The scripture reading comes from the book of 1st Samuel chapter 16.
Please follow along on the bulletin or on your own Bible.
Starting in verse 1, we read,
The Lord said to Samuel,
How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel?
Fill your horn with oil and go.
I will send you to Jesse, the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.
And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.
And the Lord said, Take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.
And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do.
And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.
Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem.
The elders of the city came to meet him, trembling, and said, Do you come peaceably?
And he said, Peaceably.
I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.
Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.
And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.
But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature,
because I have rejected him.
For the Lord sees not as man sees.
Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel.
And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one.
Then Jesse made Shama pass by.
And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one.
And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel.
And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen these.
Then Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your sons here?
And he said, There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.
And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.
And he sent and brought him in.
Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome.
And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he.
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers.
And the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.
And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
This is the word of God.
Thanks, Annabelle.
Am I on?
Can you guys hear me?
Yeah?
Okay.
Thanks.
Thanks, Niels.
My name is Oscar.
If you don't know me, it's a privilege to be delivering God's word today together as a church family.
To our church family.
Let me pray for us as we dive into God's word.
Father, we come before you, Lord.
And we ask that all of us here, God, myself included, Lord, that our hearts would be with awe,
filled with awe as we look into your word, God, and as we receive your spirit.
Father, I pray, God, that as we look at body again more closely,
and as we look at body and identity today, Lord,
that we would see, Lord, that we are secure in you as children of God.
That you love us.
That you delight in us.
I pray especially, Lord, for those of us today, God, that may struggle a bit with our identity
or with our appearance, how we look.
God, that you would fill our hearts with your love and goodness and security
that can only be found in Jesus.
I pray particularly for our youth who are with us in service today, God.
I pray, Lord, that the eyes of their hearts will be opened to receive your word today,
that they would be impacted by your word, Father.
So we just commend this time, commit this time to you in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So, yeah, we're in week two of a six-week sermon series on body and faith,
where we're looking at what the Bible says about our physical bodies.
Last week, Kevin started us off, and he spoke about our bodies and creation,
showing us that our bodies are not inconsequential.
Our bodies matter.
Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made by God who knows us intimately and delights in us.
And today, we're going to look at our bodies and identity.
Is there a ringing sound?
Can you guys?
Closer?
Okay.
Is that better?
Is it better?
Okay.
Now, I think that we all know this phrase,
don't judge a book by its cover.
Take any book.
The title may be one word or a phrase, something innocuous,
or maybe something eye-catching.
Maybe there's a photograph on the front of the book or a vague picture.
But until we actually open up the book and read it,
would we appreciate the theme,
would we appreciate the theme, the lesson,
or would we appreciate the writing style, the prose, the poetry?
Until we venture inside the pages,
would we understand the storyline and the characters of the book,
the meat and heart of the book?
And isn't it true that the way we identify people, at least in part,
is like judging a book by its cover?
We look at a person's appearance, their face, their body.
Are they tall?
Are they short?
Their skin color?
And we make an assessment, a judgment.
But in today's passage from 1 Samuel 16,
the Bible tells us that God doesn't value us based on our appearance.
God doesn't look at the cover of the book.
God looks at what is inside.
And what is inside is not just our heart,
but also our body and how we use our body.
And so what I hope we see today is that it's faith in Christ,
in our heart, lived out through our body,
that reflects our identity as children of God.
And because this is our identity,
we can be secure in Christ
and honor God with our heart and with our body.
And so today's big idea is that our identity in Christ
is that of a child of God,
through faith in Christ in our hearts,
and lived out in our bodies.
Now, in the world's view,
how we look, our body type,
or how in shape or out of shape we are,
is such a big part of our identity.
For many of us, it shapes how we see ourselves,
how others perceive us,
or how we want to be perceived,
and also how we view others.
Of course, the word identity is such a big and complicated word.
In simple terms,
I think we can define identity as something we look to,
to feel a sense of self-worth and value.
In Hong Kong,
separate from our physical appearance,
our identity is often shaped by,
number one, family background.
Do we come from a well-known prominent family,
or perhaps not?
Education.
Where do we go to school?
How about career?
