verses 17 through 31.
Let me ask you to turn there with me.
It's page 955, I believe, in the Pew Bible,
if you want to follow along there.
1 Corinthians chapter 7, verses 17 through 31.
Let me read this word for us.
Only let each person lead the life
that the Lord has assigned to him
and to which God has called him.
This is my rule in all the churches.
Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised?
Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision.
Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised?
Let him not seek circumcision.
For neither circumcision counts for anything
nor uncircumcision,
but keeping the commandments of God.
Each one should remain in the condition
in which he was called.
Were you a bondservant when called?
Do not be concerned about it.
But if you can gain your freedom,
avail yourself of the opportunity.
For he who is called in the Lord as a bondservant
is a freedman of the Lord.
Likewise, he who was free when called
is a bondservant of Christ.
You were bought with a price.
Do not become bondservants of men.
So brothers, in whatever condition each was called,
there let him remain with God.
Now concerning the betrothed,
I have no command from the Lord,
but I give my judgment as one
who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
I think that in view of the present distress,
it is good for a person to remain as he is.
Are you bound to a wife?
Do not seek to be free.
Are you free from a wife?
Do not seek a wife.
But if you do marry, you have not sinned.
And if a betrothed woman marries,
she has not sinned.
Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles,
and I would spare you that.
This is what I mean, brothers and sisters.
The appointed time has grown very short.
From now on, let those who have wives
live as though they had none,
and those who mourn as though they were not mourning,
and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing,
and those who buy as though they had no goods,
and those who deal with the world
as though they had no dealings with it.
For the present form of this world
is passing away.
Let's pray.
God, we have been thanking and praising you
for your word this morning.
Lord, we thank you that you have given us
your word that you have spoken and written it for us.
And you,
in your own person,
by the Holy Spirit,
come
and cause it to be illuminated in our hearts
and in our lives and in our communities.
God, so we pray that that would be the case.
That you would come and
rework our minds and our affections
around the life-giving words
that you have given us.
Lord Jesus,
you
are the life-giving word,
and we look to you this morning.
It's in your name we pray.
Amen.
So,
in our text this morning,
Paul
gives us,
reminds us,
reminds the Corinthians anyway,
of a rule
that as he says
in verse 17,
he gives to all
the churches.
Probably better put,
we might call it a principle.
For as we'll see shortly,
it's not a hard and fast law,
but it's a bit more like a guideline
or a framework.
Maybe we could even say
a hard attitude.
And what I want to do this morning
is I just want to walk through
this passage together
and focus kind of on three things
as we look at this principle.
First,
I want us to look at the principle itself
and why we so desperately need it.
And second,
I want to look at the three applications
of the principle that Paul gives
and really how those map
onto our life today.
And then third,
I want to end by looking
at the overarching reason
why we can and ought
to take this principle to heart.
So,
there we go.
First,
let's look at the principle itself
and why we so desperately need it.
Well,
it's easy to see
what the principle is
because Paul repeats it three times.
In verse 17,
in verse 20,
in verse 24,
he says essentially,
remain as you were when called.
One commentator described
this paragraph
as like a club sandwich.
You've got the bread
and then a little meat
and then some more bread
and then a little meat
and then the bread
and the bread is the principle,
right?
There it is,
woven throughout.
That was Richard Hayes actually
from Duke.
You know,
he's sort of a smart guy.
Called it a sandwich.
We'll go with it.
If you've been here
the last few weeks,
you'll remember
that Paul's been talking
about sex,
marriage,
and singleness
in the Christian life.
But here,
in verses 17 to 24,
he's stepping back
and saying,
you know,
here's the deeper principle
that's at play
in all of this.
Some of the single Christians
in Corinth were thinking,
should I get married?
Some of the married Christians
in Corinth were thinking,
should I get unmarried
to my non-Christian spouse?
And after some of his
careful pastoral counsel
in verses 1 through 16
of chapter 7
that we've looked at
the last two weeks,
Paul steps back here
and gives them
a broad principle
to work with.
Remain as you were
when called.
Now,
I don't know about you,
but when I hear
that principle at first,
it sounds a bit,
I don't know,
boring.
Here is Paul,
the uber social conservative,
remain as you were
when called.
Simply just endorsing
the status quo,
it sounds like.
