Alright, well we are continuing on with the Gospel of Luke this morning.
You're welcome to turn there in your Bibles if you have them with you.
We are still in Chapter 1. It's a long chapter.
Last Sunday we heard about how Mary made the journey from Nazareth down to Judea
to visit her relative Elizabeth.
And we saw that sweet exchange between the two women.
Before Mary could even share the news of what was happening with her,
Elizabeth declared that she was pregnant, she was filled with the Holy Spirit,
and she spoke about the blessed child in Mary's womb.
And then we looked at Mary's psalm of praise to God.
She was just so joyfully and deeply touched by what God was doing with her,
giving this amazing gift to her, a young girl from Nazareth.
And as we heard last Sunday,
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months,
and then returned home.
And if we do our pregnancy math,
we see that Mary came during the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy
to visit Elizabeth,
and then stayed about three months,
and then returned home.
So we don't know this for sure,
but it's quite likely that she stayed with Elizabeth
until just after what we're about to read today took place.
So let's continue the story in Luke 1, verse 57.
When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby,
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy,
and they shared her joy.
On the eighth day,
when they came to circumcise the child,
and they were going to name him after his father, Zechariah.
But his mother spoke up and said,
No, he is to be called John.
They said to her,
There's no one among your relatives who has that name.
Then they made signs to his father
to find out what he would like to name the child.
He asked for a writing tablet,
and to everyone's astonishment,
he wrote,
His name is John.
Immediately, his mouth was opened,
and his tongue set free,
and he began to speak,
praising God.
So just as the angel Gabriel had said to Zechariah in the temple,
Elizabeth gave birth to their baby in her old age.
And just as the angel said,
it was a boy,
a son.
And Luke describes for us the impact that this had
in Elizabeth's family and in her community.
Verse 58,
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown her great mercy,
and they shared her joy.
Virtually all of our English translations of this
are a little flat.
Quite literally, it says,
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord was magnifying his mercy with her,
and they rejoiced with her.
That original word order puts emphasis on that word magnify.
Luke's point here is that Elizabeth's neighbors and relatives
recognized that this birth of Elizabeth
was a huge act of the Lord's mercy to her,
of the Lord's kindness to Elizabeth.
And they understood this
because this child was a miracle baby.
A child born to an elderly woman,
as we talked about a few weeks ago.
This pregnancy was a supernatural miracle of God's power.
And everybody knew it.
It was a very happy occasion.
They rejoiced with her.
We don't know exactly how old Elizabeth was at this time,
but, you know,
can you imagine going to the baby shower
of a 70-year-old woman?
Not only that,
but a woman who had cried
and prayed
and tried
again and again
for decades
only to be disappointed.
And now,
here she is
with her son in her arms.
This was a very joyful occasion.
Eight days later,
it was time to circumcise the child.
This was something that they did
to honor the covenant
that God made with Abraham long ago.
And by this time,
it was customary,
according to Jewish tradition,
to name a son
at the same time.
Not only that,
but it was actually tradition
to have guests attend
the circumcision
as witnesses
and to celebrate
the birth of the son
at that time.
It's a little different
from how we do things today,
many people,
but that's what's happening here.
So it's kind of like
a birthday party,
kind of like
a circumcision party.
And you get the sense
that the family is here
and they're just sort of assuming
already at this point
that the name of this child
is going to be
Zachariah
after his father.
Luke says,
yeah,
they were going to name him
after his father.
You know,
there's sometimes these moments
that happen within
the extended family.
We see things like this
at weddings
where sometimes
family members
are so eager
and ready to make decisions
about how the wedding
should go
without even asking
the couple themselves,
what do you guys want?
How do you want it to go?
Tradition can be
a really powerful thing.
And it was tradition
to name a child
after some relative.
We don't know exactly
what they were thinking,
but maybe they were thinking,
you know,
who better than Zachariah?
I mean,
he has fathered
this miracle baby.
The child ought to be
named after him.
Whatever the case,
you can almost imagine
the awkwardness
of that moment
when Elizabeth
finally pipes up
and says,
no,
he's to be called
John.
Can you imagine
the look on their faces?
John.
There's nobody
among your relatives
that has that name.
And you know,
being Canadians
and being polite,
that's our reputation.
We kind of expect
that that's going to be
the end of the discussion.
