In the 1950’s and 1960’s, CBS aired a television show called “I’ve Got a Secret.” Each show began with the entrance of one or more contestants. The host then introduced the contestant or asked for their name and hometown. He then asked them to "whisper your secret to me, and we'll show it to the folks at home."  Secrets were always intended to be unusual, exceptional, embarrassing, or humorous. They commonly included something that happened to the contestant, something owned by the contestant, or a notable occupation, hobby, achievement, or skill.

            Now, it might surprise you that in the early church, Christians had a secret.  There was a secret that Christians were not to disclose to non-Christians.  This secret was kept because Christians of the early church believed what they possessed was so powerful that it should not become known to non-Christians.  What was that secret?  The secret was the Lord’s Prayer.

            The Lord’s Prayer that we speak every Sunday as part of our worship service was judged so powerful that early Christians did not share it with anyone until they were baptized into the faith.  For centuries, early Christian writers did not write commentaries on the Lord’s Prayer, out of fear that the prayer could be or would be misused.  As the early Christian Church began to organize itself, three versions of the Lord’s Prayer emerged.  One version was in the Gospel of Matthew, a second version in the Gospel of Luke, and a third one in a document called the Didache, or the Teaching of the Twelve, said to have been written by the apostles to guide the early church.  The versions in the Gospel of Matthew and the Didache are very similar.  The Roman Catholic Church uses the version most closely following the Gospel of Matthew, and most Protestant churches, including ours, use the one most closely following the Didache.  We will talk a bit more about the differences next week. 

What then is the Lord’s Prayer, and what should we do in response to it?  In the Gospel of Matthew, we find that the prayer was presented by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is found in Chapters 5, 6, and 7 of Matthew’s Gospel.  It is an extensive teaching, and I highly recommend reading the sermon in a single sitting to understand the flow of Jesus’ thoughts.

One of the principal themes of the Sermon on the Mount is righteousness.  Jesus called for a personal deepening of righteousness, being right with God, by moving away from an external rule-keeping life to one that embodied humility, mercy, love, and an unrestrained devotion to God.  Jesus was inviting his disciples into a life-transforming experience by moving the commands of God from the head to the heart.  Jesus equated anger with murder, lust with adultery, calling for the extension of love even to one’s enemies.  He was calling people from a life of hypocrisy to one full of grace, wisdom, and holiness.

To accentuate his teaching, Jesus gave practical examples of proper righteousness.  Jesus said, “1 Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  2 So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:1-4). Jesus was concerned that, in being righteous, his followers would not abandon their humility.  Serving others was not to be for personal glory but was for God’s glory.

Immediately after speaking about righteous service, Jesus talked about righteous prayer.  First, Jesus spoke about the attitude of prayer, then about the content of those prayers.  As to the attitude of prayer, Jesus said, “5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:5-8). 

Jesus taught two important things about the attitude of prayer.  First, prayer, like service to others, was to be done in private with an attitude of humility, and not done in the middle of a crowded synagogue for the praise of others. Prayer is to be a personal conversation between the believer and God.  Prayer is not to be performance art for religious people.  Secondly, prayer should not be done with a pagan attitude, with repetitive prayers that approach babbling.  I remember praying as a child in a babbling manner.  As children in the Roman Catholic Church, we would be brought from our catechism classes to the church building itself.  The church had two sanctuaries.  The upper sanctuary was cathedral-like.  The second sanctuary was beneath the first.  The ceiling of the second sanctuary was low.  The lighting was dark.  The confessionals were in the back.  As children, perhaps all of 9 years old, we would one at a time enter the confessional and confess our sins to the priest who was seated behind a veil. I think, in most cases, we told the priest what we thought he wanted to hear from a 9-year-old.  The priest would then tell us how many “Our Fathers” and “Hail Mary’s” to pray to have our sins forgiven.  It was usually about four prayers of each.  We would then enter one of the pews in the sanctuary.  Use the kneelers, bow our heads, and then pray those prayers silently as fast as humanly possible.  Usually, we could get through four Our Fathers and four Hail Mary’s in 60 seconds or less.  We were doing exactly what Jesus said not to do.  We were offering repetitive prayer at such a speed as to be babbling.  Others compelled those prayers and, I suspect, we grieved God rather than pleasing Him.   Our attitude about prayer was utterly wrong.  Jesus said our attitude toward prayer must first be right so that we can be appropriately focused on content.

The content of our prayer was the second focus in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus said, as to the content of prayer, “9 This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’” (Matthew 6:9-13).  These words have formed what, over many centuries, has been called the Our Father, or the Lord’s Prayer.

Unlike the early Christian Church, which spoke little about the Lord’s Prayer until someone was baptized, the contemporary Christian Church trumpets the Lord’s Prayer.  There are countless devotional books and commentaries.  There is merchandise from neckties, t-shirts, coffee cups, wall hangings, coins, crosses, wristbands, and writing pens.  I fear such merchandise is another form of prayer babbling that Jesus warned us against. 

But what of the content of prayer?  I think one of the better explanations is that Jesus taught us four things through this prayer that people have cleverly reduced to an acronym called ACTS.

First, there is Adoration of God the Father. Adoration is an expression of deep love, respect, and worship, which, for adoration to be genuine, must come from an attitude of humility.  “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” – This opening acknowledges God’s holiness and exalts His name, expressing reverence and adoration for His divine nature.  When we express adoration, we are making clear that God is at the very center of our lives.  We do not need to repeat ourselves to be heard, but when we say it, we must mean it.  Jesus was inviting people into a personal conversation with God, the almighty creator, beginning with an expression of our standing before God.  Adoration – “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

Second, there is Confession.  Humility reminds us that we are imperfect beings speaking to a perfect being. Humility reminds us to confess our failings openly to God.  “Forgive us our debts.”  God forgive us our failings and stumbling from holiness.  And to also acknowledge and remember that we seek forgiveness in the same measure of forgiveness we extend to others.  If we desire complete forgiveness from God, we must be willing to forgive those who have hurt us.  This is a tough part of this prayer, but essential to who God seeks to make us.  Forgiveness means we are done with the matter, as God is done with our own sins.  Forgiveness means we are done complaining about the other person’s conduct toward us. Our prayer for forgiveness and for granting others forgiveness is transformative, opening us to receive Christ in a way that cannot be accessed any other way.  Confession – “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Third, there is Thanksgiving.  Humility, the core of a proper attitude of prayer, causes us to reflect on our gratitude for the things of life God has provided.  Gratitude brings with it a sense of trust and dependence upon God for the sustenance of life itself.  We thank God for food and for the provision in our lives.  “Give us today our daily bread.”  We are not asking for provision beyond what is usable for the day.  The more self-sufficient we become, the less thankful to God we become.  The more self-sufficient we become, the less needful we believe we are for God. Thanksgiving – “Give us today (like you did for our yesterdays) our daily bread.”

Finally, there is Supplication.  Supplication is a humble plea for help offered with deep sincerity and dependence for strength against an enemy that the petitioner knows they cannot overcome. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”  The prayer seeks God’s strength amid our own weakness so that we would not succumb to temptation.  We do not want our sins forgiven only to sin yet again.

Do not pray like the hypocrites to be heard by others.  Do not pray like the pagans with meaningless repetition that becomes babble.  Pray with humility in the form of ACTS – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.  Pray for righteousness from a posture of humility.

The early Christian Church, as recorded in the Didache, paired the Lord’s Prayer with baptism first.  The Lord’s Prayer was reserved for instruction to those who had been baptized. Once a person was baptized and instructed on the Lord’s Prayer, the early church then connected the Lord’s Prayer with the Lord’s Supper.