Remain as you are,
nothing to see here.
I mean,
is this really the same guy
who wrote something
as radical
as Galatians 3.28?
There's neither Jew
nor Greek,
there's neither slave
nor free,
there's no male and female
for you are all one
in Christ Jesus?
Or who wrote
2 Corinthians 5,
16 through 17?
From now on,
therefore,
we regard no one
according to the flesh.
Even though we once
regarded Christ
according to the flesh,
we regard him thus no longer.
Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ,
he's a new creation.
The old has passed away,
behold,
the new has come.
Man,
whatever you make
of those verses,
they're anything
but boring endorsements
of the status quo.
So maybe we need to listen
a little more closely
to what Paul's principle here
in 1 Corinthians 7
is really saying.
And if we take a moment
and listen,
this is what Paul's saying to us.
As a member of God's people,
as a member of Christ's church,
nothing need now define you
and nothing need now rule
your heart and life
more than your status
in Christ Jesus.
You don't need to become
someone else
or go somewhere else
to be exactly who
and where God wants you
to be.
Eight times
in this first paragraph,
we find the language
of calling.
What does God's call
typically mean for Paul?
Well,
most often
when Paul speaks
of God's calling,
he's talking about
that moment,
that heart existential
spiritual moment
when the message
of the gospel,
of our radical sinfulness
and God's radical love
for us in Christ,
when that message
hits home
in our hearts.
In other words,
it's when the word
of the gospel
is no longer
just an idea
out there
that we can sort of
take or leave,
but it's when it becomes
a divine summons
to us personally
that we can no longer
refuse
and to which we respond
in believing
trust.
God's call.
And Paul says,
if that's happened
to you,
if God himself
has called you
through the proclamation
of his gospel,
the gospel of his son,
then friend,
the cultural group
that you belong to,
or your social position,
or your marital status,
these things are no longer
what really defines you.
And so,
they need no longer
be the source
of restless
striving
and anxious
fretting.
They need no longer
be the thing
that keeps you up
late at night
worrying
and plotting
and scheming
and even despairing.
You can remain
as you are
without fear,
without striving,
without a restless heart.
And that,
it seems to me,
is why we need to hear
this principle today.
Why do we need it?
Because we live
in such a restless age.
In my local coffee shop,
probably five to one,
the flyers
are about
classes
or workshops
or personal consultations
on how I can achieve
wholeness
or wellness
or inner peace.
Why so many?
Clearly,
there's a market for it.
Why is there a market?
Because,
friends,
we are all,
all of us,
striving for something
we often know not what.
Striving for something
that will satisfy us,
that will bring meaning
and joy
into our lives.
Striving for something
even
that will justify us,
that will somehow
make me feel right
in the world.
And the temptation
for all of us
is to take something
like some of these things
that Paul talks about here,
our cultural ethnic identity
or our socioeconomic position
or our marital status
and elevate it
to an ultimate position
in our lives
and say,
this is what's going
to satisfy me.
This is actually
what's going to justify me.
And so,
we obsess,
don't we,
over our job
or over our marriage prospects
or over whatever
in-group we do
or don't belong to.
We obsess.
And if we don't get it,
we turn down despondent
or cynical
or angry.
But if we do get it,
something almost just as bad happens.
Sooner or later,
we realize that it doesn't satisfy.
And so,
we go on to something else.
Thinking that maybe
that will be the thing we need.
And if that doesn't work,
we go on to another
and another
and another.
And of course,
we realize that this is
the definition of insanity.
We're doing the same thing
over and over again
expecting the exact same results.
Expecting different results.
What's the definition of insanity?
That's it.
Different results.
And yet,
even though we acknowledge
that it's lunacy,
we still can't get ourselves
off the hamster wheel.
And our restless hearts
keep on striving
and running,
looking for the next thing
or the next thing.
But here it comes,
like a voice
from a totally different world.
Here comes Paul saying,
remain where you are.
Be at peace.
Peace.
You don't have to keep striving
wishing you were someone else,
somewhere else,
with somebody else.
God is calling you,
summoning you
to stop placing your worth
and significance
in those things
and to put it in his son
who loved you
and gave himself for you.
After all,
you know,
think about it.
Who pays the cost
of the new status
you get
if you want to become
circumcised,
as it were?