After all,
Elizabeth is the boy's mother.
If she says John,
then I guess it's going
to be John, right?
But it almost seems
as if the extended family
wasn't willing
to give up
so easily yet.
Let's ask his dad.
And surely Zachariah
will be pleased
to have the boy
named after him.
So they started
making signs
to his father,
to Zachariah,
to find out
what he would like
to name the child.
If you remember
from earlier on
in Luke's account,
nine months earlier,
Zachariah was told
by Gabriel
at the temple
that he would father
a son with his wife,
Elizabeth.
And because Zachariah
did not believe
the angel's words,
God gave him
this disciplinary consequence
of not being able
to speak
until the day
this happens.
And so that's why
they're making signs
to Zachariah
to communicate with him
because he's been mute
for the past nine months
and unable to speak.
Zachariah asks
for a writing tablet
and writes on it,
his name is John.
And they,
the guests and family,
are all astonished.
Evidently,
it was quite the tradition
to name the child
after some relative
in the family
or maybe up to this point
the family had just
hyped it up so much
that this is,
we gotta call him Zachariah.
But this had them
all surprised
and shocked.
Now again,
if we think back
to what Gabriel said
to Zachariah
nine months before this,
back in Luke chapter one,
verse 13,
your wife Elizabeth
will bear you a son
and you are to call him
John,
said the angel.
So this is
the name that God himself
picked out for this child.
And this is Zachariah's moment
to express obedient faith
after his initial disbelief.
Naming this child, John,
against tradition,
against the consensus
of the family
is a very clear
and obvious way
for Zachariah
to say with his actions,
I believe,
I now believe
what the Lord said
to me nine months ago
about who this child
will be.
His name
is John.
Immediately,
his mouth was opened
and his tongue set free
and he began to speak
praising God.
Again,
what the angel said
would happen
nine months earlier
just happened.
He was unable to speak
until it happened,
until all this happened,
which seems included
naming John
and then all of a sudden
God miraculously
in that moment
just restores
Zachariah's voice
and the first thing
Zachariah does with it
is he begins to speak
praising God,
blessing God.
At this point,
Luke zooms out
a little bit
and tells us
about the reaction,
not only of those
at the party
but also of those
in the community.
Verse 65,
all the neighbors
were filled with awe
and throughout
the hill country
of Judea,
people were talking
about all these things.
Everyone who heard this
wondered about it,
asking,
what then
is this child
going to be?
For the Lord's hand
was with him.
So the happenings
of this little party
caused quite the stir
in the neighboring towns
and hill country.
Luke says that people
were talking about
all these things
and that word for talking
is the kind of talking
that often includes
a back and forth
like discussion
and dialogue,
exchanging their opinions
and viewpoints
as one commentary
puts it.
Everyone who heard
about this
wondered about it,
says Luke.
Quite literally,
they laid it upon
their hearts
saying,
what then
is this child
going to be?
for the Lord's hand
was with him.
There was a question
forming deep down
inside of people
after hearing this.
What then
is this child
going to be?
For the Lord's hand
was with him.
Most scholars
attribute this
to Luke himself,
the author,
stating this.
seems to be
the answer
that people
were coming to
as they were
asking this question.
Those who heard
the news
of baby John's birth,
they were concluding
that the Lord's hand
was with this child.
They thought
God must be doing
something special
with him.
How else
could Elizabeth
have a baby
in her old age?
I mean,
they knew about
menopause back then.
It's a miracle baby.
And then they heard
about this strange sign
with Zachariah,
how he lost his speech
for nine months
and then just the other day
he got his speech back
and he was praising God.
God must be at work
and it seems here
Luke is saying,
yes,
the Lord's hand
was indeed
with John,
just as they were
suspecting.
Well,
Luke now
goes on
to share with us
what Zachariah said
in verses
67 to 69.
We read in verse 67,
his father Zachariah
was filled
with the Holy Spirit
and prophesied.
Similar to Mary's
psalm
that we looked at
last Sunday,
Zachariah now
utters
a poetic
prophecy.
And just like
with Mary's utterance
which we looked at
last week,
tradition has it
that this was
kind of like a hymn
or a song
and again,
same as we looked at
last Sunday
with Mary's,
there's nothing here
in the text
that indicated
that Zachariah
sang this.
