Well, good morning, everyone. It is lovely to see you here today.
It is always exciting when we begin a new preaching series as a church,
and this morning really is no exception to that.
I'm really excited to get into Daniel together.
Particularly, can I encourage you, if you're in the habit of taking notes during sermons,
I always find that a really good way to not just concentrate during,
but remember afterwards some of the things that we've been learning.
Can I encourage you, this might be a really good series,
and this is going to take us up to the beginning of the summer,
to begin that habit.
Do it in your iPhone if you want, in the wee notes section,
or scribble them on your Bible and your notepad.
God is going to teach us so much through this book together,
and I'm really excited to get into it.
But let me try and anchor us in the book of Daniel,
and maybe try and help us see what I think is going to be the cash out
when it comes to the application of this book for us as a local church.
Now, here is one of my favourite comedians from Glasgow called Kevin Bridges.
Kevin Bridges has performed at venues all over the world.
Now, admittedly, his language is a bit spicy,
but if you're willing to get beyond that,
some of his material is genuinely really funny,
and it appeals to my Glaswegian sense of humour as well.
But I was watching one of his sets recently,
little clips on YouTube,
and this is the line he came out with,
and see what you make of this.
He said, earthquakes, tsunamis, Donald Trump, Brexit,
Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin,
ISIS, global warming, a refugee crisis, sexual harassment.
I think if you believe in God,
you've got to acknowledge that the guy's in over his head
is getting a bit much for God.
And here was his line,
God has lost the dressing room.
Now, I've got a lot of time for honesty like that,
not because I particularly agree with what he's saying,
but it's what you find when you come to the God of the Bible,
is that the God of the Bible
is big enough to handle our questions in life
and our frustrations about life.
And not only is he big enough to handle them,
but he gives us in his word
a better story for which to understand
our lives and the world in which we live.
But every time I hear a line like that from Kevin Bridges,
from my friends, from my family,
there's always a little tiny voice in my mind
that says,
what if they're right?
I mean, is there anyone at the steering wheel of the world?
Is history, is it heading anywhere?
And if it is heading anywhere,
where is it heading?
And who gets to decide that?
Where does power really lie in this world?
Does it lie in the places that we can see with our eyes
and the people that we can see up the front
and the positions of power?
Or does it lie somewhere else?
Let me tell you what the book of Daniel is going to do for us.
The guys I love watching every time
during the Winter Olympics comes around
are the cross-country skiers.
I think because I've got the greatest admiration
for fitness levels like that.
But it seems to me,
I'm no cross-country skiing expert,
but it seems to me that the key
to keep these guys moving forward
are the two poles which they hold in their hands.
Right?
See it on the screen?
The two poles which they hold in their hands.
That's what gives them the momentum.
That's what keeps them moving forward.
Here's what the book of Daniel does.
It gives us two poles to grab onto and use
so that we keep moving forward in the Christian life.
Ready for these?
Here's the first one.
It's really simply God's sovereignty.
Now that might be a new word for you.
Let me just break it down what it means.
It means that this God is in total control
of all things big and little in life.
Nothing escapes his gaze.
Nothing goes down without his say-so.
You see what God tells us in the pages of his word
as he speaks to us and makes himself known
is that he's not just some kind of
Magnus Carlsen in the sky.
That name means nothing to you.
He's a grand chess player
who's known as being a couple of moves ahead
of every single one of his opponents.
I think he was the first one ever
to beat the supercomputer.
Now actually the Lord is the eternal one
who as we sang in that song is outside of time.
All of time is in his hands.
He is the one who knows the end from the beginning.
He is the one as we come in here today
who our view of whatever it is
is way too small.
God's sovereignty.
That is the first pole that this book of Daniel gives us.
And the second one really simply
is that history is going somewhere.
And it's going somewhere according to the purposes
of this wonderfully good triune God,
the Father, the Son and the Spirit
who has purposes and plans
to bless the world for the good of his people
and for the glory of his name
all throughout this planet.
The plan that we thought about last week with Trev
in Ephesians 1 verse 10
and that's a great verse to go home and memorize
if you want.
Every time I freak out about the state of the world
this is the verse I come back to.
God's plan from since the foundation
before the foundation of the world
to unite all things in heaven and on earth
in his Son Jesus Christ.
And regardless of what's going on
in the world right now,
regardless of what's going on in your life today,
that plan is bang on track.