Who pays the cost
for you to move up
the socioeconomic ladder?
Who pays the cost
for you to get married?
You do.
You're the one
who has to go under the knife.
You're the one
who has to slave away
at the office.
You're the one,
or if you're lucky,
your parents
are the ones
who have to pay
the exorbitant fees
of the modern wedding industry.
You pay the cost
for that status
in the hope
that it will satisfy you
and justify you,
which it never does.
But friends,
in the gospel,
here's the one
status
that actually
does satisfy
and really
does justify
the status
of being known
by the living
and true God
and being called
his own.
And who pays
the cost
for that status?
Not you.
Him.
Christ pays it
through his death
on the cross
for you.
And Christ being raised
offers it to you
freely as a gift
and calls you,
summons you
to turn
and take it.
Now maybe Christianity
strikes you as strange
this morning.
That God would give you
a perfect status
before him
through his son
holy as a gift.
But friends,
is that any less strange
than believing
that some finite
status,
a job
or a marriage
can fill
the infinite longing
of our hearts?
St. Augustine
famously said,
God,
you have made us
for yourself
and our heart
is restless
until it rests
in you.
perhaps Christianity
is not so strange
after all.
So there's the principle
and why we need it.
Second,
let's briefly look at
how Paul applies
the principle
and how that might map
onto our life today.
First,
in verses 18
through 19,
he talks about
circumcision
and uncircumcision.
In other words,
in the church,
Jews shouldn't try
to become Gentiles
and Gentiles
shouldn't feel
like they need
to become Jews.
What counts
isn't the cultural
family or group
that you're a part of.
What counts
is keeping God's commands.
And if you're thinking
to yourself,
how does someone
who's circumcised
get uncircumcised?
They actually had
surgeries in the
first century
that tried
to remove
the marks
of circumcision.
You can imagine
how fun that was.
what counts
is keeping
God's commands.
Now,
Paul's clearly
being a little provocative
in verse 19,
isn't he?
He knows
full well
that circumcision
in the Old Testament
is a command.
But,
for Paul
and for the rest
of the earliest Christians,
the Old Testament
needed to be read
and applied
through the person
and work of Christ
who fulfilled
the Mosaic Law
and inaugurated
what they spoke of
as the New Covenant.
And read
through that lens,
it meant that
many of the ceremonies
and the regulations
and the boundary markers
of the Mosaic Law
were no longer binding.
That God had opened up
something new.
And so,
what matters
isn't the outward sign
of circumcision
or belonging to this
or that
cultural family
or group,
but what matters
is now living
a life
by God's grace
that pleases
God.
It's easy
to be captivated
by an in-group,
isn't it?
Whether it's
the cool kids
in your middle school
or the elite
inner circle
of your profession.
I remember
being in middle school
and all of my friends
had Nike t-shirts,
the ones with a really
big swoosh
on the front.
And I just thought,
man,
if I could get
one of those,
then I'd be in.
I'd have it.
Then I could be
one of the group.
And of course,
we look back at that
and we think,
that's kind of silly.
And then we look
at our lives today
and we realize
that we do
the exact same thing
in every other social environment
that we're a part of.
C.S. Lewis
once described this
as the draw
of the inner ring.
To be in that
inside,
privileged,
exclusive group,
to have their approval,
to feel superior
to those outside,
even if we wouldn't
quite put it that way
out loud.
And yet,
for Christians,
the status
that we have
in Christ
changes
how we feel
about all of that
or at least
it should.
After all,
was not Christ
the ultimate
insider
who went outside
for us
to bring us
outsiders
inside to God?
And so,
friends,
we know
that true,
real life
isn't found
in trying to get
into some inner ring.
If anything,
knowing this,
Christ compels us
to go outside
or better yet,
to remain
where we are
and to see
everyone
as an outsider
in need of God's grace
regardless of
whether they happen
to be in
or out
in the world's eyes.
God's grace
is found
in verses 20
through 23.
And now,
this one
to our modern ears
is a bit harder
to,
I think,
come to grips with.
Look down
at those verses
and I think
the immediate thing
you think,
or at least
that I think
when I read
those verses
is,
man,
is Paul saying
that slavery
is okay
in these verses?
If you're a bondservant,
don't worry about it.
Well,
okay,
we need to keep
two things in mind
when we run across
these kinds of passages.