I think this one is big for us here in Hong Kong.
I think that for many of us,
our career, our title,
really is who we are.
That is our identity.
I'm a lawyer.
I'm a doctor.
I'm a banker.
I'm a PhD student.
I'm a business owner.
I'm a manager.
I'm a partner.
Or how about relationship status?
I admit,
this one is especially difficult to talk about.
But I think that for some of us,
our identity is tied to who we're dating,
or who we're married to,
or if we're dating or married at all.
And that's why I think that when we break up,
we lose our bearings,
and we lose a sense of who we are.
In Western society,
what seems to be elevated in today's culture,
when it comes to identity,
is this idea that we need to be true to who we are.
My body isn't the real me.
My gender isn't the real me.
What I feel inside is the real me,
and therefore,
I can do whatever I want with my body.
We will touch upon this in more detail
when we speak about body and gender in a few weeks.
But on the topic of body and identity,
there's no doubt that culture and the world around us
shape how we view physical appearance,
the body, and identity.
Think about how much money we spend on our face,
just our face alone.
In the U.S.,
one source indicates that
the global spend on cosmetics
is upwards of $100 billion a year.
Or think about the types of cosmetic surgeries
people go through,
some of which are quite expensive
and perhaps even dangerous.
And it isn't just women.
All right?
Us guys, we're also a part of this too.
A survey by Deloitte suggests that in the U.S.,
men actually spend more
on overall beauty products than women.
Surprisingly, yes.
It's true.
Don't be ashamed, guys.
It's okay.
I used lotion this morning on my face.
Now, if you're sitting here,
now if you're sitting here
and you don't care about your looks,
nor do you feel any social pressure
to look a certain way,
don't fall asleep quite yet.
Maybe you're married and you're like,
eh, I don't care about how I look.
I'm already married.
I don't have to impress my spouse.
Maybe I'm peak,
maybe I'm peak maxing.
Maxing, by the way,
means maximizing a physical appearance.
I learned that recently
as I was researching this sermon.
Even if that is your view,
even that could be your view,
the social pressure on how we look
and the world's obsession with our bodies
likely affects someone near and dear to your heart.
Maybe your wife.
Maybe your husband,
as he gets a bit older
and his hair starts thinning.
I think mine is a little bit at the moment.
Thank you for caring for me, honey.
Maybe your brother or sister.
Maybe your parents.
Maybe your teenage,
maybe your child as he or she
is reaching their teenage years.
Maybe someone in your CG.
Maybe someone sitting around you
right here today in church.
And given the rise of social media
and the pressure of always looking good
and having to put our best face
and body forward as our identity,
look at the rise in body dissatisfaction,
especially among teenagers
and young adults.
The skincare company Dove
did a study which indicated
that only 2% of women
would describe themselves as beautiful.
Even actors, supermodels,
and pro athletes struggle
with how they look.
And it just goes to show
how much pressure the world places
on how we look
and how much value that we place
on how we look.
And look at some of the consequences.
In the UK,
the NHS reports
that the number of children
that started treatment
for eating disorder,
bulimia, anorexia,
and binge eating,
increased by over 100%
in the six years ending 2023.
Or look at teen bullying.
One report in the US
suggests that one in five students
reported being bullied in school.
And in many cases,
the drivers of bullying
are linked to physical appearance,
race or ethnicity,
or disability.
In other words,
it was about the appearance.
This affects all of us,
whether we think about it a lot
or not at all.
And in today's passage
from 1 Samuel 16,
even the prophet Samuel
gets lured into this way of thinking.
Saul, the first king of Israel,
rejected God,
and therefore God rejected him
as king of Israel.
God then sends Samuel
to visit a man in Bethlehem
named Jesse,
instructing Samuel
that one of Jesse's sons
would be the next king.
Samuel looks at Jesse's son,
Eliab,
and is impressed
with Eliab's physical stature.
And Samuel thinks,
surely this must be
God's anointed one.
God, of course,
has other plans,
and he tells Samuel
in verse 7 of the passage,
Do not look on his appearance
or the height of his stature,
because I have rejected him.
For the Lord sees,
not as man sees.
