Good morning.
My name is Matthew Capone and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church
and it's our joy to have you with us today.
Special welcome if you are new or visiting with us.
We are glad you're here.
And we're glad you're here not because we are trying to fill seats
but because we are following after Jesus together as one community.
And as we follow after Jesus we are convinced that there's no one so good
that they don't need God's grace and no one so bad that they can't have it.
And so God has something to say to everyone in his word
and everyone needs to hear what God has to say to us.
If you've been with us you know that we have recently started the book of Nehemiah
and the book of Nehemiah is a book first about a man who's named Nehemiah.
It's a man who lived in the 5th century in the Old Testament
the time when God's people was known as the nation of Israel.
And as we saw in chapter 1 this man came to a place of great repentance
because he saw the ways in which God's people had abandoned God's mission.
Nehemiah repented of his involvement in that his failures
as well as the failures of the people he led
because he saw that the city that God had given to his people
the city of Jerusalem which was meant to show the entire world
what it was like when God's people lived according to God's ways
had instead become broken down in a shame.
And so in chapter 1 he repented of that.
In chapter 2 he began to work and act and pray
to return to the mission that God had given him.
And so just as we talked about in our confession of faith this morning
and repentance it's not just turning away from sin and our failures
but turning back to everything that God has called us to.
And so we're going to continue the story of Nehemiah
and his turning back to God's calling
but we're going to read not so much about Nehemiah this morning
as we are about all the different people who are involved in the rebuilding.
And here it's going to be specifically the rebuilding of the wall that's around Jerusalem.
There's another book in the Bible called Ezra
that deals with the rebuilding of the temple.
And this book is going to be part of that greater story
the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem.
And as I think about chapter 3 it makes me think about coffee.
There was, if you know and have followed
you know as we've gone through the last couple decades
there's been a shift in the way that people consume and think about coffee.
It used to be that you would just simply go to the store
and you would think about
and maybe you still think about this way
there's actually two generational ways of thinking about coffee.
If you are an older generation
you think about coffee in terms of price per pound.
If you are a younger generation
your tendency is going to think about coffee in price per cup.
Which means that the way you think about coffee
is going to change what you're going to be willing to pay for it.
And part of this changing from pound to cup
is the involvement of what we all know as the K-cups
the Keurig machines or pod coffee.
Where you can not necessarily share one pot
that you make with other people
but each person gets to pick their own flavor.
Whether they want tea or coffee or something else.
And so there was an article recently
when I say recently now
I guess it's been about five or six years
that came out in the New York Times
called The High Price of Individualism.
And it broke down the price per pound
of bagged coffee versus pod coffee.
And so you know if you go to the grocery store
and you buy cheaper coffee
it might cost you five to six dollars per pound.
If you buy slightly better coffee
it might be ten to twelve dollars per pound.
And then this article
and this has gone up since then
but at the time
the very finest coffee that you could buy
would be about twenty dollars per pound.
And now that's gone up
in the last five or six years
you can now buy very nice coffee
here in Colorado Springs
for twenty-five or twenty-six dollars a pound
if you want.
But they then after that
calculated the price of coffee
that came in pods.
They figured out how much it was per cup
compared to a bag.
And you don't have to say out loud
but I do want you to think for a second
and guess how much does coffee cost per pound
if you buy it in pods rather than a bag.
Instead of the most expensive bag coffee
which was about twenty dollars
at the time
the calculated price of pod coffee
was fifty
or fifty-one dollars a pound.
In other words
more than twice as much
as the finest coffee
you could buy per bag.
And so the point is
is partially this
that the title
of the article was correct
when it said
the high price
of individualism.
But as we come to this passage
and by the way
I mean to cast no aspersions
or shame
for anyone who uses pod coffee
I've used pod coffee before
that's not my point
in bringing all this up.
But as we come to a list
of names and people
doing work
in Nehemiah chapter three
we're going to encounter
two types of people.
We are going to encounter
coffee pot people
and we're going to encounter
cake up people.
We're going to hear about
different types of people
from all different kinds
of groups
and some people
are going to be
different people
that join one mission
and then we're going
to come across
different people
with different missions.
We'll see different people
with one mission
and different people
with different missions.
In other words
we'll have pot people.
People who are different
in age and generation
but they're willing
to drink the same brew
from the same pot.
And then we'll encounter
people who come
from different generations
and vocations
and stages
but they're one
to insist
on their own way.
