Okay, well good morning everyone. Happy New Year to you. It is so lovely to welcome so many of you
back after holidays. Hope you had a great time. Wonderful to see you again and lovely to meet
some new faces this morning as well. Know that you are so welcome with us here and genuinely know
if there's anything that we can do to serve you as a local church, it would be our delight to be
able to do that. Let me invite you to come expectantly to the book in the Bible called
Titus. You might want to grab a Bible, your own Bible that you came with or one in the pew or
maybe you want to scroll on your phone, a little inside tip for finding Titus. It's in the New
Testament, one of the letters towards the end. It's in among these clusters of T's. So you get
1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. So it's the last of the T's. So if you find yourself
in one of those T's, you know roughly where to go. As you're turning there, let me give you a big
invite to our prayer and pizza evening tonight at 6.30. We're going to do a big prayer push this year
as a church just to embed and try and gather everyone into the prayer life of the church.
More details on that will come in the next couple of weeks. But for tonight, we're going to stick with
a time of half past six for some pizza, eat together, and then we're going to move straight
into a time of prayer, finishing up roughly half seven, maybe just after half past seven.
If you got one of the prayer cards on the way in tonight, this is supposed to be the focus for the
month, the things that we're praying for as a church, as well as the usual church activities.
We want to be a church that just blesses others and gives away prayer. So we are praying tonight for
Charlotte Chapel, just giving away prayer, praying for another church in our city. They've told us how we
can pray for them. And we're also going to be praying for, as Ian alluded to, UCCF and their
events week, which is happening this week. So particularly if you're a student here tonight,
whether you're at Edinburgh or elsewhere, or maybe particularly you love the work of UCCF,
it was a huge part in my growth as a Christian. Or if you're just a student, we would love to pray
particularly for you tonight. So please do come along if you are in those categories. It would just be
lovely to be able to do that with you. So that's 6.30 tonight. Do grab one of those cards
on the way out. Now I've waggled on the tea long enough that you should have found Titus, hopefully.
But this is what we do as a church at the beginning of every single new year. We do it to shake off the
Christmas new year grogginess, and we do it to get the caffeine into our spiritual systems, as it were.
We do a short sermon series from a book in the Bible that reminds us who we are,
what we believe as a local church, and why we exist. Have I left the clicker down there? I know
it's in my back pocket. There we go. So this is Titus chapter 1. So come with me, we'll read it
together, and then we will hear God's voice as we unpack it a little bit together. So Paul writes
this. This is chapter 1 we're going to take in this morning. Paul, a servant of God and an apostle
of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to
godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of
time, and which now at his appointed season, he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to
me by the command of God our Saviour. To Titus, my true son in our common faith, grace and peace from
God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour. The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put
in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town as I directed you. An elder must be
blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild
and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God's household, he must be blameless, not overbearing,
not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather,
he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy,
and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught,
so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. For there are many
rebellious people full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.
They must be silenced because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not
to teach, and that for the sake of dishonest gain. One of Crete's own prophets has said it.
Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. This saying is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply
so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the
merely human commands of those who reject the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to
those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences
are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions, they deny him. They are detestable,
disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good. And God will add the blessing to his inspired word
this morning. As we get into Titus, let me let you into a conversation that we had with one of our
children when they came back from school a few months ago. And it was the day after one of those
Monday school strikes. If you remember, we had lots of them a few months ago. And we asked her,
what did your friends do yesterday? And she said that one of them had a yes day.
Now, I don't know if you're familiar with this modern day fad. It's taken from this Netflix film
that came out in 2021. If you've got a couple of hours, there's better things to do with your time,
but you can watch it if you go home. But see the strapline of this film. For a whole 24 hours,
kids make the rules. And the whole thing of the film is that for 24 hours, mum and dad have to say yes
to everything that their children suggest. And the whole idea behind this film is that life's really
dull and boring when you just say no. And actually, real fun is to be found when you say yes to whatever
you desire and whatever you want in the moment. Now, we've actually watched this film.