It is fitting then that we speak of the Lord’s Prayer today because Jesus turned it into an experience we can share at the communion feast, or the Lord’s Supper.  While among his disciples, just before his arrest, Jesus took the daily bread and he offered thanks to God, “Our praise to You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”  Hallowed be thy name.  Jesus then took the blessing of the whole bread and broke it so that each piece carried the blessing of wholeness.  He gave it to his disciples and said, “This is my body which is given for you. Take and eat.”  Jesus, the bread of heaven, now on earth, proclaimed that the kingdom of God was among them on earth as it was in heaven.  After supper, Jesus took the cup and again offered thanks to God: “Praise to You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.”  Jesus then took the cup and blessed it, telling his disciples to drink from the common cup so that each would receive the blessing of peace.  Jesus said, “This cup is a new covenant in my blood poured out for the forgiveness of sin.”  Forgive us our sin, O Lord.  Jesus said later, “Do this in remembrance of me.”  Lead us on the right path and away from evil.

The Lord’s Prayer gives us a model for listening and speaking with God. The Lord’s Supper provides us with a model of God’s answer to prayer.  In prayer, Jesus led us to find the peace that surpasses all understanding by being united to God and one another.  At the table, Jesus led us to experience the peace of salvation, unity with God, and the peace of fellowship, unity with one another.  The Lord’s Prayer and the Lord’s Supper are signs of peace that God wants each of us to have.  Come, let us receive shalom from God as we pray together and prepare to share the Lord’s Supper.  Amen and Amen

            My boss of some years ago was exact in his use of language.  He was able to write letters better than anyone I had ever worked with.  He had an extensive vocabulary and could get the most out of every sentence.  One day, out of nowhere, he said to me, “I discovered today that I have been incorrectly using the word ambivalent.”  He said, “I thought the word ambivalent meant that I could not care which decision was made, I could live with either one.”  He said, “This is incorrect.  To be ambivalent means to be conflicted between the choice of usually two things. You want to choose one thing, but the other is attractive as well, and you are not sure which is the better choice. You are conflicted.”  He went on to say, “If you do not care which choice you make, you are not ambivalent, you are indifferent, you do not care what is decided.”  I thought about my boss’s words for a moment, and I tried to decide whether to tell him I was ambivalent or indifferent to his discovery.  I chose instead to say, “Oh, that is interesting.”

            What then does ambivalence or indifference have to do with our message today?  It is this. The birth of Jesus left many in his day ambivalent and conflicted about what to believe.  But today, many are indifferent; they do not care whether Jesus was born or not.  I think Luke, the writer of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, understood that people’s reactions to the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus would vary.  I say that because Luke began his gospel account this way, “1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:1-4).

            Luke’s purpose was to compile the truth about Jesus, beginning with His birth, for the benefit of Theophilus.  Theophilus, in Greek, means “lover of God.”  So, for those who love God, Luke provided an accounting of the truth so that they “may know the certainty” of the things taught. Luke’s purpose was to equip his readers to recognize the truth so they could make the right choice in following Jesus as the Messiah.  That in reading Luke’s gospel, one could be certain about Jesus, and neither ambivalent nor indifferent.

            Who was this Luke anyway?  Luke was by profession a doctor, a physician.  Unlike all the other authors of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, John, Paul, Peter, Jude, and James, Luke was not Jewish. Luke was a Gentile.  In the ancient world, from a Jewish perspective, there were only two types of people, Jews and Gentiles.  Luke was a Gentile, and his gospel message was written to other Gentiles to encourage them to accept the Jewish Messiah as their savior as well.

            Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth is extensive. For time's sake, today I want us to look at the first announcement of Jesus’ birth.  That announcement was made this way.  “8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:8-14).  Luke began this portion of his account, giving us a bird's-eye view of the unfolding scene.  It was nighttime.  We see this group of shepherds on a hillside keeping watch over their sheep.  All appears calm.  There is nothing to see.

            Then, without warning of any kind, the dark of the night is shattered as an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, and the shepherds are enveloped in the brilliant, nearly blinding light of the angel. In that same instance, Luke changes our point of view from standing outside looking at the scene to drawing us into the scene itself.  We stand next to the shepherds and can see and hear as they do.  We now see terror on the shepherds' faces.  They are overwhelmed by the angel's startling appearance on this otherwise dark and peaceful night.

            The angel speaks, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 2:10a). In our modern sarcasm, we might think to ourselves, it is too late for that!  These guys are past being afraid; they're terrified.  The angel continued, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10b).  “Today, in the town of David (Bethlehem), a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10).  We see the shepherds pause for a moment trying to take in the news.  A baby has been born in the little town of Bethlehem, which sits below them.  That is nice, but it is not good news that will cause great joy for all the people. But the angel said, "This newborn is the Messiah!"  The long-awaited Messiah has been born.  Now that is good news, and will cause great joy among the Jewish people.  And how wonderful it is that the Messiah was not born in some distant city like Jerusalem or Rome, but in the little town below where the shepherds are now standing.  Just steps away from these shepherds, the man who would save their nation had been born.  The shepherd’s terror was giving way to excitement and hopeful expectation.

            The angel spoke again, “12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).  A sign is a mark or token of a miracle by God given to prove what has been said is true. The newborn would be found wrapped in cloths.  In that day, wrapping a baby in cloths was what ordinary people, peasants, as the shepherds did for their newborns.  Wealthy parents and the elite did not wrap their babies that way.  The baby is a commoner.  What’s more, a manger, an animal’s feeding trough, is being used as a crib for the baby.  This is something a shepherd’s family might do for their newborn.  The shepherds, who had moved from terror to excitement, were now experiencing the early onset of joy, just as the angel had promised.  A newborn commoner had been born today, in the city below them, and that baby was God’s Messiah.  The beginning of the end of Roman domination had started.  God was at work.

            As if this were not enough, the sky then lit up with angels praising God, expressing peace to those on whom his favor rests.  And then just as suddenly as the angels had appeared, they were all gone.  And it was the dark of night once again, peaceful and calm, except for the racing hearts of the shepherds.  With the angels gone, the shepherds hurried off to Bethlehem. There they would come to find Mary and Joseph, and their newborn baby, indeed, lying in a manger.  In their finding the baby, the shepherds told their story and that this child, who had not yet been given a name, was the Messiah. To this news, there were three reactions.

• The people of Bethlehem were amazed at what the shepherds said.  They were not indifferent; perhaps they were ambivalent, not quite sure what to believe, after all this news came from mere shepherds who at this time were not respected members of the community.   
• Mary, the baby’s mother, treasured what the shepherds said and pondered them in her heart.  Mary was neither indifferent nor ambivalent.  The shepherds’ testimony had deeply moved Mary.
• The shepherds, whom people generally avoided because they believed the shepherds were rough and unclean characters, returned to the hills, certain that God had acted. So they went “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen (Luke 2:20b).

Three responses to the news of the newborn Messiah.  Amazement mixed with ambivalence, a treasuring of moving testimony, and a certainty of God.  There was some level of energy in the news of Jesus’ birth, a sense of amazement, could this be, or praise God, I know the truth.  There was no indifference, no “who cares or whatever” expressed then, as there is today to the same news.

            What then do we learn from today’s review of the announcement of Jesus’ birth?  How does what Luke describes help us live out our lives?

            I think there is one thing we should focus on: the purpose of Jesus' coming, as told by the angel to the shepherds. Jesus came, the angel said, as a Savior. In Greek, the word Savior is sōtēr, meaning “one who delivers from grave danger.”  A savior is someone who delivers another from grave danger.