And so as we read
this chapter
I'm going to just name
what's about to happen.
We are going to read
a lot of names.
And so if you're tempted
to shut down
and turn off your mind
as we read through them
my challenge to you
is this.
See if you can find
the cake up people
as we read along.
Now I'll tell you
I'll let it out of the bag
a little bit.
Most of the people
in this chapter
are coffee pot people.
The cake up people
show up in one half
of one verse.
So it's not a hard needle
to find
but it is a needle.
So my challenge to you
is as we read along
to see if you can
pick out
who the cake up people are.
Again no shame
if you use cake cups
that's not the point.
Right?
But it's different people
on one mission
versus different people
with different missions.
And so with that
we're in Nehemiah chapter 3.
As we come to chapter 3
remember that this is
God's word.
And God tells us
that his word
is a lamp to our feet
and a light to our path.
In other words
God has not left us alone
to stumble in the dark
but instead
he's given us
his word
to show us
how we should go.
And so we're in
Nehemiah chapter 3
starting at verse 1.
Then Eliashib the high priest
rose up
with his brothers
the priests
and they built
the sheep gate.
They consecrated
and set its doors.
They consecrated it
as far
as the tower
of the hundred.
As far as
the tower
of Hananel.
And next to him
the men of Jericho
built.
And next to them
Zachar the son
of Emri built.
The sons of Hassanah
built the fish gate.
They laid its beams
and set its doors
its bolts
and its bars.
And next to them
Merimoth the son
of Uriah
son of Hackah
is repaired.
And next to them
Meshulam the son
of Berechiah
son of Meshuzabel
repaired.
And next to them
Zadok the son
of Banna repaired.
Verse 5.
And next to them
the Tekoach
repaired.
But their nobles
would not stoop
to serve their lord.
Verse 6.
Joyada the son
of Passiah
and Meshulam
the son of Besodiah
repaired the gate
of Yeshanah.
They laid its beams
and set its doors
its bolts
and its bars.
And next to them
repaired Melatiah
the Gibeonite
and Jaden the Maranaphite
the men of Gibeon
and of Mizpah
the seat of the governor
of the province
beyond the river.
Verse 8.
Next to them
Uzziel the son
of Harhiah
goldsmiths
repaired.
Next to him
Hananiah
one of the perfumers
repaired
and they restored
Jerusalem as far
as the broad wall.
Next to them
Rephiah the son
of Hur
ruler of half
the district
of Jerusalem
repaired.
Next to them
Jediah the son
of Haramath
repaired opposite
his house.
And next to him
Hattish the son
of Heshabnea
repaired.
Malkijah the son
of Haram
and Hashib the son
of Pahath Moab
repaired another section
in the tower
of the ovens.
Next to him
Shalom the son
of Halahesh
ruler of half
the district
of Jerusalem
repaired.
He and his
daughters.
Hanan and the
inhabitants of Zenoa
repaired the valley
gate.
They rebuilt it
and set its doors
its bolts
and its bars
and repaired
a thousand cubits
of the wall
as far as
the dung gate.
Verse 14.
Malkijah the son
of Rechab
ruler of the
district of Beth
Hecarim
repaired the dung gate.
He rebuilt it
and set its doors
its bolts
and its bars.
And Shalom
the son
of Kolhose
ruler of the
district of Mizpah
repaired the fountain
gate.
He rebuilt it
and covered it
and set its doors
its bolts
and its bars.
And he built
the wall
of the pool
of Shelah
of the king's
garden
as far as
the stairs
that go down
from the city
of David.
After him
Nehemiah
the son
of Azbek
ruler of half
the district
of Beth
Zer
repaired to a
point opposite
the tombs
of David
as far as
the artificial
pool
and as far
as the house
of the mighty
men.
After him
the Levites
repaired.
Rehim
the son
of Bani.
Next to him
Hashabiah
ruler of half
the district
of Calah
repaired for
his district.
After him
their brothers
repaired.
Babi the son
of Hinnadad
ruler of half
the district
of Calah.
Next to him
Ezra the son
of Jeshua
ruler of Mizpah
repaired another
section opposite
the ascent to
the armory
at the buttress.
After him
Baruch the son
of Zabiah
repaired another
section from
the buttress
to the door
of the house
of Eliashib
the high priest.