First,
when we hear
the word
slavery,
what do we
immediately think of?
We immediately
think of what
took place
in the antebellum
American South,
a kind of slavery
that was race-based,
lifelong,
and unbelievably cruel.
A horrible
human institution.
In Paul's day,
slavery
was actually
quite a very
different thing.
It wasn't race-based.
It wasn't
necessarily lifelong.
Dale Martin,
a professor here at Yale,
has written a whole book
on this topic
published a number
of years ago.
But he showed
that for many
in the first century,
becoming a slave
or a bondservant,
as the ESV,
I think helpfully
translates it here,
becoming a slave
provided not only
for many
economic security,
but also upward mobility.
It was a totally
different reality
than what we think of.
Something maybe
even more akin
to what we would
think of as
indentured servitude,
although there's
not perfect analogies
between those two.
So slavery
was kind of
a different thing
in Paul's day.
We need to acknowledge
the historical
difference there.
However,
just acknowledging
that,
that doesn't mean
that Paul was
for or
against it.
In the letters
we have of Paul,
he's not reflecting
on the first century
institution of slavery
as such.
He's never sort of
taking a step back
and saying,
let's think about
the cultural institution
of slavery
and let's make
a judgment call
about it
based on the gospel.
He never does that
in his letters.
Slavery was such
a pervasive reality
of his world
that in his letters
he's trying to help
Christians live
faithfully in that world.
Imagine finding
a few letters
written by an army
chaplain
in the field of combat
to soldiers
under his care.
My guess is
you wouldn't be able
to necessarily tell
where that army
chaplain stood
with respect
to pacifism
or just war theory
based on the counsel
he was giving
his troops,
his men
in the middle
of battle.
His letters
were probably
more concerned
with helping
those men
in the situation
they were in.
I guess what
I'm trying to say
here is that
we can't just
sort of look
at this text
carte blanche
and say,
oh,
Paul in the New Testament
was for slavery.
That's just not
a careful reading
of the text.
In fact,
I think if you read
the rest of verse 21
through 23,
you actually get
the opposite sense.
Here's what I mean.
As soon as Paul says,
don't freak out
if you're a slave,
Paul immediately says,
but if you can gain
your freedom,
be sure to do it.
And then,
he totally deconstructs
the freed-slave dichotomy
in light of the gospel.
Look,
the bondservant
is really free in the Lord.
The free is really
a bondservant
of the Lord.
The power dynamics
are totally turned
on their head
in light of the Lordship
of Christ.
And then he says,
flat out,
to conclude it all,
by the way,
don't become bondservants
of men.
Add on top of that
the fact
that all of the things
in which we think of
that would have fallen
under our modern
conceptions of slavery,
the Bible would have
looked at those things
and condemned them.
Friends,
whatever Paul is doing here,
he's not supporting
slavery as an institution.
In fact,
many commentators
look at these verses
and see that Paul's
sowing the seeds here
that's eventually going
to undo the institution
of slavery
in due time.
Well,
how do we think
about applying all this
to us today?
Well,
I think it's very easy
for us to think
that real flourishing
is found
if we could just
get into a different
socioeconomic status.
if I had a different job,
if I made more money,
if I belonged
to a more respected
profession,
if I only owned
my house,
if I only lived
in such and such
a neighborhood,
then
I'd really be able
to live.
Now,
again,
notice how careful
Paul's advice is here
and how it's actually
a little nuanced
for each thing
he's talking about.
Notice Paul's advice
to the bond servants.
Look,
if you can get your freedom,
do it.
Paul is not against
socioeconomic improvement
either for the individual
or for communities,
just the opposite.
And the Bible as a whole
has a lot to say
about justice
and righteousness
for the poor
and for the marginalized.
However,
friends,
if the ruling desire
of our hearts
is to climb
the socioeconomic ladder,
if that's what drives
our thoughts
and our hearts
and our aspirations,
if that's what we find
ourselves waking up
and thinking about,
if that's where we're
sort of placing fullness
in the shape of our life,
if that is the case,
then we're missing
an important way
in which the gospel
applies to us.
Because the status
that we have in Christ
frees us
from seeing ourselves
solely through the lens
of social class.
That our dignity
and our worth
doesn't ultimately come
from our job title
or our salary amount
or our housing situation.