And Daniel gives us both of these poles,
God's sovereignty and the fact
that history is heading somewhere
according to his good purposes.
And he says,
grab hold of them,
love them,
know them,
and live confidently and courageously
for Christ in your world with them.
Now have a look at verse one
as we step inside this book this morning.
The context of this book
is that God's people
are having their own
has our God lost the dressing room
kind of moment in history.
Verse one,
do you see it,
of Daniel?
It begins not with an introduction.
It begins with a destruction.
Do you see it?
Think of this like a big game of risk
appealing to a certain generation in the room.
What was the strapline to that game?
Does anyone remember the strapline to that game?
What was it?
It was world domination.
That's why I loved playing that with my mates growing up.
Stroked my ego for like an hour.
I could think I owned the world.
World domination.
That was the strapline to that game.
And what's going on here
is that Babylon
have become
have become the new top dog
on the world stage
at this point in history.
King Nebuchadnezzar
leads them in defeating
the combined army
of the Egyptians
and the Assyrians
at the Battle of Carchemish
which happens around 605 BC.
Now I tell you that
not just so that you can impress your friends
next time that speciality round
comes up in a pub quiz.
Although go for it if it does.
I tell you that
so that we can appreciate
that this is world history
that we're talking about here.
This is not make-believe.
This is not Narnia.
This is not Mordor.
This is real history
featuring real people
and real superpowers.
And Babylon
what they do
is they flex their muscles
on the world stage
as they go for
the world domination.
What they do
is they capture
and they conquer
quite brutally
Judah and Jerusalem
as you see them
on the map there.
And that event
among other places
and this is just so we can understand
what's going on
in our Bibles
is so graphically captured
for us
in a book of the Bible
called Lamentations.
If you ever wondered
what that book is there for
that's what it's doing.
Describing what that
destruction was like.
The emotion.
The raw pain of it.
What happens is Babylon
they begin to take
God's people
back in stages
to Babylon.
Daniel's one of the first waves
that go in
605 BC.
And this is where you get
Psalms
like Psalm 137.
Now that was made famous
by Boney M.
Again,
a certain generation
you'll know that song.
By the rivers of Babylon
we sat down
and we wept
as we remembered Zion.
The irony of Boney M.
is that's really upbeat
and cheerful isn't it?
And we all sing it like that
but it's anything other than that
in Psalm 137.
Here's the big
heartfelt cry
in that Psalm.
Do you see it right at the end?
And get this question
in your mind.
As God's people
are disillusioned
in history
as they're being taunted
by their enemies
in a foreign land.
Watch the question.
How can we sing
the Lord's song
in a foreign land?
When we're away
from home
surrounded by people
who are mocking God
how are we supposed
to sing the song
of him who is great?
And how are we supposed
to live our lives
when we can't see?
When we don't know?
How can we sing
the Lord's song
in a foreign land?
See that's the question
that the book of Daniel
seeks to answer.
And this is where I think
we connect with this book
as well.
That the Bible
tells Christians
that although we're living
at different times
we too are in exile.
We are sojourners.
We are strangers
Peter calls us
in 1 Peter.
We are those
and those are words
describing a way
of being in the world
that knows that we are
journeying through the world
that we don't get
our identity
from the world
but actually we are
heading to our
heavenly homeland.
So we too are people
who are away from home.
And we too should be
asking ourselves
how can we sing
the Lord's song
in a foreign land?
How can we sing
this song
as exiles?
How can we give
praise to God?
How can we make sense
of this world?
And as we get into this book
I just want us to see
chapter 1
has got two big things
to say to us
when it comes to
how do we sing that song.
And here's the first one
we can sing it
by being privy
to the Lord's purposes.
Because see if you
were looking at things
purely at Google
street level here
it looks like
the Lord's been defeated.
I mean to conquer
a nation in this day
is to conquer
their God
which is why
you might have noticed
when Nebuchadnezzar
he goes in there
verse 2
to Babylon
he takes the vessels
from the temple
of Yahweh
and he takes them
all the way home
and he places them
in the house of
his God.
In other words
he gives glory
to his God
that he has conquered
Yahweh.
So looking at this
from a Google street level
it looks like God
has been defeated.
But the Lord
is not just above
all this.
The truth is
that the Lord
is actually
behind all this.
And it's illustrated
by the three times
repeated phrase
of chapter 1
that you get there.
