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Amen. What a beautiful song and a great reminder of how God meets us and shows Himself to us.
One of the ways God does that day by day, moment by moment, week after week,
is through His Word that He's given to us, where He's revealed Himself to us, spoken into our lives.
So let's look to it with eagerness this morning for Him to speak to us.
We're in the last verses of Ephesians chapter 4 this morning.
Before we jump into this passage, I want us to remember just a little bit of where we were last week.
The passage we looked at last Sunday is the theological background for what we're talking about in the passage this week.
It tells us the basis for what we're talking about.
It talks about the reality in the Christian life that victory over sin has been secured for us by Jesus, right?
And a new life begun that He's given to us.
And at the same time, there's an ongoing war being waged against that new life
by the remnants of sin that are in us that are battling against us.
And God's calling us to live in a way that's fitting with our new life.
By warring against sin, putting sin to death, not making a truce with an enemy Jesus died to defeat.
Is the way we talked about it last week.
And at the same time, seeing God produce in us true righteousness and holiness.
We said God has not only made us new, given us a new identity,
but He's also remaking us into His image to be what He created us to be in the first place.
The analogy we have been using for that is witness protection.
Where a witness may come to turn people in and to testify against very dangerous people
and may need protection in that sense.
They may need to be sent away to a new location with a new identity
and set up there for their good with a completely new life.
It wouldn't be safe, would it?
For them to stay where they were.
It's the only safe way forward is to say,
you've got to embrace this new life that's been given to you.
There's danger in the old life.
There's freedom in the new life.
And so we come to our passage this morning where Paul will begin,
moving from that to start with therefore.
Therefore, in light of the fact that God has given you new life
and that He's working in us by His Spirit,
what's that new life going to look like?
What are some specific things that must characterize us in light of this?
Ephesians chapter 4.
We'll start reading at verse 25.
Therefore, having put away falsehood,
let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor,
for we are members one of another.
Be angry and do not sin.
Do not let the sun go down on your anger
and give no opportunity to the devil.
Let the thief no longer steal,
but rather let him labor doing honest work with his own hands
so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good for building up,
as fits the occasion,
that it may give grace to those who hear.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God
by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander
be put away from you along with all malice.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
as God in Christ forgave you.
Let's pray.
God, we do believe that your word is living and active.
That it's sharper than a double-edged sword.
That it will cut and divide our joints from our marrow.
That it will expose the inner portions of our heart,
cut to places we're not even aware of or conscious,
are in our hearts.
And so, we ask this morning that as painful as that can be,
that you would make us eager to hear your word.
That you would make us desire it to operate on us like that.
That you, by your Spirit,
would perform that surgery for our good.
We so much rather would do things our own way.
We so much rather would have our opinions
that we can bring to the table and judge your word.
Father, would you subdue that in our hearts?
Would we sit under your word?
Would it undo us and would you change us by your Spirit?
Do that as we look to your word now,
we ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
One of the realities that we certainly can appreciate
about witness protection
is that for the witness to flourish in his new identity,
two things are going to have to happen.
There's going to be both a disconnecting from the old life
and a full embrace of the new life.
Both of those are required.
Just to leave behind the old life
and go sit in the safe house sullenly and quietly
for the rest of your days
is not the new life and new identity you've been given, is it?
At the same time,
to embrace with gusto the new life
and say, yes, I'm going to go live here,
but I'm also going to dabble around
with my old friends every once in a while.
I don't want to lose them.
That's not going to be safe either, is it?
That's not the new life that you've been given.
Pastor Sinclair Ferguson talks about this reality
in terms of a garden.
He talks about flowers and weeds.
He says, if you're going to have a beautiful garden come,
there's going to be weeds that need to be pulled up
and flowers that need to be planted
to see new life thrive.
One or the other on its own is not going to work, is it?
And this is Paul's pattern in this passage
as he paints a beautiful picture of the new life.
He tells us five specific areas
we're going to walk through this morning.
And in each one of those,
he tells us three things.
He tells us what belongs to the old way of life,
how we're not to live anymore,
what belongs to the new life,
how we should live.
And then thirdly, he tells us why.
Why should it be different?
But we're going to talk about those things,
and then we're going to talk about
how that happens,
and what the full picture it is
that Paul paints,
not just these five individual things.
We'll do that at the end,
but first let's walk through
these five specific commands
for Christian living
and make sure we understand
what we're talking about.