            To those who heard these words for the first time, the idea of a Savior, someone who would deliver them from grave danger, was most welcome news.  At that time, delicate threads held physical life together.  A small cut could lead to an infection and death.  A storm could ruin crops, and there would be nothing to eat for months.  There were few doctors and virtually no hospitals.  A savior who would address such concerns about life would be incredible.

            But the angel was not speaking about grave danger from illness, famine, or other bodily calamities.  The angel was talking about something far more significant. The angel was talking about saving people from their sins and the perpetual grave danger sin causes. Nothing could be more terrifying than the thought of dying only to continue to live spiritually in agony. The Messiah was born to save people from their sins and the inevitable suffering of hell.  No one was ambivalent, conflicted, or indifferent about an eternal existence in hell.

            Today, though, we people are indifferent.  New philosophies and ideas abound that try to convince people that God will accept everyone as long as they have been good, or that we face no real grave danger.  You do not have to believe me on these points.  Just take a moment and listen to the words of a young man named Mario. This is a segment from a person-on-the-street interview.  Mario has been asked about his beliefs and about God. (Video Clip)

            According to Mario, no one today needs a savior because we do not face any danger.  Just share love, and no matter what you do under your conception of love, God will be OK with it.  Mario was clearly indifferent to the birth of Jesus.  No Savior needed.

            But let us remember that Luke set out to compile a story for all the Theophilus of the world, for all who love God about the truth of the Messiah.  Why? So that they could be certain of the truth.  Luke wanted no one to say, “I am not sure.  I am uncertain.  I am conflicted.  I could care less.”  Luke was inspired to speak the truth that those who love God would be certain that the grave danger they faced, not solely in this life but more importantly in the life to come, would be saved by this baby born in Bethlehem lying in a manger, wrapped in cloths.

            For those of us like myself who, in our younger years, faithfully went to church every Christmas and Easter, we can testify that the church places great emphasis on Jesus’ birth and death.  Why?  Because so much is at stake for the listener.  Please this Christmas season, do not miss the importance of the message for you.  A savior has been born to rescue you from grave danger.  He was born that man no more may die and fear death.  He was born to cleanse us of our sins and give us a gift of eternal life.  Please look closely at every manger scene and see a sign that your savior has been born.

            To know you have a savior is a powerful message of hope.  It is a message that those who are indifferent need to hear.  We heard the words of that young man, Mario, who said that as long as what we do we do within our sense of love, the universe, God, will be kind to us.  Mario seemed like a good kid, but the Marios of this world need to hear from you and me the news of Christ.

            I want to close now with another segment with Mario, as the interview asks Mario about his life.  (Video Clip 2).  Mario had come to know with certainty the good news of great joy that in the town of David, a Savior has been born; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  I pray that you know that as well, my dear friends, Theophilus.  Amen and Amen.

          Suppose, for a moment, you were a historian, and you wanted to discuss the life of a historical figure.  And let’s say this historical figure lived before the days of newspapers, photographs, and other modern tools.  How would you prove this person lived and was not a myth?  How would you prove this person was born and, therefore, could have lived the life you intend to describe?  The simple answer to these questions is that if you want to prove someone lived and was not a myth, you can do so by demonstrating that they died.  No one ever died who did not at first live.  This was the approach of Jesus’ apostles and the writers of the New Testament. They showed Jesus lived by demonstrating that he died.

          I have been working my way through the book, On the Resurrection: Evidences.  It is a whopping 1,000 pages!  Of those 1,000 pages, about 100 are devoted to gathering all the references in the Bible, Jewish literature, and Roman histories that speak of Jesus’ death on the cross.  Jesus’ death was a pivotal moment for the early church because it showed two things. First, that Jesus was born and lived. Jesus was not a myth.  And second, demonstrating Jesus’ death is necessary to show that Jesus could have been resurrected.  No proof of death; there is neither proof of birth nor evidence of resurrection.

          The Apostle Paul was the first of Jesus’ apostles to memorialize Jesus’ death in writing.  Paul’s New Testament letters are older than the earliest gospels and show that Paul was aware of Jesus’ death.  No evidence was offered that Paul attended Jesus’ crucifixion, but it seems improbable that Paul was not aware of Jesus’ death.  Paul would, at first, deny the resurrection of Jesus, but he did not deny Jesus’ death.

          In his letter to the church of Galatia, Paul mentions Jesus’ death three times.  Paul spent about two years with the church in Galatia, and then, while absent from that church, wrote the letter we call Galatians.  In that letter, Paul reminded the church three times that Jesus died and that his death was a voluntary one on the cross.  Paul wrote:

• 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age (Galatians 1:3-4a).
• 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole” (Galatians 3:13)
• 11 Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case, the offense of the cross has been abolished (Galatians 5:11).

Reminding the church that Jesus died was an essential part of Paul’s message. Jesus died, therefore Jesus lived. Paul wanted to speak about the significance of Jesus’ birth.  Paul’s words to the church at Galatia, likely written around 48 to 49 AD, represent the earliest record of Jesus’ birth.

What then did Paul say about Jesus’ birth?  Well, if you are looking for stories of angels, shepherds, stars, and Magi with their gifts, you will need to come for the next two weeks when we look at Jesus’ birth through the gospels of Matthew and Luke.  In his letter to the Galatians, Paul did not focus on the scene of Jesus’ birth; instead, he emphasized the theological significance of Jesus’ birth, which was fully realized by Jesus’ death and resurrection. What then did Paul say about Jesus’ birth?

Paul wrote, “1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from an enslaved person, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” (Galatians 4:1-7).

Paul began his account of Jesus’ birth by first speaking of a minor child being like a slave, and that before Jesus, he and the Galatians were slaves to elemental forces.  To understand Paul’s starting point, we need to know that the people of Galatia, in modern-day Turkey, originated as Gauls and Celtic people of modern-day France, hence the name Galatians or “Gaulatians.”  The Gauls worshipped a wide range of gods and goddesses who governed aspects of life like healing, warfare, prosperity, and fertility. They also believed that spirits (or deities) were present in all aspects of the natural world, from trees and animals to rivers and springs.  The Galatians would have understood Paul’s words that, before Christ, they were guided by elemental forces.

Paul also used a reference to slavery.  Now, slavery here is not like American slavery, of being taken from one’s homeland and forced into labor in a foreign land.  Paul’s use of slavery here is that the people of Galatia were subject to the Roman emperor but not given rights as citizens.  The people of Galatia were not free to do or worship as they wanted.  There were laws they had to follow, enacted by foreign rulers.  The Galatians were under the control and the enslavement of the Romans.

Paul likened this status of enslavement and being subject to elemental forces to being a minor under the control of a guardian or trustee.  That minor child was under someone’s control until the father of that minor said they could be treated as an adult.  “1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from an enslaved person, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world” (Galatians 4:1-3).  The Galatians were under someone else’s physical control, the Romans, and had been under the spiritual control of elemental forces.

Then we know from that point, Paul uttered that theologically significant word. “But.”  “4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son” (Galatians 4:4a).  When the time was right, God sent His Son from heaven to earth.  At just the right time, as determined by God, God changed the world by sending His Son, who by his very nature was like God, divine. But wait.  Paul said, “4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4a). What does Paul mean by “born of a woman?”  This phrase appears three times in the Old Testament Book of Job.

• Job 14:1: "Man that is born of a woman Is of few days, and full of trouble."
• Job 15:14: "What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?"
• Job 25:4: "How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?"

In all three cases, being born of a woman means being born human.  And so Paul was revealing here that Jesus, divine as God’s Son, was also born human through a human mother.  Paul was here announcing that Jesus was fully divine and fully human.  This is Paul’s birth announcement of Jesus.  It was short but exceptionally rich in truth.