The Lord
gave.
And there's a little
indication
a little subtle
one there
of his sovereignty
the Lord
gave.
I just want you
to see these
three things.
Here's the first one
at verse 2
the Lord
gave.
Because whilst
it might look like
Judah are the
unfortunate victims
in a game
of international
politics
in actual fact
the exile
was Judah
experiencing
God's promised
judgment
for breaking
covenant
with him.
The Lord
had chosen
them
to be his
special possession.
The Lord
had bestowed
on them
all the mighty
acts,
had delivered
them from the
hands of their
captives
prophets.
And he'd
given them
every chance
to repent
and come
back to him
but their
consistent
headstrong
dismissal
of the
Lord's
word to
them
through the
prophets
and their
failure
to obey
the Lord
and his
law
meant that
this land
that was
meant to be
a beacon
of righteousness
and holiness
and truth
a light
to the
nations
actually
this land
is full
of injustice
and idolatry.
And God
is holy
God will
not be
mocked.
And again
just thinking
of the
bigger Bible
story
just like
God at
the beginning
of the
Bible
story
in his
holiness
he cast
out Adam
and Eve
from the
garden
because of
their sin
and God
would not
be God
he would
be compromising
in his
holiness
if he
did not
do that
just like
he did
then
so too
Israel
are cast
out of
the land
and sent
to Babylon
because
Babylon
are the
instrument
that he
uses
to carry
out his
judgment
on their
sin.
But what's
wonderfully
surprising
is that
God says
to that
generation
through
Jeremiah
that not
only will
their time
in Babylon
come to an
end after
70 years
after which
God will
bring them
back to
their homeland
but God
actually tells
his people
that he
wants them
to be
and you
see it
on the
screen
a blessing
to Babylon
while they're
there
and that
is hugely
surprising
given everything
that we
know about
Babylon
what the
city
represents
in the
Bible
story
God
wants
his
people
to be
a blessing
even in
exile
do you see
what he's
saying
I don't
want you
as my
people
to dig
your heels
in
and be
difficult
I don't
want you
to come
out and
be separate
but equally
I don't
want you
just to
blend in
and be
like everyone
else
I want
you to
be a
blessing
to the
world
by being
distinct
and that
God giving
language
here's a
second one
it crops
up at
verse 9
to see
God blesses
Daniel's
witness
Daniel sees
the opportunities
around him
to be a
witness as
he does
his job
faithfully
as he
seeks to
love the
people around
him
as he
seeks God
in prayer
for them
God honors
those who
honor him
and then
the God
giving language
comes up
again at
verse 17
and this
time it's
personal
God gave
these four
young men
who will be
central to
this story
the exact
gifts that
they needed
in order to
be a
blessing
in and
to
Babylon
and that
changes how
we understand
tomorrow
and the
things that
we'll go
to tomorrow
and how
God has
orchestrated
all of
this for
his glory
and for
our good
you know
and Alex
and I
when we
get a
night off
one of the
programs we
love to
watch is
Death and
Paradise
on BBC
One
it used to
be cool
guys
honestly
I know
that's my
life
Death and
Paradise
on BBC
One
if you're
really into
Death and
Paradise
on BBC
One
you know
there's a
spin-off
called
Beyond
Paradise
and that's
when you
know you're
really really
cool
you're watching
that as
well
but Chris
Marshall is
the detective
on that
show
and he's
kind of this
goofy detective
but he's
savvy and
sharp
and he's
got this
one line
in the
show
that always
sticks with
me
he says
this
he says
coincidences
I don't
believe in
them
and neither
does the
Lord as
we come to
see him
here
he is
sovereign
and get
this
over
when
you are
and where
you are
and who
you are
and the
people around
about you
are there
because God
wanted them
to be there
and you
are rubbing
up against
them in
their lives
because God
wanted that
relationship
to exist
God has
placed us
in places
and he's
given us
the exact
gifts that
we need
in those
places
to be a
witness
to him
he's
made us
good at
things
he's made
us aware
of things
and he's
placed us
where we
are
to be a
blessing
during our
time of
exile
changes
just think
about it
we're going
to think
about it
after the
service
who are
those people
in your
life
who are
those people
that God
wants us
to be a
blessing to
as we are
conspicuous
for Christ
in our
world
where is
your front
line right
now
who is on
your front
line right
now
your family
your uni
course mates
your workplace
your sports
teams
who is on
your front
line right
now
and what
does it
mean for
you to be
faithful
on your
front line
right now
so you've
got to be
privy to
the Lord's
purposes
and secondly
we want to
be savvy to
the world
world's
tactics
and just
track with
me as we
go through
this really
quickly
and see
see
