” It’s interesting that she immediately concludes when she sees the stone is missing that Christ’s body has been stolen.

       Two of the disciples run to the tomb to see. The unnamed disciple gets there first. He bends down and looks in. Sure enough, the tomb is empty, save for the linen wrappings, the grave clothes Jesus wore. Peter doesn’t just look in; he goes inside! He notices that the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head in death is not lying with the other linen wrappings; it is rolled up by itself. The other disciple follows Peter inside—and verse 8 says he saw and “believed.” The next verse clarifies that belief was limited to what his eyes took in—that Jesus’ body wasn’t there. Verse 9 says, “for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”

     The two disciples return home, but Mary remains, standing outside the tomb. Weeping. Finally, she looks inside and doesn’t seem surprised or frightened to see 2 angels, unlike so many other biblical accounts of angelic appearances. And when the angels ask why she is weeping, she repeats what she has told the disciples, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”

    As I read this, I am surprised that she doesn’t reveal the real reason for her grief. Why doesn’t Mary say she is crying because the one she has loved more than anyone else—the one who healed her of 7 demons and completely changed her life—is dead?! Surely his missing body can’t be more upsetting than watching the Lord suffer and die on the cross?!

    I can only think that in her grief, she might not have fully accepted his death.  She isn’t ready. Her heart won’t permit her to let him go. This leads us to better understand what Jesus tells her—when he comes to her in her grief and shines light on the truth. “They” didn’t come and take her Lord’s body away! The grave clothes are left behind because Christ is risen from the dead! Jesus tells her not to cling to him. His work isn’t complete. He has not yet ascended “to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” And he has chosen Mary for an important job—to be his messenger—to bear witness to his glory.

     How wonderful to have been chosen to carry such joyful news to those who had placed all their hope in Jesus the Messiah, only to have their hopes dashed by the violence of the cross.

      Mary goes to tell the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!”

***       

        Friends, we, too, have been commissioned by Christ to be his messengers and bear witness to his glory. And our first mission field is our families. But the message of redemption is incomplete if we only tell our children about Easter and the miracle of the empty tomb. Our children need to know the truth about our own fallen nature—and what happened on Good Friday, when Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves.

     On that Good Friday when I was about 8 and went to see the Easter drama with my parents, I don’t remember much conversation in the car on the way home. But later I asked important questions about the faith, such as, “Why did Jesus have to die for us to be forgiven?”

     While I didn’t understand everything, the seeds were sown.  I began to look more deeply inside myself. Even a child can understand sin and evil. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Likewise, a child can certainly understand goodness and love!

       The Good Friday message is not just the horror and violence of the crucifixion, when Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. The message of the cross is God’s mercy, grace, power, and love!

      Easter is all about new beginnings.

      The empty tomb proved that the cross was not the end of all hope; it was the start of our redemption story. Christ’s resurrection carries the promise of our resurrection and everlasting life in Him.

     Friends, today is a new day! The first day of the week—and the rest of our lives for all eternity!

    You and I aren’t what we used to be. And we aren’t yet what we will be. Don’t look back.

     God’s Word assures that, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation! The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Let us pray.

Holy One, we thank you for what you accomplished for us through the cross—and the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for forgiving us for all of our sins through belief on Him! Forgive us for wanting to forget what happened on Good Friday and skip over the violence and shame of the crucifixion. Forgive us for not wanting to admit that it was for us and for our salvation that He died—and that we needed you, Lord, to provide a way for our reconciliation with you because we were perishing in our sins. Thank you for the joy of Easter morning and your Word that assures us that we are new creations in Christ. And the old has passed away! Lead us to be your faithful messengers—bearing witness to your glory to our families, communities and world. In Christ we pray. Amen.

   

    

“The new commandment”

Meditation on John 13

Maundy Thursday 2014

***

     “Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’

     Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’

      After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 

     …Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.’

        After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, ‘Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ 

       Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘Do quickly what you are going to do.’ 

     Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the festival’; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, Judas immediately went out. And it was night.

    When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 

      Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’” John 13 (selected verses)

***

      His hour has come. Soon, Jesus will depart from this world and go to the Father.

       Jesus is spending his final moments in intimate conversation with the people who have followed him, loved him, and supported his ministry through good times and bad.  Jesus isn’t finished his work, yet, but he is nearing his most important task; the work of the cross lies ahead.  His disciples still have more to learn if they are going to be able to continue on with Christ’s healing, reconciling ministry when he is no longer clothed in human flesh, standing in their midst.

     The one lesson they have yet to learn is how to love. He loves them—as we read in John 13:1—as his “own”—and he will love them “to the end”—even though those whom he has called to take up their crosses and follow him, will deny him and desert him in the end.

     Jesus teaches by word and example that love is more than words! In the foot washing scene we find only in John, Jesus shows that love means humble service—not holding back, not being afraid to be vulnerable. That love is being willing to work, suffer and make sacrifices for the wellbeing of others. 