In fact,
the word for speaking
or saying
is present.
But Luke
does make it clear,
explicitly clear
that Zachariah
spoke these words
under the influence
of God's Spirit.
He was filled
with the Holy Spirit
and then prophesied.
He spoke these words.
Again,
just as with Mary's utterance,
there could be
this question of,
you know,
did Zachariah say this
like right there
at the party
or was it
sometime after?
And personally,
I've always tended
to see this
as what Zachariah
spoke in that moment
as his tongue
was set free
and his lips
were opened
right there
at the party
but that maybe
Luke decided
to just,
you know,
it's a long thing.
Let's not break up
the flow of the narrative.
Let's just put it after
rather than break up
the story.
One more interesting
observation
to just notice
about Zachariah's words
here at the outset.
Even though Zachariah
says this
under the influence
of God's Spirit,
that doesn't mean
that these words
are not
Zachariah's words.
It's not as if
God's Spirit
just kind of
takes over
Zachariah's body
and mouth
such that it's
no longer
Zachariah
thinking
and speaking
out of his own heart
in these moments.
Look at verse 76.
Zachariah says there,
and you,
my child,
will be called
a prophet
of the Most High.
This is very
personal language.
I mean,
he's addressing
his son John here.
I always imagine
him actually
holding the baby
in his arm
as he says it.
I don't know
if that's
what happened
or not.
So we notice
here that
prophetic words,
words uttered
by the Spirit,
need not override
the mind and heart
of the prophets
speaking them.
Let's look now
at what Zachariah
said.
starting in verse 68.
Praise be to the Lord,
the God of Israel,
because he has come
to his people
and redeemed them.
He has raised up
a horn of salvation
for us
in the house
of his servant,
David,
as he said
through his holy prophets
of long ago.
Salvation
from our enemies
and from the hand
of all who hate us
to show mercy
to our ancestors
and to remember
his holy covenant,
the oath he swore
to our father,
Abraham,
to rescue us
from the hand
of our enemies
and to enable us
to serve him
without fear
in holiness
and righteousness
before him
all our days.
and you,
my child,
will be called
a prophet
of the Most High
for you will go on
before the Lord
to prepare the way
for him
to give his people
the knowledge
of salvation
through the forgiveness
of their sins
because of the tender
mercy
of our God
by which the rising
sun
will come to us
from heaven
to shine
on those living
in darkness
and in the shadow
of death
to guide our feet
into the path
of peace.
Zachariah's
outburst of praise
begins with
the word
praise.
Praise be
or blessed be
the Lord,
the God of Israel.
And then the whole
rest of this
is just
one continuous flow
of reason
after reason
why the Lord
is worthy
of praise
and blessing
and honor.
Reason number one
praise be
to the Lord
the God of Israel.
Why?
Because he has
come
to his people.
Now it's unclear
at this point
just how much
Zachariah understood
as he said this.
I mean is he thinking
you know
God is drawing near
he's coming
he's visiting us
with his aid
his help
in these
tumultuous days.
I think that
by the spirit
though he spoke
better than he knew
for in fact
as the story
goes on
we're soon
going to discover
that the Lord
God of Israel
himself
is in
the womb
of Mary.
He has taken
on human flesh
and has come
to dwell
among us.
The God of Israel
has come
to his people.
reason number
two
to praise
blessed be
the Lord
God of Israel
because he has
come to his people
and redeemed
them.
He's come
to set us
free.
He's come
to buy us
back to himself
and again
did Zachariah
have any idea
of just what
this would entail?
What the price
of redemption
would be?
what kind
of setting
free
is Zachariah
thinking about
here?
We might get
a sense
in a moment.
Reason number
three
praise be
to the Lord
the God
of Israel
because
he has
raised up
a horn
of salvation
for us
in the house
of his servant
David.
The horn
of an animal
symbolized
the strength
or power
of an animal.
And this
language of horn
was used
in the Old
Testament
often metaphorically
to refer to
the powerful
king
of a kingdom.
And so
what is
Zachariah
saying here?
He's saying
that God
has raised
up a strong
king
for us
in the house
of his servant
David.
and the
lineage
of David
is significant
because of
the promises
that were
made to
David
a thousand
years earlier
that a
son of his
would reign
on his
throne.