We're going to note that pattern
that we just mentioned
for all five of them.
So first, verse 25.
Therefore, having put away falsehood,
let each one of you speak the truth
with his neighbor,
for we are members one of another.
The old man telling lies and have truths,
things that would lead people away
from the truth,
that would be misleading statements.
That's what we're not to do anymore.
Instead, we're to speak truth.
And this seems pretty easy, right?
All right, he's starting us off
with one that we can handle.
Just don't lie and tell the truth, right?
I mean, that's pretty straightforward.
I can do that.
I always do it that way.
Do you never color or spin the truth
just to promote yourself
or protect your reputation?
Have you never told a story
or shared a prayer request
at small group
or a post on social media
that was embellished for effect
so you'd sound interesting
or spiritual?
Have you never compromised
the truth with your spouse
so she'd be more happy with you?
So you could avoid being blamed?
Me either.
Good.
We hate getting blamed, don't we?
We'll do anything to avoid that.
Just don't let it come back on me.
Maybe I'll just steer it over here.
Twist things just a little bit.
Truth is vital and valuable.
Let your yes be yes
and your no be no.
Do people hear you and trust you?
The people who know you,
do they assume when they hear you say something
they're hearing the truth?
Are you a man or woman
of your word,
of integrity?
This is so important,
Paul says,
because we're a part of the same body
on the same team.
Imagine the pain
for a physical body
if one part of the body
didn't tell truth to the other.
If, for instance,
you were walking
and your eye
did not tell your foot,
that's a nail
that you're about to step on.
If it didn't speak that truth
to your foot
and you walked on anyway,
the pain that would cause.
Or the pain that would come
if your nose smelled smoke
and didn't tell your legs
to run out of the building.
Right?
Now those may seem like silly examples,
but in the body of Christ,
think of the pain that's caused
when truth is not told
by one part to the other.
Think of what that looks like,
because truth-telling
produces a culture of trust.
Vital for the body
to work well together,
for the team to be headed
in the same direction.
But lying produces a culture
of distrust
that brings division in the church
and thus hinders
the work of the gospel.
Paul says,
we're on the same team.
Share honest, truthful information
so we can work together,
not against each other.
So that we're not constantly
working our way
around the circle of friends
to find the real story.
Suspecting that
those that we ought
to be able to trust
are constantly misleading us.
Next, verse 26 and 27.
Be angry and do not sin.
Do not let the sun
go down on your anger
and give no opportunity
to the devil.
You'll notice that
when Paul's talking
about the old man,
he talks about sinful
and uncontrolled anger.
He chooses his words carefully
to say that there's actually
a thing such as
righteous anger, right?
It is possible
to be angry and not sin.
But that's not usually
what we do.
That's not the way
anger often affects us.
We need now in the new man
to have controlled thoughts
and emotions
where we recognize our anger
and no matter what it is
that's caused the anger,
we don't just let it simmer,
but we bring it in submission
to Christ and His priorities.
That's the only way
it's going to be righteous anger.
Don't just stew on it
and let it eat away at you
where your anger
begins to control you.
That happens very quickly.
And some of us in this room
are what I would call
rationally driven fixers.
I am.
All of the engineers
in the room are.
And then half of the rest of you
are wired the same way too, okay?
What that means is
when we see a problem,
we just want to fix it
and be done with it.
And we love this verse, don't we?
Why do we love these verses?
Ah, because it's saying in the Bible
the way we've always wanted to function.
Get things done.
Resolve that problem and move on.
Don't let the sun go down on your anger.
Except that Paul doesn't actually say
that every situation should be resolved
completely and very quickly.
He's talking here about our anger
not being out of control.
I used to operate this way in my marriage
that if something was wrong,
we had to fix it, right?
And the Bible said so
and everything was going to be done
before we went to bed.
And what you end up learning
is that these words
don't exactly say that.
There may actually be more things
that need to be processed later.
Sometimes sleep even helps a little bit.
But, but, what we are cautioned against,
what we shouldn't go to bed with
is unbridled anger and rage
that's out of control,
that's beginning to control us,
letting our hate and our hurt
control our hearts for prolonged seasons.
That's what's being warned against.
Even if a conversation is still to be had
on the subject,
even if there's more that needs to be processed,
the rage should be replaced by love,
for example.