And I have to say, if ever you're looking for a film that captures the spirit of our age,
then you would do a lot worse than capturing the message of that one. See, our ruggedly
individualistic culture, it prizes self-expression. Now, the bigwigs, the people who get paid tons of
money at Netflix aren't stupid, they know that impulse living is attractive in our world.
And because this is the air that you and I breathe every day as we live our lives in this world,
I imagine that like osmosis, some of it has made its way into our systems probably way more than we
realise. Are you like me in that every so often you pause and you think to yourself,
am I missing out? As a believer in Jesus, am I missing
the whole reason that I'm kind of designed to find joy and happiness in this world?
Do you know, this letter of Titus has wonderfully reminded me of both the privilege and the joy
of being able to say no to the way that our culture and our world thinks and lives. Now,
why on earth would you do that? The answer is that the disciple of Jesus has had their eyes
opened to something way better. Now, here is Paul, verse 1, come with me to the text. He's writing to
his son in the faith called Titus, which I always think is a wonderful name, at verse 4. Titus is this
guy who we meet in a few other places in the New Testament. He's playing his part in the unity and the
growth of the early church as well as one of Paul's travelling companions. And the two of them likely
preach about Jesus and plant this church on the island of Crete. Now, I tried to put the map up
there rather than images of the island, lest you get distracted by the thoughts of summer holidays.
Yeah, there they are on Crete. Now, if you look at verse 12, you'll get a little glimpse into
Cretan culture. What are the people in Crete like? They say the Scots are tight. They say the Irish are
cheeky. They say Londoners are rude because they never speak to you on the tube, right? What about
Cretans? Well, see Paul quotes from one of Crete's greatest thinkers, this man called Epimenides.
Do you see it in verse 12? He says this about his fellow Cretans. He says,
Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy glutted. Now, that's a slogan I don't imagine the
Visit Crete Tourist Board are going to use anytime soon. Crete in this day is an island famous for
having no wild animals, which means that David Attebra and his team aren't going to pitch up
on Crete and shoot a nature documentary. But the joke that they make about Cretans is that the fact
that they have no wild animals is more than made up for the fact that they have tons of wild people.
Wildlifes. And this is where Paul pitches up with the gospel. And you think to yourself,
surely when it comes to people that are going to maybe make lightly converts,
surely there's what we would call lower hanging fruit.
Surely there's easier places to go to make inroads with the gospel in this day.
But here's the thing that Paul is convinced of, that the only thing that has the power to create
a spiritual and moral revolution on the island of Crete is the gospel.
It's the only thing that's going to transform the lives of the people on this island.
This message about the crucified and risen Jesus.
And because that's true, I think this letter invites us to pray big gospel prayers
and have big gospel ambitions this year.
Here's the question I've been asking myself all week.
Am I convinced and are you convinced as we look out on our city and all the people and all the businesses
and all the dreams and all the influence that there is here,
that if there is to be leaders who do the right thing, truth winning over untruth,
people putting other people first, different generations not just speaking past each other,
but coming together as one, if there's to be that kind of revolution in our city,
then the only thing that's going to do it, the only thing that can deliver the goods is the gospel.
The only thing that's going to transform our society is this message about Jesus Christ.
And dear friends, know that the church are right at the centre of it.
Now, here's what I want you to see.
I want you to see what the church are called at verse 1.
Do you see it?
Don't miss the term.
It's so easy to skip over the introduction to letters like this.
But actually, this is one of the most detailed and long introductions we get in Paul's letters.
He wants Titus to know things.
He wants him to know things about the church.
What are they called?
They are called God's elect.
Now, let that phrase both stretch you and thrill you this morning.
Because that means if you are a Christian here today, that that is no small thing.
How often we just write it off as if it is.
If it's just another lifestyle choice amongst the thousands of others that we could pick in this world.
No, no, no, no.
Paul says, if you're here today, you love and follow this Jesus.
That is an incredible thing.
As ordinary as you think your life looks.
Know that it's anything but ordinary as far as heaven is concerned.
It means if you're a Christian here today, this word, it's all caught up in this word.
That God the Father in eternity past, it was his pleasure to choose you and give you to God the Son.
And at a moment in time, which we've just celebrated at Christmas, God the Son, he came.
He took on our flesh.
And at that point, he took a name called Jesus.