Friends,
Christ was infinitely wealthy
and became utterly poor
for us
so that we who were
spiritually poor
might become
spiritually rich
toward God.
and if you know
that you have
that status,
yes,
you'll seek improvement
and the improvement
of those around you,
but you'll know
that that's not your life
and it's okay
to remain
where you are.
Instead,
you can be open
to how the Lord
might be using you
for his kingdom
right there,
right where God
has you.
And in fact,
friends,
I would contend
that it's not
until we find
that deep contentment
with where we are
that we can actually
work in a good way
for social change.
Without vindictiveness,
without an unhealthy
animosity and hatred,
we can actually do it
from a place of strength
and peace,
which is what the world
so desperately needs.
Third application.
Verses 25 through 28,
Paul deals with
marital status.
And this actually
brings us back
to the main theme
of the chapter,
doesn't it?
Paul's sort of gone
on a bit of a loop
and now he's come home.
Now next week,
Matt's going to pick up
in verse 25
and take us through
the rest of the chapter
and he's going to preach
a whole sermon
on singleness.
So I don't want to
take too long here,
but the point I want us
to see is that
marital status
is not ultimate
for believers.
Just like cultural background,
just like socioeconomic class
aren't ultimate either.
Friends, the church
should not be making
an idol of marriage
and the church should not
be making an idol
of singleness.
Now since Jesus
didn't give specific commands
about what Paul's
going to talk about
during his earthly ministry,
during Jesus' earthly ministry,
Paul then proceeds
to give some apostolic advice.
And it's this,
if you're single
and you want to marry,
do it.
It's not a sin.
Marriage is a good thing.
But if you're single,
consider that there are benefits
to that as well.
In verse 26,
Paul mentions
the present distress.
What does he mean by that?
Well, I think what Paul
has in mind here
is probably some sort of
trial or difficulty
that the church
or the city
or maybe even the region
was going through.
A lot of commentators
think Paul might be referring
to a famine
that afflicted Corinth
during this time.
Our present struggles
and trials.
Whatever it was,
in Paul's mind,
it would have made marriage
and providing for a family
very difficult.
Keep in mind,
in the first century,
birth control
wasn't super reliable.
So,
getting married
probably meant
you were going
to have a family.
And if you lived
in a time
of severe economic hardship,
that was going to be
a hard thing to take up.
And so,
Paul advises,
you know,
it's good
if you can remain
as you are.
You'll experience
a lot less worldly trouble
that way,
as he says in verse 28.
But of course,
there's nothing wrong
about marriage.
You have the freedom
to do that as well.
So,
if you want to marry,
go,
get married.
It's good.
Friends,
isn't it surprising
how open Paul is
toward either option?
Yes,
he's leaning
toward singleness here.
He's commending it
as a way of life.
But you know,
when you step back
for Paul,
marriage or singleness
wasn't the be-all,
end-all
of a Christian's existence.
Because there's a status
that means infinitely
more than that
and brings infinitely
more comfort,
freedom,
and significance.
And it's our status
in Christ.
The one who loves us
with an everlasting
spousal love
and who will remain
faithful to us
all the way
to the end.
And as we take in
all three of these
applications,
it would seem
that what Paul is saying
is don't obsess
over what you don't have.
Instead,
realize who you are
in Christ
and as a member
of his church
which far outstrips
any of these
finite worldly statuses.
So,
brother and sister,
this morning,
if you're tempted
to envy
what others have,
remember that you,
you,
have been purchased
by the Lord
and that his steadfast love
to you will not fail.
Or,
if you're tempted
to pine away
with regret
over what might have been,
you're not looking
at others and thinking
I wish I had what they had,
but you're looking
at your past
and thinking
I've lost it.
I wish I had
something else there
and now I'm in a position
that,
ugh,
just isn't where
I wish I was.
Friends,
instead of pining away
after those things
with regret,
you can be confident
that your sovereign
and gracious
loving God
has you in a place
where he can advance
his kingdom
through you.
God's not making mistakes
with your life
and your mistakes
aren't so big
that he won't turn them
for your ultimate good
and for his kingdom's glory.
Remain where you are
with peace,
with confidence,
with a restful heart
and trust
that God has you there
for a reason.