The enmity that's thereby
a desire for reconciliation
or peace or mercy,
even if that can't fully be accomplished
in the five minutes
that I'd like to have it tied up in.
Those desires that eat away at our hearts,
the anger that stews
and that begins to control us
is so dangerous because why?
Satan loves to get in there.
It's a foothold for Satan, isn't it?
Satan loves to use our unbridled anger
to sow discord in the body.
He loves to take your simmering anger
and work his way into the relationship
from that foothold, doesn't he?
As anger eats away and controls you,
you become easy prey
for believing the lies of Satan
about the one who's hurt you,
don't you?
It's really easy to believe
bad things about them
while you're angry with them,
while your rage is flaring up.
And so you begin easily
to work against them
rather than with them
and Satan would love that.
Notice one more thing
before we move on.
When do we usually quote this verse?
It's usually in a marriage class, right?
Some of you were in a marriage
Sunday school class this morning.
This is a great verse for marriages.
Are we in the marriage section
of Ephesians yet?
We're not there yet.
One more chapter.
We're going to get there.
Paul's going to talk about marriage.
What is Paul talking about right now?
All your relationships.
Every single relationship
in the body of Christ
that we're to follow this.
I know, right?
That is hard.
And you thought if you loved your husband,
you could harbor unbridled anger
against her all night
and be doing pretty well.
And Paul says,
all of your relationships.
Don't let the sun go down
on your anger.
Example 3, verse 28.
Let the thief no longer steal,
but rather let him labor,
doing honest work with his own hands
so that he may have something
to share with anyone in need.
Perhaps we don't often think
of ourselves as thieves,
but how easy can it be
in an attempt to protect
or provide for ourselves?
To steal taxes from the government?
Time from our employers?
To rob tithes from God,
as he tells his people in Malachi?
And what Paul's getting at
is the self-serving heart
that drives these sorts of actions.
It's highlighted by what Paul commends
as characteristic of the new life.
What does he say?
It's not just quit stealing,
stop being thieves,
but rather work.
And I expected that part,
but it's not just work.
That made sense to me.
Stop stealing,
instead work,
work so you can buy the thing
you were going to steal, right?
That makes sense.
He goes further.
What does he say?
Not just stop stealing
and work so that you can get what you want.
Work so that you can do what?
Have something to share
with anyone in need.
He's going to our hearts.
He's saying,
don't just be good
and work hard
and provide for your family.
He's saying,
I want you to be looking at others
as more significant than yourselves.
I want you to be more anxious
even to provide for them
and get what they need
than what you want.
How quick most of us are
to find ways to get money
and resources for ourselves.
How slow most of us are
to find ways to give to others.
But Paul says,
not just you shouldn't be lazy
or you shouldn't be greedy
no matter how much you work,
but rather be generous.
Why?
Why is it important in this passage?
Because God has designed His people
to care for each other.
The follower of Christ
is to look for opportunities
to be a giver
rather than a taker.
To be one who is rich to others.
Not merely rich Himself.
What do you dream about?
You dream about getting more for yourself?
About how you can bless others
who need it?
What is it that energizes your heart?
That makes you excited?
That animates your checkbook?
That gets you going?
Is it something you've been wanting?
Or somebody else needs?
This passage doesn't say
it's wrong to be needy.
It says it's wrong to overlook the needy.
I'll be honest with you.
At about this point
in studying for the sermon this week,
I was ready to tap out
and be done.
Enough!
Ouch!
Enough!
Enough of cutting to my heart
and showing me my need.
It's hard, isn't it?
To go point by point
and one thing after another
to the heart.
A couple more.
Paul's going to turn back
to the tongue.
Verse 29.
Let no corrupting talk
come out of your mouths
but only such as is good
for building up
as fits the occasion
that it may give grace
to those who hear.
The great preacher
Charles Spurgeon
once said,
if all of man's sins
were divided into two bundles,
half of them
would be sins of the tongue.
One whole bundle
out of the two
would be things we do
with our tongues.
There's so much damage
we do, isn't there?
I suspect you were told
growing up as I was,
if you don't have
something nice to say,
yeah, yeah,
everybody learned that, right?
Good.
If you didn't, I'm sorry.
Now you'll know.
Don't say anything at all.
It's actually pretty good advice,
isn't it?