Zachariah is
referring to
the Messiah.
God has
raised up
for us
that great
son of David
whom we've
been waiting
for.
The Messiah
to be
our king.
reason number
four.
Praise be
to the
Lord God
of Israel
because he
has done
all this
as he
said
through his
holy prophets
of long
ago.
He is a
God who
keeps his
word.
The
fulfillment
was a long
time in the
coming,
a long
time in the
waiting,
but what he
said he
would do
he has
now done.
He is a
faithful God
and so
praise be
to his
name.
Reason
number
five.
Praise be
to the
Lord,
the God
of Israel
because he
has raised
up a
horn of
salvation
for us.
So he
will be a
powerful king
who will
bring about
our salvation
and what's
perhaps a
little surprising
and unexpected
to us
here is what
kind of
salvation
Zachariah
has in
mind.
We
expect
verse 71
to
explain
this
salvation
first and
foremost
as salvation
from our
sins,
salvation
from our
guilt,
but
Zachariah is
not thinking
about that.
Not yet,
anyway.
salvation
verse 71
from our
enemies
and
from the
hand
of all
who hate
us.
Salvation
from our
enemies
and from
the hand
of all
who hate
us.
Whenever
God says
something other
than what we
might expect,
we ought to
slow down.
we ought to
really think
about why.
As I said
last week,
we need to
remember that
the idea of
God as our
Savior is
much bigger
than just
salvation from
sins.
I mean,
salvation from
sins is
amazing,
it's huge,
it's wonderful,
it's true,
but God as
our Savior is
even more than
that.
there's a
whole history
of the
people of
God over
millennia leading
up to this
where God's
people,
Abraham,
Isaac,
Israel,
the children
of Israel
learned that
God was
their
deliverer,
God was
their Savior
in countless
different ways
and salvation
or deliverance
from enemies
was a big
way,
one of the
biggest ways.
think about
what God
did through
the great
king David
for his
people.
He raised
David up
and through
David gave
his people
victory over
all their
enemies,
all around
them,
and they
were bitter
and ruthless
enemies with
whom there
was generations
of conflict
and war.
those were
tough years.
It was
under David
that for the
first time
in centuries
Israel was
saved from
all her
enemies.
And now
the greater
son of
David,
the Messiah,
is here.
And so
what are the
expectations of
the faithful?
No less.
And make
no mistake
here,
we might be
tempted to
think that
Zechariah is
mistaking the
kind of salvation
that the
Messiah has
come to
bring.
We might be
tempted to
think that
Zechariah is
just expecting
this child of
Mary's to be
the one who
liberates them
from Roman
rule.
Because that's
what a lot of
people in
Israel at
that time
were longing
for and
hoping for.
But I would
suggest to you
that Zechariah
is not mistaken
or short-sighted
here.
I would suggest
to you that
Zechariah's
understanding of
what the
Messiah will
do for his
people,
bringing salvation
from our
enemies,
is precisely
what God
declared through
the prophets
centuries earlier.
We might be
tempted 2,000
years later to
look back on
this and say,
well, these
enemies must be
spiritual enemies.
like the
enemy of
sin or
the devil.
And certainly
Jesus is the
one who saves
us from both.
But I don't
think that's
what Zechariah
was meaning
as he said
this.
God himself,
through the
prophets of
old, taught
his people to
expect a
savior who
would deliver
them from
their enemies,
their flesh
and blood
enemies.
And there
are many
passages that
we could look
back to in
the Old
Testament.
For time's
sake this
morning, we're
just going to
look at one,
a familiar
one.
Micah 5,
verse 2.
This is God
speaking through
Micah 700
years before
Jesus was
born.
But you,
Bethlehem
Ephrathah,
though you are
small among the
clans of Judah,
out of you will
come for me one
who will be ruler
over Israel,
whose origins are
from of old,
from ancient
times.
Therefore,
Israel will be
abandoned until
the time when
she who is in
labor bears a
son, and the
rest of his
brothers return
to join the
Israelites.
He will stand
and shepherd his
flock in the
strength of the
Lord, in the
majesty of the
name of the
Lord, his God.
God, and
they will live
securely, for
then his
greatness will
reach to the
ends of the
earth.
It goes on.
And he will
be our peace
when the
Assyrians invade
our land and
march through our
fortresses.