Nebuchadnezzar
king of
Babylon
he's got a
really clear
foreign policy
sum it up in
one word
and it's the
word
assimilation
so the best
way to
control your
empire
remember the
the grand
sweeping nature
of it
the best way
to control
your empire
is to take
the best
and the
brightest
from the
nation you've
just conquered
take them
out of their
homeland
settle them
in Babylon
and train
them to
think and
to act
just like a
Babylonian
so when the
other people
in the land
look at the
best and the
brightest they
think well if
they've kind of
sold their
souls to
Babylon then
that's the
way that we're
going to go
as well
right kind of
works
assimilation
and it's
exactly what
he's trying to
do in verses
four to five
and look
with it
at it
if you've
got it
there
and just
see really
quickly the
four distraction
tactics
and of course
standing behind
all of this
is a spiritual
enemy who
would love
nothing more
than for God's
people to
tap out
when it comes
to trusting
and living
for the
Lord
and of course
I want you
to think about
in your life
right now
as we think
about these
four distractions
what is the
one that the
evil one is
dangling right
in front of
you right now
what could be
live
what could be
causing you
to take your
eye off of
the ball
even subtly
here they are
really quickly
the first one
is isolation
do you see
how they try
and take them
away from
their Jewish
community
they take them
away from
the encouragement
that's there
from the stories
that are there
from the prayers
that are there
from the reminders
of God's word
that are there
and I think
they take them
away from the
songs that are
there as well
so we are
as God's
people
we're a
declarative
people
aren't we
take them
away from
all of
this
and instead
they're taken
away from
this community
and they're
placed in
the king's
palace
it's isolation
I just say
that's why
church is so
important
as I go on
in the Christian
life I realize
that I need
this church
I need you
more not
less
because I need
and Keita was
great at just
anchoring in this
right at the
beginning
Sunday is a
day when we
press stop
and we
encourage one
another with
God's promises
and his
character
and don't
underestimate
the spiritual
battle that
goes on
just to get
here on a
Sunday
you know
we had
Trev and Val
our friend
stayed with us
last week
and we asked
Val
we said
is it just
us who
find Sunday
morning really
difficult
whether there's
a morning
Alex and I
will have a
disagreement
and when the
kids will kick
off you can
guarantee it
will be Sunday
morning
and she said
after a lifetime
of ministry
absolutely not
it's as if the
devil goes to
bed early on a
Saturday night
so that he can
get up early in
the Sunday
morning and so
all the seeds of
discord and unrest
in your life to
stop you from
getting here
so just don't
underestimate the
battle of getting
here on a Sunday
and don't
underestimate the
power it is when
we gather together
and the influence we
can have on each
other's life
isolation
the second one is
indoctrination
verse 4
do you see how
these guys are
educated
and for three
years
in the literature
and the language
of the
Chaldeans
so the idea
here is really
you expose them
to the best of
human thinking
that sow doubts
in the minds of
God's people
about the need
for and existence
of God
and if you do
it enough
and take them
away from their
community
they'll begin
to just think
that it is true
you go for the
mind
because the mind
is the gateway
to the heart
now let me just
say in case
just to kind of
jump ahead of a
question that might
be in your minds
here
there's nothing
wrong
in fact there's
everything right
I would say
with asking
questions
hear me right
on that
this is not
what that's
saying
but the best
place to do
it
is in a
community
that you know
loves you
and will seek
to walk
alongside you
as you ask
those questions
and speak
truth in
love
into your
life
in other
words the
best place
to explore
these questions
is not
without but
within a
community
that loves
the Lord
indoctrination
really quickly
temptation
verse 5
do you see
how the king
offers the
good life
to Daniel
and his
friends
that the
best
delicacies
and luxuries
and again
the thinking
is just to
seduce
Daniel
away
from the
hard
life
by dangling
the good
life
in front
of him
temptation
and then
lastly
just a
way of
time
it's
identification
and I
think this
is the
one that's
going to
challenge
most of
us this
morning
verse 7
I'm sorry
I'm rattling
through this
here
verse 7
do you see
how these
guys are
given
Babylonian
names
now I
never thought
anything of
this before
until I
studied it
this week
but there's
a reason
that we're
told about
their names
now their
original names
do you see
the L
and the
A in
their names
they show
us that