When Paul says corrupting talk,
that word he's using
for corrupting
is the word that's used
of rotting fruit
or putrid fish
that's gone bad
and spoiled.
That your talk
would do that
to someone else.
It would begin
to eat away at them.
To destroy them.
To damage others.
To tear them down.
Perhaps even building
yourself up
as you destroy them.
With our tongues,
we praise God
and with the same tongues,
we curse men
who were made
in His image.
And James says,
this should not be.
Instead,
Paul says,
don't just sit silently
all the time.
I mean,
that might be the way
we could avoid
corrupting talk.
Just don't talk at all.
Then you'll be safe.
But Paul says
it's more than that.
He says the new life
has speech
that builds up
and gives life.
Reminds me
in this verse
of Proverbs 25,
a word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold
in a setting of silver.
A word spoken
in the right way
at the right time.
It's precious.
It's valuable
as gracious critique,
as life-giving affirmation
to someone.
Aren't you thankful
for the encouragers
God has put in your life?
Whom could you encourage today?
Think of anyone
who needs a word
to be built up
rather than torn down?
Don't words have that power
to build us up?
Haven't you felt that?
That's why Paul says
the speech is so important
to build up the body,
to give grace
to those who hear, right?
To bless or benefit the body.
Especially with telephones
and internet,
very little tears
at the fabric of the church
more quickly
than words that tear down.
Talk that corrupts.
Thankfully,
the reverse is true.
Very little
builds community
more quickly
than gracious,
encouraging talk.
What kind of speech
do you use?
What kind of speech
do you condone
and enjoy
or tolerate
in your brothers and sisters?
Our tongues are dangerous.
And they often lead us to
or are a part of
even this last example
Paul gives.
Verses 31 and 32.
Let all bitterness
and wrath
and anger
and clamor
and slander
be put away from you
along with all malice.
Be kind to one another,
tender hearted,
forgiving one another
as God in Christ
forgave you.
We're going to come back
to verse 30
and grieving the Holy Spirit
next week.
There's lots to unpack there
and how it fits into this.
But in many ways,
this final category
combines some of the
previous ones
we've been talking about.
Perhaps what happens
is that someone hurts you.
There's an offense.
You're frustrated.
You're hurt.
And instead of
handling your anger
the way God would
direct you to,
rather than handling it
appropriately,
you let it fester, right?
It starts to eat away
inside you.
You become bitter.
You resent them.
And you begin to
desire that person's harm.
Actually have malicious intent
toward their reputation
or their welfare.
Slanderous words.
Actions intended to
hurt someone.
These are the outcomes
of harboring bitterness
in our hearts.
Paul says that's no longer
to characterize us.
Rather, we should be what?
What's the contrast here?
Instead, we should be kind,
tenderhearted,
and forgiving.
In other words,
we should seek the good
of others
rather than their harm.
Even those who've harmed us,
right?
That's actually what
forgiveness means.
Forgiveness says not that
I merely overlook
the offense that's been
committed against me
and say, you know what?
It really was no big deal.
There was no harm there.
No one really harmed me.
That's not what forgiveness means.
Forgiveness means,
rather, that I really was harmed,
but that I bear the cost
of that for your good.
That's forgiveness.
And isn't that how God
treated us?
Did God turn a blind eye
to our sin and say,
no harm done?
No big deal?
No.
No, He didn't.
But instead,
He bore the cost of it Himself.
And if our offenses against Him
have been forgiven,
if all of us in the body
have had God decide
He's working for our good,
who are we to want harm
of someone for whom God says,
I'm working for His good?
We should seek the good
of each other as well.
Do you love extending forgiveness?
Is it one of your favorite
things to do?
Or do you secretly revel
in keeping a superiority,
having things to hold over others
in relationships?
Is that where your heart really goes?
Would you rather see someone
who hurts you suffer hurt as well?
Or do you love to see them receive
what they don't deserve?
Do you harden your heart
in bitterness?
Or do you soften your heart
in kindness toward them?
Okay, that's the list.
Whew!
Made it through the list.
It can be exhausting.
It can be discouraging, can't it?
As we begin to see
the pain of our sin
as God does surgery on our hearts,
considering all these things at once,
let me just encourage you,
don't ignore where the Holy Spirit
has been pricking your heart
in the last few minutes.
Ask yourself honestly,
where has there been a catch?
Where did you feel Him saying,
here, I want you to consider this.