          In that regard, Paul had a bit more to say, revealing the purpose of Jesus’ birth.  Paul wrote, “4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). What was the significance of being born under the law?  Paul meant that Jesus was born a Jew and, therefore, required to live according to the commandments of the law, which Jesus perfectly obeyed.  At many points before, Paul had pointed out that mere humans were never able to meet the law's commands perfectly. So the law revealed human sin and condemnation.  “4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law 5 to redeem those under the law” (Galatians 4:4-5a). Jesus was born under the law, fulfilled it perfectly, died under the law, which Paul said was to redeem and free people from the condemnation of sin under the law.  Instead of being under the burden of the law that pointed out our sin, Jesus redeemed us, bringing us out from under the law to live in the freedom of grace from sin through Him. 

Why would Jesus want to do such a thing?  He did so “that we might receive adoption to sonship” (Galatians 4:5b). In being redeemed in Jesus, the Galatians, and all people, would be like an heir would receive his full inheritance, like someone's freedom from endless meaningless worship of the elements, and like someone no longer under the control of another, as being enslaved.

Jesus, the Son of God, a divine being, was sent to earth to be born of a woman, to live as a man following the law, dying once as a man, to redeem, to save people who believed in Him from the punishment of the law, and be freed from sin that enslaved them.  This is the Jesus the prophets foresaw.  This is the Jesus of whom the angels sang.  This is the Jesus the shepherds beheld.

Paul then finished the birth announcement with these words, “6 Because you are his [God’s] sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father'” (Galatians 4:6).  God the Father sent His Son to earth.  God the Son redeemed the people and made them heirs.  God the Spirit took up residence within the heart of the believer, empowering them to call to God as a child would lovingly call to his own father, “Abba, Father.”  Paul said, If you can speak to God this way, 'Abba, Father,' then '7 You are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” (Galatians 4:7).  So completes the first formal announcement of Jesus’ birth.  It is rich in meaning, content, and purpose.

Paul’s announcement differs from the traditional birth announcements of Jesus. We will look at the traditional announcements in the coming weeks.  But what can we learn today from Paul’s announcement?  I think there are three things we should consider.

First, it would be an understatement to say that Jesus’ birth was like no other in history.  Jesus was fully divine and fully human.  That had never happened before or since.  Jesus' birth was like no other in history, and Jesus’ death was like no other before or since. Jesus was crucified, died, was buried, and was resurrected to a new life.

Second, Jesus’ unprecedented birth, death, and resurrection all occurred to serve a purpose for you and me.  Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection occurred so that we could be redeemed from the punishment of sin under the law and be given abundant life now and eternally under grace.  We would be freed and become children of God.  Jesus’ birth put on full display the nature of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Finally, the birth of Jesus, his subsequent death, and his resurrection offer each one of us an invitation to become an heir of salvation and to be adopted as God’s child.  God is offering you and me a gift unlike any other.  At Christmas, most kids will tear off the wrapping paper and bows on one gift, glance at it, and move on to do the same to the next gift.  Every kid has their own way of unwrapping the gift and moving on.  The gift of redemption God is offering you is unique in that there is only one way to unwrap it, no matter your age or station in life.  Jesus said to unwrap the gift of salvation, you must be born again by repenting, that is, turn from your own ways, the ways of enslavement to elemental forces, and be baptized as an outward sign of your spiritual rebirth. There is no other way to God except through Jesus, and no other way to unwrap his gift than repentance and baptism.

Paul shared with us today that Jesus’ birth, death, burial, and resurrection redeemed us.  And Paul would later explain to the church in Rome that we can visualize that message of redemption with our own baptism.  Paul said, “ 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4).

Have you received the gift of Jesus?  Have you opened that gift the way Jesus told you to?  Have you repented and turned toward God?  Have you undergone the waters of baptism as a testimony of faith? If you have, then let us, as brothers and sisters, share the birth announcement of Jesus in the manner Paul shared.  If you have not, then I urge you do not let this Christmas go by without opening the gift of Jesus’ birth, death, burial, and resurrection.  It is your ultimate gift and your only hope for salvation. Amen and Amen.

What matters to you?  Have you considered this question?  What matters to you?  What is vital in your life, and why is it important?  Some answer this question this way: “life, good health, family, a good home, and a good source of income” are important.  Another might say what was important was four things: “love, joy, peace, and a purpose greater than themselves."  Finally, a third may say, “a purpose in life, mental health, physical health, relationships, meaningful work, and finances” matter.  Do any of these answers resonate with you as you try to answer the question, “What matters to you?”

Our answer may depend on our age.  I was speaking with someone who shared that their grandson’s elementary school had each student walk across the stage with a poster board showing their answer to the question, “When I grow up I want to be _________.”  Child after child crossed the stage with their answer.  Several had the words "policeman," "fireman," "doctor," or "lawyer."  When their grandson walked across the stage, his card read, “kind.” “When I grow up, I want to be kind.” Parents stood and applauded this child. That child had a different understanding of what mattered, and people recognized the significance of this child’s response.

We certainly need police officers, firefighters, doctors, lawyers, and a host of other professions.  But we sorely need people who have the desire to be kind, loving, peaceful, compassionate, and a host of other virtues.  How do we adjust our perspectives on what matters?  For us, our answer is simple.  The Scriptures, the Bible, continually offer us a different understanding of what matters. The Bible does so because it is about God, and God is vastly different from us.  While we are made in the image of God, we are not God.  While we may be able to express kindness, love, peace, and compassion at times, it often requires conscious effort.  We must nurture those virtues and make them matter so that we can act accordingly.  On the other hand, God acts in accordance with His nature, which is kind, loving, peaceful, and compassionate.  God does not need to think about acting in those ways; it comes naturally to Him. God has always been trying to nurture us to adopt His ways.

We read today from the Old Testament prophet Micah.  Much of the Book of Micah is about the prophet expressing God’s desire that His people act more like Him.  In the Book of Micah, we find that God saw the leadership of the Hebrew people had become corrupt.  Micah wrote, “1 Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds!  At morning’s light, they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.  2 They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them.  They defraud people of their homes, they rob them of their inheritance” (Micah 2:1-2). Micah went a little further and said, “11 Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money” (Micah 3:13).  The leaders were not kind, loving, or compassionate.  The leaders were using their power to seize the people's possessions.  The Micah, the prophet, wrote, “Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel.  Should you not embrace justice, 2 you who hate good and love evil” (Micah 3:1-2a). 

Micah said a day will come when the Lord gathers the lame; assemble the exiles and those in grief.  He will make the lame his remnant” (Micah 4:6-7a).  Micah was revealing God’s plan to bring His nature into the human realm. Moreover, God would be particular about where this change would begin and what its nature would be.  Micah wrote, “2 [But] you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.  4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.  And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.  5 And he will be our peace” (Micah 5:2, 4-5a).

Micah was revealing God’s plan to bring about a new revelation of His nature, a nature of righteousness and peace.  The place where it would all begin was in Bethlehem, in the lands of Judah.  Revealing the location of the start of God’s plan was something that mattered to God?  Why would the location matter?  A key reason was that this prophecy was part of several that all related to an anointed one coming from God, but of the family line of David.

David was from Bethlehem.  We might recall that God sent the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king of Israel because Saul, the king at that time, had failed to follow God’s instructions.  When Samuel arrived at the house to which God sent him, to the home of a man named Jesse, Samuel called for Jesse to present all his sons to Samuel.  Jesse called all his sons, except David.  David was the youngest and smallest of his sons. David’s father, Jesse, did not think David was worthy to stand before the prophet Samuel.  His other sons were much stronger and bigger than David, so Jesse rejected David.  One by one, God rejected David’s brothers, saying of each, “7 Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).  A ruler coming from Bethlehem to reverse the corruption of current Israel must have the heart of God.  Samuel demanded that Jesse produce all his sons.  Jesse then called for David, the one rejected, and at God’s direction, Samuel anointed David the new king of Israel.