Jesus, the man who lived the perfect life, the one that we couldn't live.
The Bible's word for that is his righteousness.
Jesus, the man who died the death that you and I should have died on the cross.
The Bible's idea for that is substitution.
And on the third day, Jesus rises from the dead.
He later ascends to heaven.
And from heaven, the Spirit was sent.
And he came and he applied that work of Jesus to our lives as we heard and as we responded to the gospel.
Just think about that for a minute.
That every time eternal life surfaces in Edinburgh, sorry, eternal life surfaces in Edinburgh every time that we talk about Jesus.
And the Spirit, he dwells in our hearts so that we can share and know the love that the Father has for his Son.
And we can live for that purpose.
Do you see?
To be a Christian is no small thing.
And verse 1, Titus is to work to help the disciples on Crete.
Do you see?
What's he to do?
Help them grow in their knowledge of the truth that will in turn lead to godliness.
Do you see that word?
Godliness.
And don't confuse that word with goodliness.
This is not about our determination to turn over a new leaf.
This is not about us cleaning up our act on the outside.
You know, there's a woman in the States called Jen Wilkin.
She's just a brilliant thinker.
Just love reading her work.
She puts this so much better than I can.
I thought about paraphrasing it and I thought, no, we'll just give her the quote.
Here's what she says.
If we focus on our actions without addressing our hearts,
we may end up merely as better behaved lovers of self.
No, godliness is different from goodliness.
Godliness is how the grace of Jesus transforms us on the inside
and produces Jesus-like fruit for his glory and by his grace on the outside.
What's going to work on Crete?
What's going to convince people of the truth of the claims of Jesus
is when the ordinary people of this island see in Christians
the effect of a transformed life.
Now, I hope that encourages you here today.
We're going to see this as we travel through this letter
because you might think, my Christian life is anything but extraordinary.
You think what you're doing in your life is anything but extraordinary.
You think nobody notices me.
Friends, this tells you that God has got purposes for your life.
Good works is a huge theme in this letter.
Don't underestimate the power and the witness of a transformed life
wherever you are, whatever you're doing.
You see, if Cretans are liars,
in other words, if truth is negotiable, if truth is moldable,
if Cretans are knowing as being evil,
and I take it that just means people are encouraged to let their passions run wild,
and if Cretans are knowing as being lazy,
which may well be a reference to their work ethic,
do you know what?
It might just also be a fact that people just live for today
and they never think about tomorrow.
How striking then, throughout this letter,
that Paul says Jesus' people will be marked by things
that are completely the opposite of that.
They will be marked by a love for sound truth,
and sound is just the opposite of diseased.
A love for sound truth,
a desire for self-control,
and a zeal for good works.
Now, how different, strikingly different,
is a community like that
going to look on an island like Crete?
How different is a church like that
going to look in a city like ours?
It was the late John Stott who said,
it's only dead fish you go with the flow.
And see, crucial to all of this
is the leaders of this church.
The Bible's word for leaders of the church is elders.
That's why you get that word elders here.
The men who are tasked with being
the Christ-like servant leaders of the church family.
See, Paul's concern in this letter
is the passing of the leadership baton
from him to Titus.
And also he's concerned for the generation of elders
who will come both alongside Titus
and come after Titus.
That's what Titus is to put into order at verse 5.
And as you might expect,
leadership in the church
is radically different
from leadership in the world.
Do you want a little fun fact about Crete?
Didn't know it until this week,
so it was really cool.
Do you know why Cretans are known as liars?
It's not a joke.
It sounds like a joke, doesn't it?
It's not.
It's because they claim to be the place
where Zeus was born.
Right?
Apparently that's where Zeus is born, on Crete.
People love that fact on Crete.
People outside Crete look in and say,
no chance.
Really hot potato topic in this day.
Zeus, the chief Greek deity,
considered to be the ruler,
the protector,
and the father of all gods and humans.
Now, regardless of whether or not
that fact is a fact,
if that's fake news in our terms,
think about what that potentially means
for how leadership and how power
are viewed in Crete.