      Jesus says, “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” 

      This intimate act of humble servitude, in which Jesus wipes away the filth of the world that clings to their bodies with every step, foreshadows when he will humbly give up his life in loving service to the Father, cleanse us of sin, and make what is unrighteous holy and acceptable to God.

    Through this passage, Jesus teaches us that accepting and receiving His love and work for our sakes is necessary! When Peter says to Jesus, “You will never wash my feet,” Jesus answers, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.”  Christ also teaches us to love our enemies when he demonstrates love and kindness to Judas, the disciple who betrays him.

      All four gospels describe Judas’ betrayal– and how the Lord knew about it before hand, and how it was part of God’s plan. In Matthew, just before the eve of the Passover, Judas makes a deal with the chief priests, asking, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They pay him 30 pieces of silver. From that moment on, Judas waits for his opportunity.

      In Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples about his betrayer while they are eating with him. He says that the one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with him will betray him. And all of them have dipped their hands into the bowl!

      The disciples respond with sorrow—each one fearing that they might be the betrayer! Each asks Jesus, “Surely Lord, not I?” When Judas asks, Jesus acknowledges that he is the one. But then Jesus does not withhold his love. Judas is still at the table with Jesus as the Lord takes bread, blesses and breaks it, saying, “Take; eat; this is my body.” And when He takes the cup and tells them, “Drink from it, ALL of you, for this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

      In Mark, Judas makes a deal with the chief priests, who are “greatly pleased” and promise him an unspecified amount of money. Again, Jesus announces the betrayer while he is eating with the disciples, before he blesses the bread and gives it to them, saying, “Take; this is my body.” And before he gives them the cup, saying, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” When the disciples hear that one of them will betray him, they are “distressed,” and, like Matthew’s account, each worries that they could be the betrayer. Each one asks the Lord, “Surely not I?”

     In Luke, Jesus announces the betrayer after He offers the bread as his body, given for them, and the cup poured out for them, the “new covenant” in his blood. After Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me,” he tells them that the one who betrays him is “with him,” and “his hand is on the table.” This time the disciples don’t suspect themselves. They look at one another and ask “which one of them it could be who would do this!”

     In John, when Jesus announces his betrayer to the disciples, they react first by looking at each other uncertainly. Then Peter beckons to the disciple closest to Jesus, “the one whom Jesus loved.” Peter says, “Tell us who Jesus is talking about!”  So the disciple closest to Jesus asks him, “Lord, who is it?”

      Never in John or any other gospel does Jesus point a finger at Judas and say accusingly, “It’s him!” He says in John only that it is the one that he will give the morsel of bread in his hand after he has dipped it in the wine. Not in any gospel does Jesus withhold from Judas what has become our sacrament of “Communion”—the spiritual partaking of Christ’s body and blood through the shared bread and cup.

      In John, Jesus seems to encourage Judas to do what he has been destined to do. After Judas receives the piece of bread, Satan enters into him. And Jesus says to Judas, ‘Do quickly what you are going to do.’ 

     Friends, God had a plan from the very beginning! The Lord knew He would have to make a way for our salvation when we fell into sin. God knew we could not be reconciled with Him—unless the Lord did the work for us!

       In Christ, we have been made holy and acceptable to God. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son so that all who believe on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. And when we accept Christ’s suffering work on the cross for our sakes, in gratitude, we vow to love and serve the Lord by being obedient to His Word and Spirit.

     After Judas goes out into the night, Christ reveals his new commandment. This teaching is for his followers in every time and place!  It’s for us!

     Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for washing us clean, wiping away all of our unrighteousness through the blood of your Son, Jesus Christ.  Thank you for leading us to this moment when we would again retell His story and remember his last words to his disciples, his instructions for the Church of every age, his instructions for us today.  Lord, please help us honor and obey Christ’s “new commandment.”  Help us to love one another as you have loved us through words and acts of kindness and compassion.  Teach us to love and forgive as you love and forgive so the world will know that we are His disciples—that we belong to Him!  In Christ we pray.  Amen. 

“The things that make for peace”

Meditation on Luke 19:28-42

Palm Sunday 2014

***

      After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’  So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’  Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’

      As Jesus came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

***

    When I arrive at Meadows on Thursday morning for my Bible study, some of my students are already gathering in anticipation of our class, though it won’t begin for another 15 minutes.  The one who is nearly always sitting inside the entrance to the senior apartments when I arrive is there again watching for me—just to make sure I make it in OK, pressing the right combination of numbers that will unlock the door with a click!

     Other students are finishing their 9 a.m. coffee, but they, too, are watching out the dining room windows for my car. The last dregs of coffee are drank and cups put away. Other students are checking on people, knocking on doors of those who usually attend—making sure they know it’s time to begin. Pastor Karen is here!