We will raise
against them
seven shepherds,
even eight
commanders, who
will rule the
land of Assyria
with the sword,
the land of
Nimrod with
drawn sword.
He will
deliver us from
the Assyrians
when they invade
our land and
march across our
borders.
This is one of
those interesting
passages in the
Old Testament
where we're left
wondering, is he
talking about the
near future, or
is he talking about
the distant future?
I mean, the
Assyrian Empire,
that's way before
Jesus came.
it reached its
pinnacle around
the time of the
prophet Micah.
The Assyrians
came and they
conquered the
northern kingdom
of Israel.
They invaded the
land.
They marched
through their
fortresses way
back then in the
days of Micah
and King
Hezekiah.
Israel.
But this prophecy
speaks of one
who will be
born in
Bethlehem, a
ruler whose
greatness will
reach to the
ends of the
earth.
death.
That wasn't back
then.
One who will
cause his
people to live
securely.
This prophecy
speaks of how
this ruler will
come later,
after the
abandonment of
Israel, not
immediately.
this prophecy
speaks of how
this ruler will
deliver his
people from
the Assyrian
who invades
so successfully
that the
shepherds and
commanders of
Israel will
rule or will
crush the land
of Assyria with
the sword.
Well, that
certainly didn't
happen back in
those days of
Hezekiah.
It seems to
point to a
distant future
ruler or
king who will
save and
deliver the
people of
Israel from
those who
invade and
bring lasting
security and
peace and
even dominion
over the
Assyrians.
Do you see
how God was
calling his
people to
hope in the
ruler who
would later be
born in
Bethlehem,
700 years
later,
he was
calling his
people to
hope in
him for
deliverance
from their
flesh and
blood enemies.
People,
men like
the Assyrians.
And then
after the
Assyrians
came the
Babylonians.
And then
after them
came the
Medes and
the Persians.
And then
came the
Greek kings
and centuries
of bloodshed
and battle
fought between
the fractured
provinces of
the Greek
empire with
Israel caught
right in the
middle.
And then
came the
Romans.
And though
we may not
understand just
how everything
will conclude at
the end of our
world story,
it would seem
that the word
of God points
to future
times of
trouble for
the people
of God
and to a
physical
earthly reign
of Jesus
when he
returns.
an
establishment
of the
kingdom
of God,
the kingdom
of Israel
on the
earth.
And it
seems to
point even
to great
victories,
won in
battle against
all the
enemy opposing
nations
at that
time.
It would
seem to
point to a
Messiah who
will be the
great savior
and deliverer
of his
people in
that day
at the
end,
both Jew
and Gentile.
My purpose
here is not
to suggest a
fully fleshed
out timeline
or order of
events at the
end, but to
establish that
Zechariah was
right to
praise God
for a son
of David who
would bring
salvation from
our enemies,
who would
bring salvation
from the
hand of all
who hate
us.
This is a
part of the
story of
Jesus that's
still coming
for all who
belong to
him.
Listen to
this expressed
in the New
Testament by
the Apostle
Paul in
his letter to
the Thessalonian
church,
2 Thessalonians
chapter 1.
Therefore
among God's
churches we
boast about
your perseverance
and faith in
all the
persecutions and
trials you are
enduring.
there's the
enemies, there's
those who hate
us.
All this is
evidence that
God's judgment
is right and
as a result you
will be counted
worthy of the
kingdom of God
for which you
are suffering.
God is just.
He will pay
back trouble to
those who
trouble you and
give relief to
you who are
troubled.
There's the
rescuing, there's
salvation.
This will
happen when
the Lord Jesus
is revealed
from heaven
in blazing
fire with
his powerful
angels.
Salvation from
all our
enemies and
all who hate
us.
This is so much
in the mind and
heart of
Zachariah.
He says it
twice again in
verse 74,
to rescue us
from the hand
of our enemies
and to enable
us to serve
him without
fear in
holiness and
righteousness
before him
all our days.
What does
Zachariah long
for?
The freedom
to worship
God and
live before
him and serve
him totally
unhindered.
Praise be to
God.
He's going to
bring that about
through this
horn of
salvation that
he is now
raising up in
these days.
He's referring
of course to
the child in
Mary's womb.
There's so much
in this Psalm of
Zachariah.
I'm not going to
get to all of
it.