Isaiah, another prophet, foresaw the coming of a new ruler in the line of David. Isaiah wrote, “1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.  2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1-3). Sadly, Isaiah also foresaw that this new ruler would suffer.  Isaiah wrote, “1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?  2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.  He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.  3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.  Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:1-3).

Seven hundred years after the prophesies of Micah and Isaiah, God acted.  We learn how God unfolded this plan in the Gospel of Matthew.  Matthew wrote, “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”  3 When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel’” (Matthew 2:1-6).  The news had been given.  The promised ruler had arrived.  He was born in Bethlehem.  Micah’s prophecy had been fulfilled.

Yet, the king, the religious leader, and the people all shared one reaction.  They were disturbed.  They were thrown into confusion, terror, and turmoil.  Why didn’t the news that God had acted bring about rejoicing?  Because the coming of a Godly ruler would put an end to what mattered to them.  What mattered?  Power, money, and pride mattered, and so this newborn king “had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him, he was despised and rejected by mankind” (Isaiah 53:2b-3a).

So, King Herod sent the Magi on their way to find the newborn king, saying he wanted to worship the baby, but that was not his intention at all.  “16 When Herod [later] realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi” (Matthew 2:16).  And so, from the outset of life, this new ruler was indeed, “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain” (Isaiah 53:3b).  Power, money, and pride mattered to Herod and thus by extension to the religious leaders and the people.  Worshipping the newborn king did not matter.

A few years after the birth of the newborn ruler and the subsequent murders of innocent boys in and around Bethlehem, King Herod's body became riddled with disease.  Herod knew his days would soon end, and he knew no one would mourn his death.  And so, Herod ordered 800 prominent men from across Israel to be gathered in Jerusalem.  Herod also ordered that upon his death, all 800 men should be executed so that there would be weeping and mourning across Israel upon the occasion of Herod’s death.  Herod wanted one last act of power to mark his life and death.  Herod died, and with him the order to execute the 800 men. There would be no executions and no mourning at Herod’s death.  Herod no longer mattered.

With Herod’s death, we can focus the remainder of our time today on this newborn ruler.  What did the ancient voices tell us about him?  First, of course, he was born, born in Bethlehem.  Second, like David, he was despised and rejected by mankind.  We saw that.  Third, we saw the kingdom's corruption at that time through Herod. We heard what this new Godly appointed ruler would be like through the words of Isaiah, “2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2-3).  This newborn ruler would be everything Herod was not.  Micah’s words had also been fulfilled: justice would be embraced (Micah 3:1b).  Moreover, “4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.  And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.  5 And he will be our peace” (Micah 5:4-5a).  God had set out a great reversal of what mattered to Him by bringing forth a new ruler and ending the life of a corrupt one.

What mattered to God?  What matters is to be led by the Spirit of God, to possess Wisdom from above, knowledge and fear of God, joy in knowing the Lord, to be under the majesty of God’s Name, and to give peace.  This would be the life that would spring forth from this newborn ruler.  This newborn ruler was, of course, Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah.  A New Testament writer would later say this, “1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:1-3a).

Oh, I should mention that the New Testament writer of Hebrews finished that last version this way, “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3b).  “Purification for sins.”  Isaiah had foretold this truth when he said of the newborn ruler, “4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed…For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:4-5, 12b).  These words tell us a more complete story of what matters to God.

What matters, we said, was to be led by the Spirit of God, to possess Wisdom from above, knowledge and fear of God, joy in knowing the Lord, to be under the majesty of God’s Name, and to give peace.  To that statement, we can now add that it matters to God that you and I be purified of sin and the suffering sin causes.  But God knew we could not make such purification on our own.  So, God had His Son do it for us in His death.  The Son would bring forth yet another great reversal, bringing us from death into life.

And so, we end with our opening question, “What matters to you?” Whatever matters to you the most will guide your existence, comprised of your life here on earth now and your eternal destiny.  Will you be guided by the things of humanity, such as power, money, pride, health, and good looks?  Or will you be guided by a newborn ruler, born in Bethlehem, who came to bring us the Spirit of God, Wisdom from above, knowledge and fear of the Lord, peace, and, yes, salvation for all eternity?

If you had to walk up front right now carrying a posterboard, what word would you use to fill in the blank, “When I grow up, I want to be ________.”  Might that word be “rich or powerful or happy”? Or would that word be “saved or forgiven”?  To which one will people applaud, and to which one will God applaud?  I encourage you today to choose the newborn baby of Bethlehem and hear the applause of God.  Amen and Amen.

There are times in our lives when something happens that leaves us speechless. We are speechless because an event has created such a strong emotion within us that we are overwhelmed.  We are stunned and at a loss for words to express our reaction.  We experience these moments from both positive and negative events, such as the unexpected receipt of an incredible gift or witnessing something shocking or horrifying.  In those moments, we cannot think enough to form a response.

I remember experiencing such a speechless moment on 9/11/2001.  It was late in the evening, and I was directing changes to the security posture of federal facilities in response to the terrorist events earlier that day.  We watched the scenes of that day being replayed on the television screen.  Then a photograph of a friend from college appeared on the television, and the newscaster reported that he was the pilot of the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center.  I was stunned and had to take a few minutes alone in a quiet room to absorb this news, because I didn't know what to think or say. I was speechless.

Many things can capture our thoughts and render us unable to comprehend the magnitude of the event.  I think today’s reading from the Old Testament prophecy from the Book of Isaiah was one of those events.  The primary focus of the reading was the announcement in Chapter 9, verse 6, “6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).  Nowhere in the Gospels or the New Testament letters will we find these words repeated, as was done with other announcements from the Old Testament. 

In a moment, we will examine this verse in context, but a study of this verse reveals that small pieces of this prophecy are expressed across more than 25 New Testament verses.  However, the passage from Isaiah is never directly quoted.  Does that mean the New Testament writers and church did not understand what Isaiah was saying?  I do not believe that to be true because the meaning of this prophecy is discussed in the New Testament.  I think it just took a specific author to be inspired to put the overwhelming sense of Isaiah 9:6 into a context that people could understand.

So let’s begin with a little context of the original words.  The words come from Isaiah, a prophet of God who lived approximately 2,700 years ago, during a time when the Hebrew people were comprised of two nations.  There was the nation, or kingdom of Judah, surrounding Jerusalem, and the kingdom of Israel to the north of Judah.  The Hebrew people, particularly in Israel, were being swept away from God and into the worship of pagan gods.  Prophets were very busy during these times.  We have five major prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel, and 12 minor prophets, such as Amos, Jonah, Micah, and Malachi.  Amid turmoil, conquests, and threats of battle, God gave a brilliant prophecy to the people through Isaiah.  God said, “There will be no more gloom for those who were in distress” (Isaiah 9:1).  Isaiah had said in the previous chapter that those seeking spiritualists and mediums for their comfort instead of God would see only distress and darkness, fearful gloom, and utter darkness (Isaiah 8:22).  But distress would change for those who turned toward God.  To those who turned toward God, their distress and gloom would end.