Verse 21
After him
Merimoth the son
of Uriah
son of Hachaz
repaired another
section from
the door of
the house
of Eliashib
to the end
of the house
of Eliashib.
After him
the priests
the men
of the surrounding
area repaired.
After them
Benjamin and
Hashab repaired
opposite their
house.
After them
Azariah the son
of Maseah
son of Ananiah
repaired beside
his own house.
After him
Benui the son
of Hinnadad
repaired another
section from
the house
of Azariah
to the buttress
into the corner.
Paliel the son
of Uzziah
repaired opposite
the buttress
and the tower
projecting from
the upper house
of the king
at the court
of the guard.
After him
Padaiah the son
of Peresh
and the temple
servants living
on Ophel
repaired to a
point opposite
the water
gate on the
east and
the projecting
tower.
After him
the Techoites
repaired another
section opposite
the great
projecting tower
as far as
the wall
of Ophel.
Above the
horse gate
the priests
repaired each
one opposite
his own
house.
Verse 29
After them
Zadok the son
of Emmer
repaired opposite
his own
house.
After him
Shemaiah the son
of Shekaniah the
keeper of the
east gate
repaired.
After him
Hananiah the son
of Shelemiah
and Hanan the
sixth son of
Zalaph repaired
another section.
After him
Meshulam the son
of Berechiah
repaired opposite
his chamber.
After him
Malkijah one
of the goldsmiths
repaired as far
as the house
of the temple
servants and of
the merchants
opposite the
muster gate
and to the
upper chamber
of the corner.
And between
the upper
chamber of the
corner and
the sheep gate
the goldsmiths
and the
merchants
repaired.
Please pray
with me as we
come to this
portion of
God's word.
Dear Father
in heaven
we thank you
that you've
given us your
word.
That you
speak to us.
You don't
leave us alone
to figure things
out on our
own.
And so we ask
that you would
do that now.
That you would
use this part
of your word
to shape us
and form us
into the people
you want us
to be.
We ask all
these things
in the name
of your son.
Amen.
If you remember
from last week
the very end
of chapter 2
Nehemiah
tells everyone
in verse 18
to rise up
and build.
And so that
same phrase
is repeated
here at the
beginning of
chapter 3
just as he
told them
in chapter 2
to rise up
and build
then we hear
in verse 1
the high priest
rose up
with his brothers
the priests.
They rose up.
And so we begin
to see people
doing exactly
what Nehemiah
had asked them
to do
and as we see
it there's
all kinds
of different
groups and
individuals.
We have the
priests
in verse 1.
And so we have
people that
have a specific
calling working
together to rebuild
the wall.
Then we have
tradesmen.
We see different
guilds in verse 8
with the goldsmiths
and the perfumers.
They're working
together as a group.
People who are
bound together
by a trade
and a vocation.
There's also
individuals.
We see later on
in verse 23
and other parts
that the people
who are building
walls close to
the houses
are individuals.
And one man
if you caught it
in verse 12
I should have
actually made you
watch for this one
as well.
One man comes out
with all his
daughters to rebuild.
And so this is
someone presumably
who did not have
any sons to help him
but he still
he and his family
wanted to take part
in the work.
Not only are there
different people
but there's all kinds
of different abilities.
If you were listening
carefully you know
that there were parts
where we heard about
another section.
For example in verse 4
we met Merrimoth
the son of Uriah.
And I know that you all
were keeping extremely
close track of all
these names.
And so all of you
noticed in verse 21
when Merrimoth
the son of Uriah
showed up again.
Not telling you
anything you didn't
see already.
You notice in verse 21
it says Merrimoth
the son of Uriah
repaired another section.
And so we have
people of different
groups and backgrounds
coming together
but also people
of different abilities.
Some people are able
to build more sections
than other people.
There's different interests.
The priests
repair the sheep gate
which is how we started
in the beginning
and ended in this chapter.
Now why would the priests
repair the sheep gate?
That's going to be
the place where the
sacrifices are brought in
for their work.
We don't know for sure
but some scholars
believe that the section
that the tradesmen
are repaying
are sections that
were close to their shops.
And we know that
the sections that
the individuals repaired
are close to their houses.
And so in this building
not everyone is expected
to be the same.
There are different groups
working together.
And yet they're working
together towards
the same goal.
And so not every person
is the same.
Not every group
is the same
but their mission
is.
Not every person
is the same.
Not every group
is the same
but their mission
is.