Man looks on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks on the heart.
Jesse's six other sons
are presented to Samuel
before Samuel,
but none are chosen by God.
Samuel then asks Jesse,
Are all your sons here?
to which Jesse replies
that his other son,
his youngest son,
David,
is in the shepherd fields.
Jesse was asked to bring
before Samuel
all of his sons,
and he didn't even think
about bringing David,
his youngest son,
who was probably
the least impressive
in terms of physical appearance.
For the Lord sees,
not as man sees,
and man looks on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks on the heart.
And so as David emerges,
God tells Samuel,
This is the one
who will be my king.
Even Samuel,
the prophet of God,
didn't understand
that God doesn't esteem us
based upon how we look.
Our identity,
according to God,
isn't based on
whether we are tall or short,
or whether we are
physically attractive
or not at all.
God doesn't esteem us
because of our resume,
nor our title,
nor our social influence,
nor our standing.
God esteems us
because of our heart.
And so now the question is,
what did God see
in David's heart?
In 1 Samuel,
and also in the book of Acts,
God says this about David.
I have found in David,
the son of Jesse,
a man after my heart.
What does that mean,
a man after my heart?
A man after God's heart?
Well, the Bible describes David
in many ways.
On his appearance,
he was ruddy
and had beautiful eyes
and was handsome.
On his courage,
a man of valor,
a man of war.
On his musical talents,
he was skillful
in playing the lyre.
David was also described
as prudent in speech,
a man of good presence.
But of all the ways
the scripture describes David,
the most important aspect
of his character,
the foundation of his life,
and the driver
of all his ambition
was that David loved God dearly.
He knew God intimately
and he loved God dearly.
And David's identity
was secure
as a child of God.
David's writings
from the book of Psalms
paint a beautiful picture
of his relationship
with God.
Here are a few examples.
Psalm 139,
we read this last week.
David believed
that God knew everything
about him and loved him.
He knitted me together
in my mother's womb.
I praise you
for I'm fearfully
and wonderfully made.
Psalm 16,
David's life ambition
was to be with God
and to know God.
In your presence
there is fullness of joy
and at your right hand
are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 100,
he knew God to be faithful.
His steadfast love
endures forever
and his faithfulness
to all generations.
Through reading these psalms,
we see a window
into David's heart.
But importantly,
although our passage today
says that God looks
on the heart,
it isn't saying
that David's body
was irrelevant.
In fact,
David's body mattered
a lot.
He spent years
protecting his father's sheep,
perfecting his hand-to-hand
combat skills
and defending his father's sheep
from wild lions
and wild bears.
And just like God
was preparing David
to be shepherded
over Israel
by first shepherding
his father's flock,
God was training
David's body
in the shepherd fields
in preparation
to fight Goliath
and then subsequently
to lead Israel's armies
against all of God's enemies.
You could say
that David's body
acted out
what was in his heart.
When it was wartime,
he didn't just sit back
and hope for the best.
He went out
and fought
with his body.
His heart and body
worked hand in hand.
Of course,
as a side note,
David,
although David was physically
trained and prepared
to fight,
he knew that
at the end of the day,
if it was just
his own strength,
he would fail every time.
He believed in faith
that it was God
to be the one
to deliver him
from his enemies.
And so,
for David,
in all of his life,
from when he was a boy
in the shepherd fields
to when he was a king
on the battlefield,
his heart and his body
worked together
to worship
and to honor
God.
David's body mattered.
Jesus' body
mattered.
We know from Isaiah
there was nothing
physically attractive
about Jesus.
Isaiah says
that he had no form
or majesty
that we should look at him
and no beauty
that we should desire him.
And yet,
Jesus fully embraced
his humanity
taking on
a human body.
His body
was the means
by which he
communed
with the world
when he walked the earth.
And even now,
we can relate to Jesus
in so many ways
because he had a body
like we have
full of frailty.
And he experienced
pain like we face.
And of course,
it was Jesus' body
that he gave up
that was broken for us
on the cross.
David's body mattered.
Jesus' body mattered.
Our bodies matter.
God doesn't look at
God's body.
God doesn't look at
appearance.