Which area right now
would you be seeking to ignore
that He'd be prodding you to address?
Selfishness?
Dishonesty?
Careless words?
Anger and unforgiveness?
I found this week
as I meditated on these verses
that what happened to me
over and over
was God would show me weeds
that needed to be pulled up
right where I felt like
the garden was looking pretty good.
In the areas where I felt like,
okay, this one,
whew,
take a deep breath,
I don't really have to worry about this.
And at the same time,
God showed me flowers to plant,
opportunities to bless others
that I hadn't considered before.
Ask Him to do that in your heart.
But even as you consider that for yourself,
one thing you can't miss
when you look at this passage
is that God's not just talking to you.
He's talking to all of us.
It's a community project, isn't it?
All five of the reasons
behind why our lives should be different
have to do with some aspect
of the body of Christ.
Some aspect of the health of the body.
That's what God's after.
He's after not just new people,
but a new community, right?
What would it look like
if we all embraced
these new ways of living?
What kind of community
is God seeking to create
among those who know and trust Him?
What would it look like here?
Just a few ideas.
It's certainly a community
that should be encouraging
and uplifting.
Where others are looking out
for your good
and can't wait to serve you.
I think in particular,
it's a community
where it's safe to fail or struggle.
Don't you want to be part
of that kind of community?
A community where it is safe
to fail or struggle?
Why would it be safe
in the communities
that God is creating here?
Because when you fail
or when you struggle,
you encounter what?
forgiveness,
encouragement,
not uncontrolled anger
and slander.
So all of a sudden,
you're safe
when you fail.
It's that picture,
again,
from a few weeks ago
of truthing in love.
Where truth and love
remain connected
in our relationships
with each other.
It would be a community
where the materially poor
were attracted to it
because they were treated
like guests of honor.
They didn't feel like burdens.
It would be a community
where conflict
was handled regularly
and respectfully
because we loved
to forgive.
One more thought.
I think it would be a place
where the longer you're there,
the more you begin
to feel that it's not
just some sappy
southern smiles
on Sunday mornings
but you go home
wondering what people
really think about you.
You won't know that
at first in a community.
There's no way,
is there,
when you come in
to say,
I don't know,
are they just friendly
but really,
really,
what are they thinking
about me?
I think the longer
you stayed
in this kind of community,
the more you would realize
they're not faking
and they're not stabbing me
in the back
when I walk out
of the room.
People are genuinely
for me.
They really want
what's best for me.
They really love me.
Wouldn't you want to be
part of a community
like that?
Wouldn't you love
to be in that community?
You would
because that's what
God's designed you
and created you for.
To long for honest,
encouraging,
merciful,
forgiving community.
That's the way
He's designed us
and it's what's created
by the new life
that He's working
in us and among us.
So just one last question
this morning.
How?
How in the world
do we get there?
How does it happen?
Do we all just go do it?
Everybody go be like that
and it works great.
If you're convicted
of sin this morning,
how do you change?
How do we corporately
start to look like
the new life
and the new community
that God intends for us?
On either side
of the passage
we've looked at
this morning,
the verse that
comes right before it
and the verse that
comes right after it,
Paul tells us,
be like God.
Look at Ephesians 4.24.
Put on the new self
created after the likeness
of God
in true righteousness
and holiness.
Then the passage
we talked about,
Ephesians 5.1,
therefore,
be imitators of God.
Be like God.
That's a great summary
of the passage
we just looked at,
isn't it?
It's the essence
of what these
specific commands are.
Be like God.
What's He like?
He's the God
of all truth
who does not harbor
His anger forever,
who always gives to us,
always speaks grace to us,
always forgives
even though we don't
deserve those things.
What a great example
for us, right?
Be like God.
I thought about that
this week.
You know,
there was an ad campaign
when I was a young boy.
Some of you probably
heard of it.
It was called
Be Like Mike.
And so I,
along with millions
of other young boys,
decided that we were
going to be like
Michael Jordan.
We were going to start
drinking Gatorade,
wearing Nike tennis shoes,
and dunking the ball,
soaring through the air
the way that he did,
and it was so beautiful
to watch.
And so we were going
to be like Mike.
I would practice
all of the shots
that he did.
One of my favorite
was the one where he
floats across the top
of the key,
double pumps,
and fires a jumper
that beats the Jazz
in the NBA Finals
right at the buzzer.