If you are breathing the air every day
of the guy who is famously depicted
as carrying a thunderbolt in his hand,
surely on some level,
that's got to subconsciously work its way
through your system and into the mindset
as you consider the power and influence
that you have,
even as small as it may be.
Why does Paul have to mention
that Christian elders are not to be arrogant
and quick-tempered and violent?
Could it well be that that is just
what you default to doing with power
and the influence that you have in Crete?
You know, my brother who works in finance,
his phone went off the other day.
Someone had liked his post on LinkedIn.
Now, some of you will be on that.
I don't even know whether it's a social media site or not.
Some of you will have no idea what I'm talking about.
It's a place where you,
online, you just upload your CV and credentials
so that the wider world can see.
And I asked him, I said,
do you like using LinkedIn?
LinkedIn?
And he said, well, kind of in my field,
you have to.
And this was his line.
He said, it's the app of shameless self-promotion.
See, in our world, friends,
you and I are used to composing
and putting together CVs
that say to a prospective employer,
this is how high and how willing I am to jump.
Whereas the CV of a Christian leader says,
not this is how high I can jump.
A CV of a Christian leader says,
this is how low I'm willing to stoop.
Christian leadership is not about following the man
with a thunderbolt in his hand.
Christian leadership is about seeking to emulate the man
who has a cross on his back.
And when Paul talks about elders here,
do you notice how he doesn't primarily talk about structures?
You know, as important as they are,
I take it is pretty context specific
when you think about structures in a church.
Nor does he talk about competency.
He talks here primarily about,
and you see it,
he talks about character.
And what you get here is just a contrast
between good leaders and bad leaders.
The type of which there are clearly many
who are prowling around the church scene in Crete
and who are peddling a distorted and a false gospel,
who are seeking to deny the sufficiency of Jesus
and his death
and the transforming effect of grace,
who are saying,
you kind of need to clean up your outside act
and do stuff.
Whereas that is not what the gospel of grace says.
And you might be saying to yourself,
why should I care about elders?
Let me just say,
we should all care about this
because the stakes are really, really high.
You go wrong here,
you appoint the wrong kind of elders,
you let the wrong kind of people have influence,
and there are disastrous consequences
for the health and the well-being of the church,
not to mention, I think,
particularly in Crete,
the reputation of the gospel.
And I had someone tell me the other day
how they refuse to buy brew dog beer anymore.
And the reason is
that they simply detest
how the owner has abused his power
and has treated his employees
now that that whole thing has been made public.
You understand, don't you,
if you're in leadership
and it goes wrong there,
the disastrous effect
for the renown of Jesus
as it can have on a city.
Eldership really matters.
Let me just say there are five of us men
who do this here at Brunsfield
who serve in this role.
There we are on the screen.
The reason that Pete and JT's names
are in white there,
just to clarify,
is simply just the color contrast.
They're not special.
Special, okay?
But consider this
permission
to keep us accountable
that we are serving you
by doing this
and by being this.
We should all care
about leadership in the church.
Just really quickly,
there are two things
that are telltale signs
that someone is elder material.
Remember, Paul is saying to Titus,
you need to appoint men like this
to lead the church.
They're going to give themselves
for the good of the people.
Let me just say,
before we get into this,
it's our joy to serve you
as elders here.
It really is.
I get to do this full-time.
These guys do it.
A mixture of part-time.
These guys do it
on top of full-time jobs,
looking after children,
all the rest of it.
Can I just say,
don't say this to me,
but go out of your way
to thank these men.
I see,
I see how hard they work for you.
How they labor,
how they toil,
how they visit,
how they write emails,
how they plan.
They do this
on top of everything else
that they do,
and they do it
because they love Jesus
and they love you.
Here's the first one
we were talking about elder material.
It's the fruit of his life.
See, the world makes a distinction
between someone's public
and private life,
and I guess that their private life
is considered less important
than simply their ability
to do the job.
When it comes to eldership,
it is completely the opposite.
It's completely the opposite.
And maybe you're here today
and you're not a Christian.
We love that you're here.
Maybe can I just ask you,
do you see
the examples
and the effects
of bad leadership
as you look at our world?
I want you to know,
and God wants you to know,
that in his church
this should be exactly the same.