What we look like,
are we attractive or not,
are we tall or short?
And yet,
we use our physical bodies
to act out
our worship
and honor of God.
God doesn't look
at appearance
and yet,
we use our physical bodies
to act out
our honor and worship
of God.
God.
And yet,
for David,
in spite of being
an incredible man
of God,
David was highly imperfect
and sinful.
In that verse
we read in Acts
just now
about David
being a man
after God's heart,
the end of that sentence
actually
is that
God describes David
also as a man
who would do
all my will.
A man after my own heart
who would do
all my will.
Well,
David did not
always do God's will.
David did not always
honor God
with his heart
and his body.
We all know the story,
right?
David slept with
another man's wife
and then he murdered
the husband.
And so,
although God
esteemed David
because of his heart
and God esteemed David
because of
his body
or his action,
what he did,
for us,
we need to remember
that we aren't
saved
because of the
quality of our hearts
nor by anything
we could do
with our bodies.
There is nothing
we can do
to save ourselves.
Our sin isn't
forgiven because of
anything we could
possibly do
for the one
who is perfect,
Jesus Christ,
has done everything
already for us
on the cross.
We are saved
by faith in Christ
alone,
by the grace
of Christ
alone.
And so,
therefore,
we should remember
there's nothing
we could do
to impress God.
Perhaps consciously
or subconsciously,
we try to impress
others by looking
a certain way.
Maybe we go to
the gym to try
to sculpt our
bodies in a more
attractive way.
Maybe we choose
certain clothes
that stand out.
But if our faith
and hope is in
Christ,
and God the Father
considers us,
he already sees
beauty because
in his Son
he sees beauty
and in us
he sees his Son.
Say that again.
If our faith
and hope
is in Christ,
when God the Father
considers us,
he already
sees beauty
because in his Son
he sees beauty
and in us
he sees his Son.
And remember
that God's idea
of beauty
isn't like man's.
Jesus,
when he rose
from the grave,
he still bore
the scars
of the cross
on his body.
If we saw
Jesus walking
down the street
in Hong Kong
and we looked at him,
we may think him
hideous for he would
still have the holes
of the cross
on his wrists.
But his Father
sees him
as beautiful
and perfect.
And that is how
God sees us.
And so even though
our hearts and bodies
work together
to pursue God
and to love God
and to honor God,
this
cannot earn
God's love.
For us,
it's a response.
It's a reflection
of the love
we experience
first from him.
It's an outpouring
of worship
and adoration
because we're grateful
for Jesus.
But it can never
earn God's love.
When God the Father
considers us,
he sees his precious
Son, Jesus,
whom he loves
with an everlasting
undying love.
And so therefore,
we can be secure
in our identity
as children
of God.
And so for us,
what does it mean
to be secure
in our identity
as children
of God?
Well,
the Apostle Paul
in Romans 8
describes identity
in God like this.
For we do not
receive the spirit
of slavery
to fall back
into fear,
but you have received
the spirit of adoption
as sons
by whom we cry,
Abba, Father.
Before we put our faith
and hope in Christ,
we were spiritual orphans
getting tossed around
in the ways of culture
and being slaves
to fear and sin.
But now,
if our hope
and faith
is in Christ,
we have been adopted
into God's family.
We have been given
a new identity
as children of God.
God,
the creator of heaven
and earth,
the eternal God
of the universe,
says,
you are my precious child.
Come to me
and I will give you rest.
I welcome you
into my home
and into my family.
You are my precious child
and I love you.
God knows every hair
on your head.
He made all of our eyes
and all of our fingerprints
unique.
Think about that.
Tens of billions
of different fingerprints
across billions
of individually crafted bodies
because our bodies
are uniquely,
fearfully,
and wonderfully made
by a God
who knows us intimately.
And so,
do you know Him?
Do you trust Him?
Do the ruminations
of your heart
and the actions
of your body
reflect this?
The word Abba
from the verse
in Romans 8
means
Daddy in Aramaic.
It's used,
I think,
48 times or so
in Psalms.
Every so often,
my two boys,
Axel and Elliot,
their twin boys
are five years old,
they would cry out
either at home
or in the grocery store,
Daddy,
I need you.