Isaiah described the change this way, “2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.  3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder” (Isaiah 9:2-3).  A great light would break the spiritual darkness.  Where there was once gloom, there would now be joy. Joy would abound, like people feel when a plentiful harvest has been received or the plunder of war is freely shared.  Why would gloom and darkness be replaced by joy and light?  Isaiah said, “4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.  5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire” (Isaiah 9:4-5).  In turning to God, the people would again realize that the battle belongs to the Lord and that the people no longer need to wage war against their deadly enemy.  Like being constrained as oxen with a yoke or a metal bar across their shoulders by an oppressor, God would remove those constraints.  People would be freed, and great weights, as though placed around their necks or shoulders, would be removed.  Burdens and oppression would be replaced with a feeling of enthusiasm and freedom.

God said, through the prophet, that gloom, darkness, burden, and oppression would be replaced by joy, light, enthusiasm, and freedom.  What would be the reason for such a dramatic change in events?  Isaiah famously wrote, “6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  7 Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).  What in the world was Isaiah saying?  All the gloom, darkness, burdens, and oppression would be transformed because a child, a son, was born.  How did that make any sense?  Well, the government would be upon his shoulders, suggesting this child would come from a father possessing authority, like a king.  It seems impossible to believe that a king will have a son who is so exceptional that he will turn everything around so that all can worship God and live in peace.  How could the birth of a child, the son of a king, accomplish such a transformation?

Isaiah said the son of that king would be given specific titles, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6b).  Hearing these words, people would have paused.  These titles are not given to earthly kings or to their sons.  These are titles reserved for God.  Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, not just a counselor but a Wonderful Counselor, all point to the Son, the one to be born, would be the Son of God.  But how can God, who has always existed, have a son and be born among the people as though God were a human?  And then the people heard this son’s kingdom would come from the lineage of King David, but would be different from all other kingdoms.  “Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isaiah 9:7a). This son, God, born among the people, coming from David, would establish a kingdom that would never end.  No kingdom of this nature had ever existed. All kingdoms end.  How can it be that there would be an endless kingdom from a son of God, born human?  How? Isaiah said, “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:7b).  This transformation of the people would occur because the zeal, the unbridled passion of the Lord, would cause this son to be born and bring about this unending kingdom based upon righteousness and justice.  Stunning. Overwhelming.  Speechless.  God was going to do something that had never been done before.  There was no human experience that approximated what Isaiah had laid out to the people held in darkness and gloom.  What Isaiah was talking about was a cosmic change seemingly on par with the creation of the heavens and the earth, as described in the book of Genesis.

The announcement from Isaiah was so extraordinary that virtually nothing more is said about it in the Old Testament.  People did not know how to relate to such a bold and utterly unprecedented prophecy.  So how then did people come to understand this message?  I believe this message was finally addressed in the opening of the last Gospel to be written, the Gospel of John, the New Testament Genesis.

John wrote this, “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1-4).  Whoever the “He” was that John was describing existed before the beginning, was with God, and was God.  He was the creator of creation who brought life.  Whoever the “He” was could be likened to a brilliant light that overcame the darkness.  John was describing a Mighty God, able to create the heavens and the earth.  John was describing an Everlasting Father who existed before existence itself.  John was describing an inextinguishable light that could pierce all forms of darkness and gloom.  The “He” that John was describing had titles reserved for God.  The message was clear.  God, who was outside of creation, had chosen to enter creation.  Speechlessness must have been setting in for John’s original readers.

But John had more to say, more that would illuminate Isaiah’s prophecy, “9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:9-13).  God had indeed come into the world, appearing to the chosen people of God, but they turned away from Him.  But to those who did come to Him, God, from any tribe or walk of life, God granted them the status of His own child.  God had entered the world and was remaking the world, one person at a time, into His family.  This was good news.  God was stunningly at work.

But then John stunned his readers just as Isaiah had 700 years earlier.  John wrote, “14 The Word, God, became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14a).  God became flesh.  God, who was outside of creation, not only entered creation but did so as a human.  John said, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14b).  God came as a Son.  “6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6a).  And he will be call, “Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6b).  And he will be called God, because he is God.  God came in a divine form to be born into human form. The Father and the Son were one.

John’s words were and are overwhelming.  When properly understood, they make us silent.  But John was not done.  John wrote, “16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17).  God, in human form, had a name.  His name was Jesus.  And this Jesus had a divinely given title, “The Christ” or “The Messiah.”  Not only that, but Jesus came to give grace and truth to the people who would believe.  For someone to have a plan to give grace, relief from sin and its consequences, and the truth, a proper way to lead a Godly life, is truly a Wonderful Counselor.

John never once directly quoted Isaiah’s prophecy, yet he described the prophecy's fulfillment perfectly.  From the zeal of God the Father came God the Son to be light unto the world, making Him Everlasting Father.  The Son came in a form and fashion that people could most relate to, namely, in human form, making Him our Wonderful Counselor.  This Son was through whom all creation existed, making him indeed a Mighty God.  This child, this son, was giving truth and grace, and the right to become children of God by believing in the Son, making Him our Prince of Peace.

What does this all mean?  It means you do not need to walk in darkness, for the light of the world is here.  You do not need to live in gloom, for the joy of the Lord is here.  You do not need to be bent by the burdens of life, for the yoke has been removed, and Jesus is here to carry your burdens.  You do not need to kneel before the oppressors of life, for they have fled because Jesus is here.  For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given.  And He truly is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.  Praise be to God.  Amen and Amen.

          How long is too long to wait?  The acceptable waiting time is dependent on what we are waiting for.  Sit at a red light for two minutes, and the complaining begins.  Wait two minutes to be seated at your favorite restaurant on a busy night, and you feel elated.  Waiting can be difficult because our world operates on a microwave mentality. When do we want it?  Now.

          I think one reason we do not like waiting is that waiting signals that we are not in control of everything.  We want to be in control.  Our friend Abraham had to wait.  He had to wait on God for a promised descendant.  We spoke last week about Abraham’s unwillingness to wait on God’s timing for a descendant, so Abraham fathered a son, Ishmael, with Sarah’s slave, Hagar.  But “19 Then God said [to Abraham], 'Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him” (Genesis 17:19).  God would not allow Abraham to hurry God’s plan for Abraham.  Today, I would like to finish our look at Abraham and his example of faith.

          Now Abraham was 75 years old when God called him to leave his father’s house and his country, and to travel to a land that God would show him.  In faith, Abraham followed God’s call.  God promised Abraham that many descendants would come from him and his wife, Sarah, even though they were both old.  A year went by, and there were no children.  A year became two years, then ten years.  Ten years became twenty years, and still no children. Twenty-five years went by, and Abraham was now 100 years old.  Sarah was 90 years old.  “1 Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him” (Genesis 21:1-3).  Finally, Abraham had his promised descendant after waiting 25 years for just one.  But just one was all that God’s plan required.

          The years after Isaac was born would go by. Abraham and Sarah aged.  Sarah died.  Abraham remarried and had six more sons by his second wife, Keturah.  But God’s plan focused on Abraham’s firstborn son of Sarah, Isaac.  God had told Abraham that the plan focused on Isaac and Isaac alone when God said, “I will establish my covenant with him [Isaac] as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him” (Genesis 17:19b). The covenant of Abraham with Isaac was extended to Isaac’s son, Jacob, and continued throughout the ages. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob of Genesis gave way to Moses in Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. From Moses, the story of the covenant continued through Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, the Psalms of David, and the Prophets.  Virtually, the entirety of the Old Testament is the story of one man, Abraham, and his descendants.  Despite the human failures along the way, God had a plan —an unshakeable plan — to bring a blessing upon humanity through Abraham. 

That unshakeable plan would play out in God’s timing.  It did not take a year, ten years, twenty years, or even twenty-five years to unfold.  It would take 2,000 years to come from Abraham to the critical point in God’s plan. And that plan pointed to one man who was introduced this way, “1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1).