Maybe you're here today
and you've been burnt
by the church over the years
by bad leadership.
How do you say that?
I'm so, so sorry
that that has been the case.
Know how God feels about that
when we see the standards
that he wants in his leaders.
You know,
a good indicator
that someone is going to be
good at loving
and leading the spiritual family
of God.
Paul says,
look at how he loves
and leads his
biological family.
And I take it
that doesn't mean
that just only elders
are the ones who are married
and have a family.
I don't think that's
the application here.
But I think Paul's saying
if you want a good guess
at how he's going to be
at leading the
spiritual family of God,
look at his own life.
If he has one,
does he have children?
Do his children,
and I take it the word there
is talking about
young children still at home,
how are they with him?
Does he take the time?
Can you see it
to nurture his children?
Does he enjoy them?
Does he see them
as a blessing in his life?
Is he bringing them up
to know Jesus?
And talking to families,
what does his wife say about him?
The person who sees him
when no one else is watching,
the person who sees him
when his guard is down,
how does he relate to her?
Is it clear to everyone watching
that he has eyes for her alone?
Does he seek to show hospitality?
I take it that's more than just
does he throw a decent dinner party?
This is more akin to
does he welcome
and does he love strangers?
Is his home a place,
a safe place of refuge for people?
And why does that matter?
It matters because
does his heart reflect
the God of radical hospitality?
You know, they always say
that you should dance
like no one's watching.
Well, an elder friend
is to be this
when no one's watching.
He's not putting it on.
This is not his game face.
He comes
and this is just who he is.
Consider the fruit of his life
and equally consider
the truth from his lips.
Do you see verse 9?
Does he hold firmly
to that trustworthy message
as has been taught?
Does he know the gospel?
Does he love the gospel?
Does he hold the gospel?
Again, because it's the truth
that's going to lead to godliness.
It's the truth
that's going to lead
to the flourishing of this church.
It's not about how well
we're able to do events.
It's not about how structured we are.
What is going to transform
this church
and continue to do it
for God's glory
is the truth.
It's the truth.
Now, in our world
where in 2016
the word post-truth
was declared to be
the word of the year
by the Oxford Dictionary.
And there's a lovely
little irony there, isn't there,
in the truth
that that word
is actually two words,
but we'll let that go.
Into our post-truth world,
see when the going gets tough,
an elder who's worth his soul
is not going to shapeshift
with the changing seasons
of culture.
No, an elder will hold
steadfastly to the truth
of the gospel,
be willing to take the hit for it
because he loves it
and he's convinced of it
and he loves Jesus.
He loves Jesus' people.
And that means
as elders,
as we lead through
our teaching,
notwithstanding the place
of creativity up here,
what you will find up here
is nothing
but an unashamed commitment
to unoriginality.
Now, this is Tim Chester.
He's written a great commentary
on this called Titus.
He says it like this.
He says,
peddling orthodoxy
is not a great way
to make a name for yourself.
Sell books
or draw a crowd
because by very definition,
it's all been said before.
And let me just say,
we are committed as leaders
to being teachers
who just say
what's been said before.
For generations before us,
for millennia before us,
that's the truth of Jesus Christ.
Why?
Because God's word
is eternal.
And that's what we need.
The truth will lead
to godliness.
See maybe the offensive angle
in this at verse 9.
Why does he do this?
An elder,
so that he can encourage
others with it.
Do you know in our world
where it's all too easy
just to position yourself
in a social media echo chamber
and you just surround yourself
with opinions
that you just agree with?
A loving elder
will know
that what is nicest
for you to hear
is not always
the best thing
for you to hear.
He will put
your eternal destiny
before your present comfort.
He will have
that word
because he loves you.
Let me just ask you
to just broaden it out
a little bit.
Friends,
do you have people
in your lives
who will tell you
the hard things
that you don't want to hear?
And you know
that they will do that
because they love you.
Not that they're nitpicking
or they're out to get you.
You know that they love you.
Do you have people
like that in your life?
I take it that's why
we need each other,
that we can speak the truth
in love to each other.
See the defensive angle
on it as well.
He will refute
those who oppose it.
Clearly knows,
Paul knows the situation
in Crete
where these false teachers
are on the prowl.