these guys
have been
named after
the Lord
Daniel
Mishael
El
the God
Almighty
and do you
see how
Bel and
Nabu are
the names
that they're
kind of
given
they're in
those names
there
they're trying
to rename
them after
Babylonian
gods
and here's
the point
we want you
to forget
who you
are
forget the
identity
that God
has so
graciously
stamped all
over your
life
to forget
that God
has been
faithful all
the way
through history
and again
it's what the
evil one
does
helps you
forget
who you
are
did God
really say
nothing's
changed since
Genesis 3
did he really
say that you
can be forgiven
did he really
say that you
have been
adopted
did he really
say there is
a hope and a
future for you
in Jesus
Christ
did God
really say
and you
can say
because of
God's word
and because of
what Jesus
has done
in our
lives
yes he
did
but it's
identification
isn't it
and what
Daniel does
is he
takes being
both privy
to the
Lord's
purposes
and being
savvy to
the world's
tactics
and what he
does is he
stands strong
and let me
just pick out
one word
and it comes
at verse
8 and it's
the word
resolved
and it captures
it here
his response
and you might
miss it in the
text but Daniel
is likely an
older teenager
at this point
in his life
and it's lovely
isn't it at this
junction in his
life he's not
putting off
making a call
away he stands
with the Lord
till he's older
he's not waiting
to the next
opportunity
he's taking the
first one that
comes his way
and choosing to
nail his colors
to the mast
now I think
there's lots
of application
you can make
there let me
just make
one and it's
a wonderful
thing for us
to be praying
for our young
people
because this
isn't Daniel
making a spur
of the moment
decision here
to be courageous
for the Lord
what's going on
here we need
to understand
is that this
is something
that's been
sown into his
life from a
young age
and it's
something that
he's picked
up and he's
seen in others
as he gets
acquainted with
the promises
and the
character of
God
as he's
surrounded by
a community
who are
captivated by
the Lord's
beauty
and who are
choosing to
forsake the
pleasures of
the world
and choosing
instead to
serve the
Lord in
joy and
holiness
the Bible
story perhaps
it's Daniel
might have
seen it under
the influence
of King
Josiah who
was kind of
the last
king to
really be
good in
the land
of Judah
but let me
just make this
point specific
application
some of
you might
be right now
at that
junction in
your life
guys who are
graduating this
morning we
prayed for you
others who
will listen to
this afterwards
you're about to
hit the next
season of your
life can I
just say from
personal experience
both in times
where I have got
this badly
wrong and
other times I
think I actually
look back and I
think thank you
Lord for helping
me be brave
there that
Jesus is worth
so much more
than the
siren calls
of the world
he really
really is
and I left
university thinking
the times of
temptation and
making mistakes
were behind me
I got to the
world and I
realised it's
just as hard
I take it
will always be
hard at whatever
junction in life
we are at
but particularly
if this is you
right now
you're at the
junction
can I just
encourage you
to resolve
early to
follow the
Lord and
the first
opportunity that
comes your
way let me
just say it
will be the
easiest opportunity
that comes your
way it will
only get harder
but be greatly
strengthened today
that truly there
is none like
Jesus with arms
wide open to
embrace us when
we get it wrong
but with with
barrels load of
strength to
fortify us by
his spirit to
make us get it
right
now whatever
is happening
in Daniel's
life here
the food that
he's presented
with is the
first opportunity
that he gets
to nail his
colours to the
mast
now you can
kind of
speculate as
to why he's
doing what
he's doing
we're not
entirely told
in the text
but two things
seem to be
clear
number one
is that Daniel
recognises that
to do something
would be to
compromise on
his loyalty
to God
and the second
one is that
the Lord is
worth it
and so with
courtesy and
with clarity
he resolves to
choose to
follow the
Lord and it's
amazing isn't it
that the Lord
honours him
his feet might
have been in
Babylon but
his heart was
in Jerusalem
he's courageous
for Christ
and I think
Jesus is the
ultimate example
of what this
looks like
to live with
compassion and
yet with
clarity
and he is the
one we need to
understand he is
the perfect
covenant keeper
who has taken
the covenant
curses that
we deserve on
himself on
the cross
Jesus is the
one who has
put his hand
on your life
and in my
life and has
taken us out
of the world
to live for
him
again we
thought about
it this last
week didn't
we we so
often underestimate
the privilege
that it is
to be a