You might not be here forever,
but make the most of it
while you are
and don't wonder
whether God
could or can
or might be able
to use you.
As Paul told the Corinthians
back in chapter 1,
God delights
to choose the weak things
in the world's eyes
to shame the strong
and to choose
the foolish things
in the world's eyes
to shame the wise
and the low
and the despised things
in the world's eyes
to bring to naught
the things that are.
So maybe you're not
a part of the
in crowd
at school
or at work.
Maybe you don't have
a flashy job
or a profession.
Maybe you wish
your marital status
was different,
but friends,
don't be afraid
to remain where you are.
Be at peace.
For ultimately,
God is with you.
Notice the end
of verse 24
where Paul summarizes
this church-wide principle
he's been laying out.
What does he say?
Remain with God.
With God.
That's what matters.
Being with God.
Because one day,
God is going to remake
and renew this world
from the top
to the bottom.
And that brings us
to the third
and final point.
The overarching reason
why we can take
all of this to heart
because God's future
is coming,
friends.
In verses 29
through 31
at the end of our text,
Paul says,
in essence,
don't cling
too tightly
to the things
of this life.
Live as though
you don't really have them.
In other words,
don't sink
your identity
too deeply
in those roots.
Don't rest
your whole heart
on them.
because even
your most intimate
human relationship,
like the relationship
between a husband
and a wife,
as Paul says
in verse 29,
is only a reflection,
a glimmer
of the intimacy
of what's to come.
And soon,
your mourning
will give way
to joy
and your joys
will give way
to bliss
and your business
and your busyness
will soon give way
to a kingdom
that cannot fade
and a feast
that does not end.
Paul's not saying
that this life
is of no importance.
It matters
deeply.
But this life
is not
an end
in itself,
you see.
And the present form
of this world
is not the final word.
The ethnic divisions,
the class distinctions,
all the ways
in which our world
is fractured
and divided
these things
aren't going
to last forever.
The present form
of this world
is passing away
and a new creation
is dawning.
Now, yes,
it's been 2,000 years
since Paul wrote
these words.
But when he says
that the appointed time
has grown very short,
he's not thinking
about regular
chronological time,
a certain number
of days or hours
that pass off
as the clock
spins round.
This sort of empty,
neutral time
that we can fill up
like space.
No, friends.
The appointed time.
Here it's the Greek word
kairos.
This is time
if you will have it
from God's own perspective.
This is time
that is imbued
with God's
redemptive purposes.
And in that sense,
for the entire
church age,
the appointed time
has grown very short.
we, too,
with Paul,
wait on the edge
of the drama
of redemption
knowing
that the next act
is the finale.
And if the next act
is the finale
and if the curtain
is already beginning
to sway
and if the orchestra
is tuned
and poised
and ready
to strike up the music
for that final scene,
then, friends,
why are we wasting
any time fussing
and fretting
over whether I'm
in seat B7
or B8
or whether I'm
circumcised or not
or whether I'm
a bondservant or not
or whether I'm
single or not?
Why struggle
and strive
and let your heart
be consumed
with being somewhere else
or someone else
or with somebody else
if the Lord
has called you
and here you sit
on the cusp
of redemptive history?
Those things
don't have to define
you any longer.
You're the Lord's.
And the present form
of this world
is passing away.
God's new creation
is imminent.
The renewal
of all things
and thus you need
not cling
to this world,
its joys
and its sorrows,
its business
and its busyness.
Be faithful
where you are.
Don't grasp
and claw
for something else
as if that's going
to justify you
or satisfy you.
Christ has already
done that, friends.
And soon,
the curtain
will open.
And like we read
earlier from Zephaniah,
we will see the Lord God
in our midst,
a mighty one
who will save
and he will rejoice
over you with gladness
and he will quiet you
by his love
and he will exalt
over you
with loud singing
and he will gather
those who mourn
for the festival
and we will suffer
reproach no more.
Let's pray.
Amen.
Oh Lord,
make us a people
who are so
enraptured
with you
and who we are
in Christ.
Help that reality
sink so deep
down in our hearts,
God,
that we can sit loose
to the worldly statuses
that so often
pull and push
and tear us apart.
God,
give us
that deep
wellspring
of contentment
in Christ.
And Lord,
help us
to keep our eyes
on you
and help us
to be faithful
for the coming
of that day.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.