Verse 10,
he calls them
rebellious people
full of meaningless talk
and deception.
I take it he's really strong
on this
because he loves Titus
and he loves
what God is doing
through this church in Crete.
Paul exposes their motives.
Verse 11,
do you see,
for dishonest gain.
Clearly,
whatever they were saying
was enough
to unsettle these Christians.
People,
Paul says,
verse 16,
are people who profess
to know God
but who deny him
by their works.
You know,
we went for a walk
on New Year's Day
across the moors
where my parents live,
just outside Glasgow.
We realized we'd brought
outside boots
for two of the children
and not one of the children.
So Grace is on this walk.
She's wearing her trainers
and she's jumping in
and out of muddy puddles.
And it doesn't take us long,
or sorry,
it didn't take long
before those trainers
were absolutely soaking wet.
And we utter
the classic line
that you always
utter as parents.
For goodness sake,
you're soaked
right through.
And I take it Paul
is saying here
that an elder
is a man
who is soaked
right through
with the gospel.
You ring him
when the pressure
gets tough,
that's what's going
to come out of him.
And he is the flip
of verse 16.
He will be somebody
who claims to know God
and he shows it
by his works.
Now listen,
our time's gone,
but let me just finish
with this thought.
You know,
we started thinking
about a little girl
who had a yes day.
Just as we close,
let me tell you a story
I heard recently
about a man
who had a no day.
He was a Church of Scotland
minister from years ago
who ministered up
in this tiny village
in the north of Scotland
called May.
Right?
You'll never have heard
of May.
I had to Google it
where it was this week,
but it is famous
for one thing
and one thing only.
It's got a castle.
Royal family,
occasionally I think
have gone there
over the years.
And the story goes
about this minister
in this church,
this elder,
that the Queen
happened to be up
in that neck of the woods
one time
on her Scottish trip.
And the minister
was called
by the Queen's aide
and the Queen's aide
really simply said,
would you join
the Queen and I
for dinner?
And this minister,
he turned it down
because that evening
happened to be
the church prayer meeting
and he made a commitment
to eight of his fellow
parishioners,
the story goes,
to be with them
and to pray with them.
So slightly kicking himself
that he missed
the opportunity,
a while later,
the phone goes
and it's the QM,
the Queen Mother's aide again
and he said,
the Queen got your message
and she wants you to know
that you made
a really wise choice
and actually you can
come round for dinner
tomorrow night
if you want.
And listen,
a good elder,
just as we finish,
will be a man
who is not dazzled
by the glitz
and the glamour,
a man who's not
swayed by public opinion,
a man who's not
swayed by celebrity status,
a man who's not
seeking platform
and likes,
a man who's committed
to God's truth
and he's committed
to the people
that God has called
him to love
and to serve.
So that is why
Paul says,
that's why I left you
in Crete.
Let me just let you
into the verse
that we're going to
think about next week
and I think this is
the heart of the letter
but let's just finish
with this and you'll
see the themes
that we picked up
on a lot of today.
Chapter 2,
verse 11,
Paul writes this,
for the grace of God
has appeared,
bringing salvation
for all people,
training us
to renounce
ungodliness
and worldly passions
and to live
self-controlled,
uplight
and godly lives
in the present age,
waiting
for our
blessed hope,
the appearing
of the glory
of our great God
and Saviour,
Jesus Christ.
Father,
we thank you
so much
for this morning
and we thank you
for your word.
And Lord,
I just pray
that as a church
this year,
we would be marked
by a radical
dependence on you.
Father,
as we
we want
our church
to be,
as the Lord Jesus
said,
a light
that's shining
on a hill,
Father,
that others
would look in here
and that they
would see
the grace
of Jesus
that truly
transforms.
So Father,
I pray,
maybe pray
for myself
and for the other
elders here today,
Lord,
that you would help
us to lead
like Jesus.
Lord,
would a love
for him
spill out
into a love
for the people
of this church
and a renown
for your name
across this city.
Father,
help us
to be
a people
who live
self-controlled
lives,
upright in every way
as we wait
for the returning
glorious
Jesus.
In his name
we pray.
Amen.