They are all
different kinds of people
from different places
and different backgrounds
and yet they choose
to drink
from the same pot.
And so what's true
of God's people
in the Old Testament
of these folks
in Jerusalem
rebuilding the wall
around their city
is true of us as well.
We have different groups
in our church.
We have military
service members.
We have widows.
We have young families
and we have retirees.
We have families
who homeschool
and families that do not.
And so just like
every church
or group
we have different
kinds of people.
We have people
with different interests
different abilities.
People who come
from different backgrounds
who if we were in Jerusalem
we might live
in different parts
of the city.
And that's not the part
that's surprising, right?
Any group that you find
there's going to be people
with different interests
and what is surprising here
is not that there are groups.
That's not unusual.
What's unusual
is that these are groups
that are working together.
And so while the people
are different
the mission is the same.
While the people
are different
the mission is the same.
We can imagine
that there were probably
disagreements going on
about how things
should be done
and who should repair what.
And what we find
in this chapter
is all of these people
not hearing about
their disagreements
except for our K-cup people
which we'll get to
in a minute.
Not hearing about
their disagreements
but hearing about
all the ways
that they lifted
their hands and work.
They did what Nehemiah
called them to do
in chapter 2
to rise up and build.
And throughout
this whole chapter
that's what we see
people rising up
to build.
And so they don't stop
being part of their groups.
Nehemiah doesn't
tell the priests
that they have to join
with the perfumers.
He doesn't tell
the individuals
that they need to join
the goldsmiths.
He lets each group
work together
for their interests.
All he asks here
all that we see
that's required
is that they're working
together for the common goal.
And so this is similar
to what we saw
in Philippians.
In Philippians
we talked about
looking out
not for our own interests
but for the interests
of others.
Being question people
rather than answer people
looking to understand
what it is other groups
of people in the church
need.
And here it's similar
but slightly different.
Instead of looking
to others' interests
ahead of our own
we see these groups
looking to the interests
of the mission
ahead of their own.
If you remember
last week
I defined God's mission
as the part
of the Lord's Prayer
where we ask
that God's kingdom
would come on earth
just as it is in heaven.
And so these groups
are not looking
to put the interests
necessarily of another group
above their own
like we talked about
in Philippians
but they're looking
to put the interests
of God's mission
ahead of their own.
They're looking to
in this case
put the interests
of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem being a city
that could actually
show God's goodness
and his love
and his justice
to the world.
It's the mission
that they're pursuing
that gives them joy.
It's the mission
that allows them
to work together
as different types
and kinds of people.
It's the mission
that allows them
to put aside
their interests
and perhaps
even their abilities.
My guess is that
the priests
were not great
wall builders
and the perfumers
may not have been
either.
Maybe the goldsmiths
had some advantages.
But that wasn't
what mattered.
It wasn't their
backgrounds that mattered
their abilities.
What mattered
was coming together
for one mission.
They put aside
their own preferences,
their own happiness.
These are people
who have chosen
to drink from the coffee pot
even if what they
would prefer
at that moment
would be herbal tea
or some hot cocoa.
And so that's what
brings them
and joins them
all together.
There was an article
a few years ago
in Forbes magazine
about working
with employees
as a business
and the article
was titled
Why Employee Happiness
is the Wrong Goal.
And the point
of the article
was that many companies
are trying to do
everything to meet
the preferences
of their employees
to satisfy
and cater to
little things
that they want
or need
and yet in doing that
they're pursuing
the wrong thing.
Instead they should be
pointing people together
towards one mission
and so the author
of this article
a woman named Liz Ryan
says this
let's imagine
a person
completely immersed
in his or her work.
We'll use
the greatest violin maker
in the world
as our example.
I don't know
who makes
the greatest violins
in the world
but we'll imagine
that it's an Italian
violin maker
named Franco
and that Franco
has a studio
where 15 or 20
apprentice and journeyman
violin makers
work alongside Franco
making the most
exquisite violins
in the world.
Is Franco happy?
He is alternately ecstatic
frustrated
transported
confused
exhausted
and lost in the zone.
He and his work
are inextricable
from one another.
No one would say
about Franco
or his employees
they are happy.
Instead people
in Franco's town
would say
those guys
live and breathe
violins
and people
around the world
rejoice.
when we as a church
embrace
bringing God's kingdom
here on earth
as it is in heaven
it will not necessarily
make us happy.
It will not necessarily
meet all our preferences
and priorities.