            It is no accident or coincidence that Matthew’s gospel, the good news account of Jesus, begins by introducing Jesus as the Son of Abraham.  Matthew’s gospel was written for Jewish people—the people of the Hebrew scriptures—who could trace their own genealogy to Abraham. Each Jewish person in Jesus’ day claimed to be of one of the twelve tribes of Jacob’s descendants.  Knowing which tribe meant their lineage was back to Jacob, then to Isaac, and then to Abraham.  The Jewish people felt that being a son or daughter of Abraham meant being blessed by God.  Abraham loomed as a colossal figure and personality, almost approaching cult-like status, to the Jewish people of Jesus’ day.

          But.  But Matthew does not introduce Jesus as a son of Abraham, as one son among many. Matthew wrote that Jesus was the Son of Abraham.  Abraham, God promised, would be the founder of a great nation and through whom God would bless all nations.  Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise.

Abraham was the model of the original true believer and the father of faith. Abraham, God described as “my friend” (Isaiah 41:8), was an intimate person to God.  Jesus’ relationship to the Father was that of an intimate person, so much so that the Father and the Son were one. Matthew’s introduction of Jesus as the Son of Abraham was a clear signal that the gospel of Jesus would emphasize faith over heritage, blessings for believers, intimacy with God over ritual, and kingdom over nationhood.  Jesus’ emphasis on faith, believing, intimacy with God, and the kingdom, leading to friendship with God, would run headlong into conflict and argument with the religious establishment of Israel. 

          Even before Jesus began his public ministry, the conflict started with the then-contemporary views of Abraham held by the Jewish people.  Matthew wrote, “1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near’” (Matthew 3:1).  Repent here meant to turn away from your own ways, your own understanding, and your own self-assuredness and return to faith in God, intimacy with God. “5 People went out to him [John the Baptist] from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him [John] in the Jordan River” (Matthew 3:5-6).  John’s baptism was repentance.  “7 But when he [John] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:7-8).  The Pharisees and Sadducees were the religious leaders who held power in the practice of Judaism, including organized prayer, sacrifices, and Temple festivals.   John did not see the Pharisees as models of faith, intimacy with God, or friendship with God.  To the contrary, John saw the Pharisees and Sadducees as a brood of vipers —literally, a nest of snakes.  John saw the hearts and the behaviors of the Pharisees and Sadducees as cunning and crafty, with deadly consequences coming from their mouths, like a poisonous snake. And before the Pharisees and Sadducees could even say a word in their own defense, John cut down for their cult-like beliefs in Abraham.  “9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:9-10).  John, full of the Holy Spirit, knew the Pharisees and Sadducees would be united in their claim of privilege and blessing because of perceived standing with the rockstar personality of Abraham.  John revealed God saw things very differently when it came to His friend, Abraham.  John shouted at the Pharisees and Sadducees,  “Do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father” (Matthew 3:9a). Abraham enjoyed standing with God because of Abraham’s faith in and obedience to God.  Those who would come after Abraham must exhibit the faith and obedience of Abraham on their own, not by bloodline.  If God only wanted descendants of Abraham, John said, God could take an ordinary pile of rocks and create children for Abraham (Matthew 3:9b). The message about the coming Son of Abraham —Jesus, the Son of God —had been cast. Faith and belief would be the hallmark of intimacy and fellowship with God, and not bloodline.  John’s words would have shocked the sensibilities and egos of the Pharisees and Sadducees, the Jews whose ritual practice was par excellence, but whose faith and obedience to God did not come anywhere close to that of Abraham, the faithful believer par excellence.

           Jesus would drive this point home later in the Gospel of Matthew.  Let’s take a quick look at that scene from Chapter 8.  “5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion [a Roman military officer] came to him [Jesus], asking for help. 6 ‘Lord,’ he [the centurion] said, ‘my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”  7 Jesus said to him [the centurion], ‘Shall I come and heal him?’ 8 The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  10 When Jesus heard this, he [Jesus] was amazed and said to those following him, ‘Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith” (Matthew 3:5-10).  The centurion’s faith was par excellence, meaning greater than anyone else in Israel.  The centurion was not considered a descendant of Abraham, but he was not disqualified from being accepted by Jesus.   After all, Abraham was a pagan before Abraham became a believer and faithful follower of God.  Here, too, Jesus came for those who would believe in Him and be obedient to Him. The centurion demonstrated His belief in Jesus’ status, calling Jesus “Lord” and expressing full faith in Jesus’ authority over any earthly condition, here, the severe illness of the centurion’s servant.  For Jesus to say that no one in all Israel had demonstrated to Him such faith was a convicting statement that faith was all-important.

          As if to make his point even clearer, Jesus went further.  Jesus said, “11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:11-12).  Jesus’ point was that those coming from the east and west —meaning those not of Abraham’s ancestry who display faith like Abraham — will be joined in the feast with the friends of God in heaven: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  But, those who claim the blessing of heaven simply because they have ancestry with Abraham will be thrown out into the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, said another way, hell.

          Where does this all leave us?  There is only one point I want us to consider today. That point concerns our faith, and is it our faith par excellence?

          We started today, acknowledging that we do not like to wait for much of anything.  When it comes to faith, we do not need to wait for anything.  We are not like Abraham waiting for a descendant. We are not like the Jews of Jesus’ day, waiting for a Messiah?  Everything we need for faith in God has already been given to us.  We have the stories of the Old and New Testaments. We have example after example of faith poured out for us.  We have the Book of Revelation in which the only thing we need to know is that God wins in the end.  We don’t need to wait, and yet many people don't commit their lives to God.  They wait.

          Some people wait because they do not think they are worthy of God’s grace, and they want to better themselves before committing. They wait.  Here is the truth.  We cannot better ourselves without God’s grace.

          Some people wait because they want to improve their church practices.  The gospels were clear.  A good standing with God had nothing to do with rituals and ceremony.  God calls people into faith.  God calls people to follow Him and to go where He leads.

          The decision we need to make that changes everything about our life now and for all eternity is the same one God asked Abraham to make.  Will you have faith par excellence?  A faith that seeks to be true and wonderful.  A faith that seeks the friendship of God.  This is what God desires.  Why wait?  Amen and Amen.

          There is a common expression that goes like this: “You read my mind!”  We use that expression when someone seems to know, or guess, at what we wanted or what we were about to say.  Some entertainers possess a unique ability to imagine what people are thinking.  When he wasn’t supposedly bending spoons with the power of his mind, mentalist Uri Geller was telling his audience members what they were thinking.  Mentalists do so using a combination of psychological observation, suggestion, and guesswork.  They can be very entertaining.

          But to genuinely know the thoughts of someone else is not a trick or illusion. It can only be accomplished between people who have a deep, intimate relationship.  To develop that relationship requires time, conversation, and attentiveness.  When I worked as a court-appointed advocate for abused and neglected children, we were trained to listen attentively to the children assigned to us to under what was going on in their minds.  We were encouraged to listen with three sets of ears—one set to hear what the child said, a second to listen to what they were not saying, and a third to understand their feelings.  This type of listening was used to gain insight into the child's mind.

          Our scripture reading today from Genesis Chapter 18 centers on God inviting Abraham into a deep conversation so that Abraham could understand the mind of God.  The setting for this conversation was near Abraham’s home by the oaks of Mamre.  God and two others, all in the form of men, had appeared to Abraham at the door to Abraham’s tent in the heat of the day. Abraham recognized these men as a visitation from God, and so Abraham invited them to sit, be refreshed with water and food, and have a conversation.  The scripture says that after a time, “16 The men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17 The Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.’ 20 Then the Lord said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know’” (Genesis 18:16-21).