Christian
and Jesus
came to
and he lived
in this world
and he
forsook the
pleasures of
this world
because of the
all surpassing
joy of knowing
his father the
creator of this
world and so we
look to him for
grace as our
savior and we
look to him for
our example as
our king
now our time is
gone but let me
just tell you really
quickly as we
close and I think
this is how this
is the aftertaste
that would have
been in the
original readers as
they finished this
chapter have a
look at verse 21
as we close
and can I tell
you about the
book that was
massive when I
was at uni
a 2003 New
York Times
bestseller that
sold millions of
copies all around
the world still
getting sold
today called
the Da Vinci
Code I
remember being at
university when it
first came out the
plot line people
would run up to
tell me was all
about exposing the
cracks and the
cover-ups that
were supposedly at
the heart of
Christianity and
this book was
going to blow a
hole in the side
of the Christian
faith remember
precisely one
friend telling me
exactly that but I
read an article in
the BBC News a few
weeks ago and I
wonder if some of
you read this as
well about how in
2017 an Oxfam
bookshop in Swansea
put a notice in
their window telling
people to stop
donating that book
because they had so
many copies and
that sign having
seen it it sparks
an idea in the
mind of a local
artist his name
was David
Shrigley and what
he did is he set
about collecting
as many copies of
this book as he
could and the
Oxfam bookshop put
them in touch with
the recycling centre
which is where all
the unwanted books
go and so he
phones the
recycling centre and
he says do you
have any copies of
the Da Vinci Code
and to quote them
in the article they
responded by saying
we have an unlimited
number come and
help yourself so he
says I'll take the
lot and he goes off
to the recycling
centre he brings
them all home and
he gets them and he
pulps them and he
uses the pulp to make
a bit of his art and I
just love that because
these books that were
supposed to take down
the Lord take down the
God of the universe
expose the cracks in
the Christian faith are
now pulp and I'm
verse 21 says do you
see it that Daniel
was in the king's
palace until the
first year of King
Cyrus so he's a young
man in chapter 1 and
what this is doing is
it's fast forwarding
us to when he's an
old man later in the
book Cyrus is the
first king of Persia
who will end up
defeating the
Babylonians who will
become the next
superpower on the world
stage and here's the
point that Daniel in
all his youth in all
his unimpressive mundane
looking life he
outlasts the Babylonian
empire and right off the
bat the writer of this
book is letting us know
that that is where this
book is heading and that
truth is so precious for
us as believers is it
not that the Lord will
outlast governments as
harsh as they are that
the Lord will outlast
laws as strange as we
think they are that the
Lord will outlast the
scoffers as loud as they
are that the Lord will
outlast every anti-God
movement that crops up in
this world and when it's a
competition between the
two the sovereign Lord will
always remain and the
risen and returning Lord
Jesus will inherit an
everlasting kingdom and
dominion given to him one
that will never end and
so don't doubt this
morning that you're on the
right side of history if
your trust is in this God
maybe even this morning is
is a morning where you
come to put your faith in
the beauty in the work in
the person of Jesus
Christ let me just finish
with this from J.I.
Parker and this is a
great quote he says this
to know that nothing
happens in God's world
apart from God's will may
frighten the godless but
it stabilizes the saints
but let me just close in
prayer let's close our eyes
and pray and let's just
pray God's word back to
him and this is what Paul
prays in Ephesians chapter
one would be true of the
church in Ephesus he says
I do not cease to give
thanks for you remembering
you in my prayers that the
God of our Lord Jesus
Christ the father of glory
may give you the spirit of
wisdom and of revelation in
the knowledge of him having
the eyes of your hearts
enlightened that you may
know what is the hope to
which he has called you and
so father it's just our
simple prayer this morning
and it's one we make in the
powerful name of Jesus as we
know the love that you've
showered upon us by your
spirit in him Lord it's our
prayer that you would lift
our eyes to the hope to
which you've called us and
Lord as your spirit moves
amongst us and Lord as your
word continues to resonate in
our minds and our hearts may
we leave today with our
greater vision of your
grandeur and splendor and
grace and we pray these
things in Jesus's worthy name
Amen