We will be
alternately ecstatic
frustrated
transported
confused
exhausted
and lost
in the zone.
And our hope
is that people here
in southwest
Colorado Springs
would say
that church
lives and breathes
God's kingdom
so that people
around the world
can rejoice.
We can be
different people
with one mission
or different people
with different missions.
But only when we are
different people
with one mission
will people
around the world
rejoice.
now I asked you
to look for
the K-cup people
I would be really
impressed if you
found them
because they are
hidden in one
half of one verse
Susie has it
she is giving me
the sign
it is verse 5
the Techoites
are going to go down
as infamous
in the book of Nehemiah
for this one verse
chapter 3
verse 5
Now lord here
is in the singular
you may have a note
in your Bible
saying it could also
be the plural
lords
what most likely
is being referred to
is either Nehemiah
as a person here
or just supervisors
in general
and this language
here of stooping
to serve
is language of
these group of
nobles being too
proud to take part
in building the wall
I mentioned earlier
that probably not
everyone agreed
about everything
we don't know
why exactly
these nobles
were upset
it could be
that they had
a different plan
for building the wall
maybe they wanted
to mix the groups
up we don't know
maybe they were
upset that they
had been living
in Jerusalem
for a while
and this upstart
Nehemiah
and his friends
came in
to tell them
how to rebuild
someone who'd
been living
in the Persian
empire of all
places
as a cupbearer
maybe it's
that they thought
that building
a wall
was beneath them
but for whatever
the reason
these nobles
decided they
were not going
to take part
and it wasn't
because they
weren't part
of God's people
clearly these
were part
of the remnant
that God
had preserved
from the exile
they'd returned
to Jerusalem
they understood
God's mission
and the importance
of Jerusalem
and yet
for whatever reason
their pride
got in the way
what was being
served up here
was a pot of coffee
and these nobles
wanted to drink
something different
they didn't want
to take part
in the mission
and so what they
did is they let
their own preferences
and their pride
get in the way
of God
and his kingdom
as we can imagine
with any
endeavor
that's worth
anything
there's lots
of ideas
and opinions
about what
should be done
lots of people
working together
I imagine
there's probably
lots of struggles
that we don't
hear about
in this chapter
maybe the perfumers
and the goldsmiths
borrowed tools
from each other
and then didn't
give them back
maybe someone
built a little short
and didn't go as far
as they were supposed
to and they
left someone else
to pick up the slack
there'd be all kinds
of reasons
to not stoop
to serve the mission
and so the Techoites
here serve for us
their nobles
serve as a negative
example
while we have
different groups
coming together
for one mission
we have one group
that decided
to put their pride
and their preferences
above everything
that God had
for them
in his holy city
and so this chapter
is both an encouragement
to us
and a warning
it's an encouragement
that we would come together
as people
who are very
very different
and we would pursue
one mission together
but it's also a warning
that if we put
our own pride
and our preferences
ahead of God's mission
not only will we
impede it
but we will lose out
on everything
that God has
for us
because it's in this mission
it's in this work
that God brings
his joy
to his people
it's no fun
to live in a city
with broken down walls
but it's in the rebuilding
of Jerusalem
that God has given
his people
an opportunity
to come back
from all the reasons
that they were sent
into exile
to return to him
and his purposes
and to find his mission
and their purpose
as they work together
side by side
the other thing
we see here
is that Nehemiah
does not rebuild
the wall
on his own
as we come together
with different groups
on one mission
it means that
different groups
are coming together
the book is named
after Nehemiah
because he leads
and yet Nehemiah's name
only appears once
in this chapter
and it's unclear
whether it's even
the same Nehemiah
while Nehemiah
is the one
who has led
the people in repentance
and has done the research
it's with the efforts
of the entire people
that the wall
is rebuilt
and so as we are
one
different people
with one mission
the same is
true of us
it's not just
that everyone
is working together
but that everyone
is working
we read verses
from the New Testament
earlier in our service
this morning
about the many
different gifts
that God gives
to his people
and the fact
that we need
everyone
pushing forward
for us to do
the work
that God
has given us
here
our limitation
here as a church
is not primarily
financial
our limitations
are ones of us
being willing
to come together
all as one group
one church
to push forward
everything that God
has for us
it's true of the