          This is an important passage because it begins with God’s soliloquy, an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers.  God started with these words, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” (Genesis 18:17a).  God had in mind to address an issue. Seemingly, God could choose to invite Abraham to understand how God would decide the matter or exclude Abraham from God’s decision-making process.  God continued, “For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him” (Genesis 18:19).  God made clear here that for Abraham to become a great nation, Abraham must understand righteousness and justice.  To understand righteousness and justice is to know the mind of God.  Therefore, God invited Abraham into a deep conversation about what was about to happen. God shared with Abraham that an outcry had reached Him that the wickedness in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was great and their sin grave.  What was the sin?  God does not state the sin because it was irrelevant.  The depth of the sin and the level of wickedness were grave. What more needed to be said than that?  God promised to investigate the outcry against these cities.

          The story continued this way, “22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said (to the Lord), “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (Genesis 18:22-23). Here, we learn something about the mind of Abraham.  Before the two men with the Lord could even get to Sodom and report to the Lord about the wickedness, Abraham knew what they would report.  Abraham knew the report about the sin would be as bad as the outcry and that God would put an end to the wickedness.  Abraham knew about both cities.  Abraham had rescued the inhabitants of Sodom after they had been captured and enslaved, along with Abraham’s nephew Lot.  Abraham was acquainted with the reputation of the king of Sodom and his people because Abraham asked God, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”  Abraham envisioned that once the men’s report reached God, the cities would be destroyed because the sin was indeed grave.

          Knowing the fate of the cities, Abraham asked God, “24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?” (Genesis 18:24).  Abraham’s question brings into the conversation not just the ideas of righteousness and wickedness but also brings a question about justice and mercy. Righteousness and wickedness are opposing characteristics, while justice and mercy are complementary virtues.  Abraham seemed interested in understanding how God balances justice and mercy and began the conversation, suggesting that perhaps as few as 50 righteous people should be enough to offset the wickedness of the city. 

          God provided no immediate answer to Abraham’s question.  So, Abraham pursued God further, “25 Far be it from you (God) to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked!  Far be that from you!  Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Genesis 18:25).  Abraham was trying to goad God into an answer that showed the balance between justice for the wicked and mercy for the righteous.  Many people interpret Abraham’s words as an impassioned plea to God to change His mind.  They see Abraham seeking God to behave mercifully and save righteous people from God’s destruction, along with the wicked, who Abraham believes deserve death. They believe Abraham was engaged in the classic Middle Eastern practice of haggling over the price of something. Someone makes an offer below what they know the owner of that item will accept, and then negotiation begins toward a mutually agreeable higher price.  Abraham started with what he thought was a low offer. Could God accept 50 righteous people as being sufficient to offset the wickedness of the city?

But to see the exchange as Abraham that way is to ignore the message of God’s opening soliloquy.  God wanted Abraham to come to understand God’s mind and for Abraham’s mind to be changed so that Abraham would be equipped to be a great nation.  Abraham needed God’s wisdom, including balancing justice and mercy, to be a better father of many nations.  God did not need Abraham’s understanding to be a better God. At this point, God chose to answer Abraham and said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake” (Genesis 18:26).

          I believe God’s answer surprised Abraham that God would spare all the people of Sodom if 50 righteous people could be found in the city.  If Abraham was haggling with God, as some believe, then Abraham initiated the bidding process, seeking God to reconsider at a number he deemed unacceptably low.  Abraham would have expected God to say, “No, not 50, that is too few.”  As such, Abraham would have expected to continue negotiating, suggesting that a greater number of righteous individuals needed to be found to save the city.  Instead, God essentially says to Abraham, “If you think 50 righteous people is what I had in mind to save the city, then let it be 50.”

          God’s response made it clear that Abraham did not know the mind of God and did not understand how God balances justice and mercy. We see this was true as Abraham returned to God and, uncertainly, asked, “What if 45 righteous are found?”  Abraham, instead of increasing the number as would have been expected in haggling, was now decreasing the number needed to save the city.  God said, “For 45, I will spare the city.”  The haggling process was going in the opposite direction than Abraham initially thought, but more importantly, Abraham was learning the mind of God.  Abraham asked, “40?”  God said, “I will spare the city.”  “30?”  God said, “Yes, for 30, I will spare the city?”  “20,” asked Abraham.  “Yes, for 20 Abraham.”  Abraham then said, “What if it were just 10?”  God said, “For 10 I would spare the city.”  Abraham had learned something about God.  Despite there being pervasive wickedness that warranted judgment, God was more interested in balancing the scales of justice towards mercy.

          What then do we learn from this exchange between God and Abraham?  Let’s consider two things.

          First, God is the initiator in the development of the relationship between Himself and humanity.  We saw this point last week when God offered an unmerited covenant with Abraham.  And we saw that here again, as God, in His soliloquy, spoke His heart, indicating that He wanted Abraham to come to know His mind.  God initiates everything for the benefit of humanity.  Any relationship you or I have with God, whether you would describe it as deep or shallow, longstanding or new, exists because God sought that relationship with you.  God chose to reveal Himself to you because He loves you and wants you to know Him.

          Second, God wanted Abraham to know His mind, and God wants you and me to know His mind as well.  It is that desire for us to see the mind of God that God caused 40 different writers over 1,500 years to compile God’s story in the sixty-six books of the Bible.  Page after page of the Bible reveals to us God’s mind, helping us to understand the virtues of God, his sense of love, righteousness, justice, mercy, grace, joy, patience, compassion, faithfulness, and wisdom.  Why does God want us to know Him?  He reveals Himself so that we will love Him and we will want to imitate Him in our relationships with each other.

          It is to this last point of God revealing Himself that we need to spend a few minutes.  God wanted Abraham to know His mind and heart.  God spent a day with Abraham to help foster Abraham’s understanding. God wanted the world to know His mind and His heart.  For these reasons, God sent Jesus, not for a day but for 30 plus years.  The last three years of Jesus’ life were marked by an active and intense ministry to people, aiming to bring a profound sense of God’s mind alive within them.  Who was this Jesus?  He was the Christ, the Messiah, anointed by God.  The Apostle Paul said it this way, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15a).  This means to us that to know Jesus is to know God.  To know Jesus, and thus know God, is a core belief of Christianity. Knowing Jesus is indispensable to knowing God.  I say that Jesus is indispensable to knowing God because Jesus said that:

• “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
• “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7)
• “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9b)
• “3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you (God), the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

I think we get the point.  Knowing Jesus is knowing God, not in the sense that one can say, “I know Donald Trump is the President.”  But it is to say, “I know Him because I have had conversations with Him, spent time with Him, and have been attentive to Him.

          Abraham had a day with God.  Jesus’ twelve apostles had about three years with God. What an incredible experience. And yet, one of the twelve would betray Jesus, God, into the hands of evil men.  When I say those words, the enormity of Judas’ betrayal looms larger than I can really comprehend.

          On the other hand, the Apostle John said this of three years coming to know God, “1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete” (1 John 1:1-4).  And there it is.  John came to know God because John came to know Jesus.  And there was one and only one thing that would increase John’s joy more than he already was experiencing, and that would be that you and I would come to know God through Jesus as well.  That is why the New Testament exists.  That is why so much human effort is given over to getting the Bible into our hands, so that we would share in the fellowship with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.

          You are here today because God has initiated a relationship with you.  He has and is pursuing you so that you will know Him, love Him, and come to know His mind. In coming to know God’s mind, you and I will know God’s will always favors mercy, mercy towards us.  Jesus said of God’s will, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day” (John 6:39).  Let us honor God and come to know His Word, His Son, and His mind.  Amen and Amen.