Daddy,
I need you to tie my shoes.
Daddy,
I need you to button my shirt.
Daddy,
I need you to fix my toy.
Daddy,
I need you to lift me up.
I can't see.
My boys can say,
Daddy,
I need you
for pretty much anything
that comes to mind
because I guess
after five years of life,
they're pretty secure
in knowing that
they're my children
and they're pretty secure
in knowing that
if I am able to,
I will do whatever I can
to help them.
I'll do whatever I can
to take care of them.
And so,
do we cry out
to our
Abba Father?
Do we know
that we are children
of the Most High God?
And maybe
if we're really honest
with ourselves,
we don't always believe
that we're children
of God
and the insecurity
of being an orphan
sometimes
or often
weighs on us,
especially when we're
hooked to our phone
two hours a day
and we're looking at
all the beautiful people
on social media
or maybe we
get caught
in our thoughts
and we think that
why doesn't the opposite sex
like me?
What's wrong with me?
Or maybe we think
about life
and we think
we should be
further along in life
with a better title
at work
or maybe we should
marry with kids
by now.
But the anecdote
to any insecurity
we have
about our identity,
it doesn't come
from improving
how we look
or adding accolades
to our resume
and it doesn't come
from being in any
relationship
on earth.
King Saul,
the sort of
anti-David
is a good case study
of someone
who is highly insecure
on the surface
King Saul
had everything
going for him.
He was tall,
he was good looking,
the Bible says
that there was not
a man among
the people of Israel
more handsome
than he
and of course
he held the biggest
title of all,
King,
King of Israel.
But in spite
of all these
impressive external
qualities,
Saul had a problem
in his heart.
He worshipped
and analyzed
his position
and status
and what he valued
most it seems
was honor
and praise
from men.
His identity
you could say
was tied to his
position as king
and the honor
he received
as such
and sadly
this resulted in
Saul making
some very bad
decisions
and God
rejecting him
as king.
You see
if our identity
is tied to the
physical
or to the material
how we look
what we've achieved
we will inevitably
be drawn
to what the world
values and loves
and we'll never be
content nor satisfied
and we'll always
be insecure
and wondering
if we're good
enough
and like Saul
we will possibly
make some very
bad decisions
and so we need
to move our
focus away
from ourselves
and our focus
up towards
God
the one who
created us
the one who
knows everything
about us
the one who
loves us
and we know
how much he
loves us
because of
Jesus Christ
the one he gave
the one that
gave his body
and his blood
for us on the cross
but the truth
is that we
won't feel
comfort in saying
I'm a child
of God
unless we have
a sense
of who God
is
we won't feel
loved by God
unless we know
who our lover
is
we won't be
thankful
that the God
of the universe
rescued us
from sin
and slavery
and adopted us
into his family
unless we know
who our adopted
father is
and so
like King David
we must
constantly remind
ourselves
of our father's
sovereign majestic
character
we must remind
ourselves of his
awesome indeed
terrifying power
we must remind
ourselves that the
sovereign yet merciful
God loves us
so much
he would send
his son Jesus
to die for us
we must remind
ourselves of the
gospel
we are called
his image bearers
but if we don't
have a high view
of him
what image
are we bearing
last year
Celeste and I
we adopted
the newest member
of our family
from the Hong Kong
dog rescue
her name is
Toffee
when Toffee
first came
into our home
for the first few
days
she was a nervous
wreck
her tail was down
she would hide
in the corner
she wouldn't eat
nor drink
she even threw up
a few times
just because
Toffee was legally
adopted
into our family
it didn't mean
that she automatically
experienced
or felt
our love
she didn't yet
comprehend
her new identity
as a member
of our family
of course
over time
as we
spent more time
with Toffee
as we
showed her
our love
through cuddles
through feeding her
through
bringing her out
on family outings
she
she became secure
in her new identity
as the fourth child
of the child family
the kids call her