I'm almost out of
time here.
But we notice
some of the
things that are
repeated, the
things that are
emphasized.
Verse 72,
to remember
his holy
covenant,
the oath he
swore to
our father
Abraham.
Praise be to
the Lord God
of Israel for
he is faithful.
He promised
long ago and
now he's
keeping his
promises through
this Savior that
he is raising
up.
And just like
with Mary in
her psalm, we
see it here in
Zachariah's too.
Zachariah recognizes
that this child,
this king, will be
the one through
whom the promises
made to Abraham
long ago, will
be fulfilled.
That covenant
that God made
with Abraham
long ago wasn't
just an Old
Testament thing.
It wasn't just
part of a bygone
dispensation.
This is something
that God is making
good on right
now with the
birth of this
son, this horn
of salvation that
he is now raising
up, Jesus.
Zachariah goes
on in verse 76
to talk about
how his son,
John, the role
that he will
play in all
this.
He will prepare
the people as
a prophet.
In verse 77,
he will be the
one, John will,
to give the
Lord's people the
knowledge of
salvation.
salvation through
the forgiveness
of their sins
because of the
tender mercy of
our God.
John's role will
be to give the
Lord's people the
knowledge of
salvation through
the forgiveness of
their sins.
So there's two
salvations spoken
of by Zachariah.
There's from
enemies and now
we hear from
sins.
the one that
we're most
familiar with.
Salvation from
the punishment
that we deserve
from God
because of our
sins.
John will get
to declare this
wonderful news
that God
is ready
and eager
to forgive.
To forgive
even sinners,
those who have
done wrong
by him.
And why?
Because of
his tender
mercy.
He is a
merciful God.
Beneath those
words
is the idea
that God has
a merciful
heart.
That down
in the very
depths of who
he is,
the very heart
of his being,
he is
merciful.
And so
John,
he is raising
up as a
prophet to
tell us how
we might find
that forgiveness
for our sins
and how we
might be
delivered,
saved from
what we truly
deserve from
God.
Zachariah
ends this
psalm of praise
with this very
poetic statement
moment of
how God's
mercy is
coming to
us in
this moment
in human
history.
He says
it's like
the sun
in all
its goodness
and brilliance
and warmth.
It's like
the sun
is rising
and beginning
to shine
into the
darkness
and shadow
of our
existence
here in
this world.
And the
light of
his mercy
as it's
rising over
our world
is now
illuminating
something that
we could
scarcely see
before.
The path
of peace
by his
mercy
we can
now see
it.
We can
now walk
in it.
The path
of true
everlasting
peace
with God.
These are
amazing words.
Luke closes
this section
with a brief
statement of
how it went
with little
baby John
in verse
80.
And the
child grew
and became
strong
in spirit
or in
the spirit
and he
lived in
the wilderness
until he
appeared
publicly
to Israel.
That would
be 30
years
later.
So
Elizabeth
recognized
it.
Mary
recognized
it.
Zechariah
recognized
it.
he
recognizes
what God
is doing
through this
child of
Mary's
to be
born.
And
it's
amazing.
He says
the Lord
has come
to us
to redeem
us,
to save
us,
to forgive
us,
to deliver
us one
day from
all our
enemies,
to make
good on
that ancient
promise he
made to
Abraham,
to bring
us closely
back into
relationship
with him
so that we
can serve
him and live
before him
without fear.
And he's
doing all
this because
he is a
faithful God
and because
he is truly
to the core
of his
being
merciful.
Do you
recognize
it?
Do your
eyes see
this great
dawn of
salvation?
Can you
see the
path to
peace?
Can you
see the
path to
peace?
It all
centers around
this child,
this son
of David,
Jesus.
Let's
pray.
Father in
heaven, I
pray that you
would grip
our hearts
so deeply
with your
goodness and
kindness to
us.
We do
not deserve
this.
We do
not deserve
this.
We have
all blown
it in
so many
ways we
can't even
keep track.
And yet you
have loved
us
by sending
your son,
by coming
to redeem
us.
Thank you.
Touch our
hearts deeply
with this,
Lord,
and I pray
that if there's
anyone in
this room
who has
not seen
and felt
your mercy
and your
love for
them
personally,
that they
would know
it today.
We ask
this in
your name.
Amen.