      I am smiling and visiting with people from the moment I walk through the entrance and as I turn left and slowly make my way down the hallway to the activities room. The short walk takes a few minutes because some of the folks in the group use walkers, but mostly because we talk as we walk. And because that conversation is precious pastoral care time to me, I don’t rush.

      Inside the room, other students are already setting up, moving chairs so they will have a good view for the final lesson in our Lenten DVD series, “The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus.”

       I didn’t know it, but Thursday would be a perfect ministry day for me. And not just because I was well prepared with notes and handouts for my lesson, the DVD player was working great, and I was able to figure out the two remote controls. And not just because the weather was sunny and mild and spring seemed to finally have arrived in southwestern Minnesota! It was perfect because Christ was with me as I ministered—and I knew it! I felt His presence with me continually, throughout the morning Bible Study and then throughout the afternoon as Lou Ann and I brought communion to parishioners in nursing homes.

      I felt Christ’s presence in our conversations and prayers. In the laughter we shared. I felt His presence in the Word and Sacrament that we offered to people hungry for the Lord and longing for fellowship with God’s people.

      I was blessed to feel Christ with me in the present moment—something that can be a challenge in this day and age, when distracted multitasking and living in a state of perpetual anxiety about the future seem to be an acceptable way of life. Why do we take pride in our tight schedules and full calendars? And why do we place a higher value on working hard and building up accomplishments than working hard to grow relationships?

    This is not Christ’s way—and we shouldn’t make it ours. We have Christ’s presence, as he promises in Matthew 28:20, “And surely I am with you always—to the end of the age.”  And we have His peace. Christ says in John 14:37, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

  ***

    As we read of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem in the gospel of Luke, we hear echoes from the Old Testament. Psalm 118, an ancient hymn of Israel written before the exile, speaks of the joyful praise of the people during the “royal entry on the occasion of an annual ritual of re-enthronement” (Joel Green, p. 683). Beginning at verse 20, we read, “This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we beseech you, O Lord.” And then at verse 26, we read, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches up to the horns of the altar....”

    We find other echoes of the Luke passage from the Old Testament, including the language of “the king,” in Zechariah 9:9 and 2 Kings 9:13. Zechariah 9:9 says, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” 2 Kings 9:13 includes the detail about the cloaks. “Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, ‘Jehu is king.’”

       Jesus’ foretells this scene—including his sorrow over the Holy City’s rejection of the Messiah—earlier in Luke. Beginning at Luke 13:34, Jesus says, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

     Accounts of Christ’s triumphal entry are found in three of our 4 gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke. But Luke’s account is different from the other two in that it emphasizes peace; both the disciples and Jesus use the word! Luke connects peace to belief in Christ and becoming a follower of Him. For Luke, embracing Christ’s salvation enables and inspires us to live a new way of life.  

      Jesus weeps as he draws near to Jerusalem. The city He loves is unable to see Him for who He is—the Savior, the Son of God! For if they accepted Him as their Savior and the Son of God, then they would seek to follow in His loving ways. In verse 44, he laments the future destruction of the city because they fail to “recognize the time of (their) visitation from God.”  And in verse 42, he says, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes.”  

     ***

    On Thursday, I didn’t worry about the time or that I might not get everything done that I had planned to do. I didn’t fret if I couldn’t keep to my schedule of seeing one parishioner every hour, including travel time to Clara City and back. And during visits, I didn’t check for new emails, phone messages or texts. Focused on the work of the Lord and bringing the love of Jesus to people in need, I was able to live in the present. And the reward was Christ’s joy and peace!

      Our Lord’s salvation isn’t something far off in the future; it’s here and now! New and abundant life with Him begins the moment we first believe.

      Christ’s joy and peace comes to all who obey His command to love God and neighbor and put God’s grace into practice. His joy and peace are gifts to those who intentionally set aside the worries, work, and routines of our everyday life and take time to praise and worship our King, as a crowd of His followers did on one perfect day in ministry—almost 2,000 years ago.

     When our humble Messiah triumphantly rode into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey.  And "the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’” 

Will you pray with me? 

Holy One, thank you for opening our eyes and hearts to your everlasting presence with us. We thank you that salvation and the truth of Christ’s identity hasn’t been hidden from our eyes. We thank you for Jesus Christ, our Savior. The King of kings and Lord of Lords.  Help us to remain focused throughout this Holy Week on your Son and His work of salvation for us—indeed, for all the world! Humble us so that we are more like Jesus, who was not too proud to ride a colt of a donkey as he made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem so long ago. And as we seek to be your servants, lead us to make changes in our lives, according to your will. Help us to live in the present and not worry about things we cannot control. Remind us every day that your salvation is here and now—and not just in the future, when we live with you in heaven. Give us courage to speak of your salvation and bring your love to people in need. Grant us your peace as we lift our voices to sing Christ's praise. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! In him we pray. Amen.