It's one of his best shots.
But the problem for me
was in the middle
of that double pump,
I usually hit the ground
somewhere on the first pump,
and then the shot
went off the side
of the rim,
so I would move
to one of the other ones
where he was closer
to the basket,
and I never could dunk
without lowering
the goal down first.
Anybody else?
Yeah, some of y'all
lived in that.
Yeah.
I'm still working
on the dunking thing.
Having a good example
can be a good motivation
for a while,
can't it?
You can be inspired
to work hard
and really be excited
about being the best
that you can be,
and this actually came
in the midst of a culture
that we still largely live in
where you were told what?
You can be whatever you want
if you just put your mind to it
and work hard enough.
It was in many ways
a just-do-it mindset,
ironically enough.
But at some point
for a young boy
who wants to be like Mike,
that actually begins
to become not just inspiring
but discouraging,
doesn't it?
Why?
Because I wasn't
very much like him.
No matter how much
I watched him,
no matter how hard
I tried to do it
just the way he did,
I mean,
maybe a little bit better
if that was the goal,
but be like the best player
in the world?
No way.
I don't think
I've got what it takes.
No matter how hard I try,
I just can't seem to do it.
The good news of the gospel
is this,
that the story of Scripture
is not just be like God.
Isn't that good news?
If it was just be like God,
that's even harder
than be like Mike, right?
That's pretty tough.
In fact, it's not just
be like God
and he'll love you
even when you aren't.
Although, isn't that beautiful?
Can you say amen
to that this morning?
Praise the Lord.
Be like God
and he loves you
when you aren't.
Be imitators of God
as beloved children.
You're already his.
You already have his love.
Don't follow dad
to earn his love,
but because you already have it.
Isn't that such a different
perspective on life?
But it's actually
even more than that.
The grand story
of Scripture says
it's even more beautiful.
It says,
be like God.
That's what I've designed you for.
And it says he'll love you
even when you aren't like him.
And his love for you
is what gives you
the resources
to live like him.
It's his love
that enables it.
As many great shots
as he made,
as many of his shoes
as I wore,
Michael Jordan
never gave me
any resources
for being like him.
Go back to our
witness protection analogy.
Imagine that the witness
comes and gives his testimony
and then imagine
releasing that witness
penniless
back into the same town
where he just gave
the testimony.
Hey,
I hope you can do well.
Hope it goes well for you.
No new identity.
No new occupation.
No money to get
to a new place.
Hope you make it.
That's not witness protection,
is it?
No.
Witness protection says
I've got you a new identity,
a new job,
a new place,
and we're staying with you
to watch out for you.
We will keep providing
these things for you.
Listen,
God says this.
Southwood,
my beloved children,
how will you become
a community
like you've talked about
this morning?
A community like me?
I want to tell you.
He says,
I will never stop
pouring my love
into you.
I will keep
showering you
with forgiveness.
I will continue
to be the generous one
who gives
and gives
rather than takes.
I will never stop
singing over you
words of grace
rather than judgment.
And that's not just
a model for you.
It's more than that.
It's the only resource
that can make it happen.
You see,
I'm pouring those gifts
into you
so you can pour them out
on each other
even when they don't deserve it
because you didn't deserve it
when I gave them to you
in the first place.
I've given you my spirit.
I've given you
a new identity.
You're my beloved children
and that won't change.
I'm staying with you.
So stay close to me.
Drink deeply of me.
Experience my grace again.
And I'll keep making you,
as I always promised,
a community
where my character
and kindness
overflow
to everyone
who gets near you.
Let's pray.
Oh Father,
would you do that here?
On our best days,
we want that.
We want to be like that.
We want to be a place
where it's a refuge
for the hurting
and a safe home
for those who fail
and struggle.
We want to be that
because we feel
our need for it.
We need a community
like that.
And Father,
we know what it's like
to try to make it happen
on our own.
We know we don't have it in us
by ourselves.
Thank you,
thank you
that you haven't just
saved us and left us.
Thank you that you're with us,
that we're always your children
and you'll never
take your spirit from us.
Would you continue
to change us?
Would you continue
to give us the strength
to be the people
that you've created us to be,
the church you've created us to be?
And would many know
of your love?
Because it just spills
over the edges.
It just splashes out
from us
because you've been
so, so kind to us.
We ask that in Jesus' name.
Amen.