their baby sister
and so for us
as adopted children
of God
we must continue
to be reminded
of God's nature
excuse me one second
of God's nature
of God's character
and his father's love
for us
maybe we do have a sense
but we're so busy
with work
and life
and kids
that we forget
I don't think
there's any magic formula
to know God
I think
all of us
in this room
are on the same
journey together
and I think
even the
quote unquote
most mature Christians
only get a tiny sense
the majesty
of God
but that tiny glimpse
that is still
a truly
awe inspiring
and beautiful
picture
so all of us
let's get
let's get into
God's word
let's be in prayer
get on our knees
let's pray
the Holy Spirit
opens the eyes
of our hearts
to see
the living God
to understand
with a deep
with a deep knowledge
in our hearts
how much he loves us
let's pray
the Holy Spirit
opens the eyes
of our hearts
to worship
our great
king
let's pray that
for ourselves
and let's
pray that
for each other
I just have two
quick ways
that we can respond
to today's message
the first is
just to focus
our minds
on things above
John Piper says
that for God
to open our eyes
to his glory
in the Bible
he must first
cut away
all of his
competitors
in our hearts
and so this week
when we
pull out our phones
to look at
Instagram
or other social media apps
or when we're thinking
about
buying another
article of clothing
to impress
or when we're
at the gym
pumping iron
or whatever
it is that
we are doing
that puts our
attention on
outward appearance
first
let's remind
ourselves
to hold fast
to the truth
that God
doesn't look
at outward appearance
let's remember
that we are
children of God
first
number one
focus our minds
on things above
and number two
repentance
have we
added fuel
to the world's
fire
by judging
other people
based on how
they look
perhaps we
treat
some colleagues
well
because they
look a certain
way
and some
colleagues
not as
kind
with less
kindness
because they
look a certain
way
maybe it's
how we
treat the
opposite
sex
maybe it's
how we
treat our
children
we make
comments to
them about
their physical
appearance
that may
not be
the most
encouraging
perhaps we
need to
repent
of this
maybe we
need to
repent
of
viewing
appearance
like the
world
does
and not
how
God
does
let me
close
yes
the world
around us
puts a lot
of pressure
on us
to look
a certain
way
and to
be
attractive
it's
been that
way
since
ancient
times
even
Samuel
made that
mistake
but God
doesn't look
at the
external
appearance
God
looks at
our
hearts
and God
looks at
what we
do
with our
bodies
and yet
there is
nothing we
could do
to impress
God
nor earn
God's
love
it's only
by putting
our faith
and hope
in Jesus
Christ
that we
can be
secure
in our
identity
as children
of God
and as we
grow to
understand
how much
God loves
us
we respond
with love
coming out
of our
hearts
and we
respond
as we
act that
out
in our
bodies
for his
glory
for his
honor
and for
his
praise
let's
pray
together
father
it's
it's a
challenging
message
lord
because
every
day
the
pressure
cooker
of the
world
is
bearing
down
on
us
and
saying
that
we
need
to
look
better
it's
summertime
now
and
people
are
saying
we need
to look
better
for
summer
God
I
pray
lord
that
as we
consider
your
word
lord
your
truth
as we
consider
what
you
have
said
in
this
passage
from
1st
Samuel
16
that
you
do
not
look
on
the
appearance
you
look
on
the
heart
I
pray
that
we
will
be
secure
in
our
identity
as
your
children
that
we
would
know
deeply
that
you
love
us
that
you
created
us
that
you
know
us
everything
about
us
even
our
even
our
faults
even
our
darkest
secrets
even
the
stuff
that
we
are
ashamed
about
and
you
love
us
with
an
undying
love
because
you
are
our
children
because
father
you
love
Jesus
and
in
us
you
see
Jesus
help
us
lord
to
really
grasp
that
deeply
today
tomorrow
and
always
may
it
not
just
be
an
interesting
thought
or
something
that
we
will
say
to
our
friends
or
even
think
about
but
may
it
be
a
reality
in
the
way
we
love
you
and
the
way
our
hearts
cry
out
to
worship
you
and
the
way
that
thank
you
god
for
your
word
today
and
we
pray
lord
that
your
holy
spirit
would
be
with
us
for
the
rest
of
the
service
lord
as
we
respond
to
you
in
Jesus
name
amen