things that we
need inside the
church and outside
the church
inside the church
we have many
places in the wall
that need to be built
we have nursery
workers that we
need to come
alongside and help
us as we disciple
our children
we are always
looking for more
people to help
us with our
sound in the back
we are always
in need of people
to help disciple
our children
but the point
of building
Jerusalem
is not just
so that it
would be a place
for God's people
and their comfort
but remember
that the purpose
was always
that it would
be something
that would
show God
to the entire
world
and so our
need to build
and work together
towards one mission
is not just
that we would
be a good
community here
inside the church
but that we
would reach
people outside
the church
as well
and so we
need help
and people
we are not
without many
opportunities
to reach
Fort Carson
in fact
there's so many
opportunities
to reach them
that we could
not do all
of it as one
church
and yet as we
come together
and work together
that's going to
be the way
that we're able
to reach
soldiers
with the good
news of the
gospel
we need all
kinds of
different groups
coming together
to invite our
neighbors here
to join us
I only have
a limited number
of neighbors
but you have
neighbors as
well
and if the
goldsmiths
and the
perfumers
and the
priests
all exert
their influence
their areas
of influence
to invite
people
not just
into a
relationship
with God
but a
relationship
to his
people
that is
when God's
kingdom
is going
to come
more and
more on
earth
here at
Cheyenne
Mountain
our
thanksgiving
baskets
this past
year
went better
than they
have ever
gone
because we
had so many
different people
with so many
different gifts
coming alongside
we had people
who were gifted
in welcoming
and greeting
who made people
who visited our
church feel at
home
we had people
with gifts
of service
who were willing
to drive around
and drop off
baskets to
people whose
cars were broken
down and they
weren't able to
come pick them
up
we had people
whose gifts
were in
administration
and were able
to organize
and make sure
the details
were set
right
we heard
from Autumn
last Sunday
about all the
opportunities
that we have
to serve
with Life
Network
and help
women and
men who
are in
crisis
and so
God's
mission is
before us
he has
given us
tremendous
opportunities
to serve
him
to bring
his kingdom
here on
earth as it
is in
heaven
and so
that's where
we find
our unity
as a people
that's where
we come
together
not the
same
as people
with many
different
gifts
many different
abilities
but we
come together
with one
heart
one goal
one desire
and the
desire is
not that
this would
be a place
where
everything
that we
want
happens
but where
everything
that God
wants
we pursue
it's not
a place
where
everything
we want
happens
but it's
a place
where
everything
that God
wants
we pursue
we find
our unity
in our
mission
and we
find it
there
because
that is
where
God
has found
his unity
first
God
had a
unified
mission
within
the
Trinity
to this
world
before he
ever called
us to do
anything with
him and
for him
God sent
his son
as part
of his
mission
and they
were united
in that
Jesus tells
us in
John chapter
10 that he
and the
father are
one
and yet
they have
different roles
in the way
they accomplish
it
God
the father
sent his
son
Jesus
the son
died
and he
died
for our
sins
he died
to redeem
people who
had rebelled
against him
but he
didn't just
redeem us
from sin
he redeemed
us to
all the
work that
he has
for us
everything
that he
has to
redeem
and bring
back
what's been
ruined
and broken
by sin
and so
Jesus has
a mission
as well
he says
in Luke
chapter
19 that
he came
to seek
and save
the lost
and so
Jesus'
mission
to us
is the
mission
that enables
us to
also join
with him
he came
to seek
and save
us so
that we
could be
part of
his mission
here on
earth
so we
follow him
in doing
what he's
already done
to bring
his kingdom
on earth
just as
it is
in heaven
it's a
mission
that Jesus
started
and it's
a mission
that he
gives to
us
as well
and so
the question
is not
whether we
are different
because we
are
the question
is whether
we will
join together
in our
differences
because Jesus
has already
joined together
with us
and so
we're going to
sing about that
now
we're going to
sing about
the church
arising and
doing the
work that
God's given
us
because of
the work
that he
has already
done
for us
and so
please pray
with me
as we
come to
that portion
of our
service
dear father
in heaven
we thank
you
for your
mission
to us
we thank
you for
sending
your son
so that
he could
bear the
weight of
your full
and complete
justice
so that
we would
not have
to
thank you
for redeeming
us from
sin so that
you could
redeem us
to righteousness
to work
together
as one
community
as one
church
following
after you
together
we ask
that you'd
send your
spirit
and you'd
help us
to do
that now
we ask
all these
things in
the name
of your
son
amen