Good morning, everyone. Really, really good to be back with you here in Alex Cross. Thank you so much for the words of welcome. We are turning to a very, very familiar passage of Scripture. So sometimes there's a tendency when we turn to a familiar passage of Scripture to switch off a wee bit. I know that, you know, don't switch off. God has something to say this morning from Luke chapter 15, and we're reading from verse 11. We're going to be touching a wee bit in the first bit, but we're going to be reading and concentrating on the parable of the lost son. Luke chapter 15, and we're reading from verse 11. And this is God's Word. Then he said, A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that befalls me. So he divided to them his livelihood. Not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with product of living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one give him anything. But when he came to himself, He said, how many of my father's hired servants have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants. And he arose and came to his father, but when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion on him. and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servant, bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring in his hand and sandals in his feet and bring the fatted calf here and kill it and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found and they began to be merry. Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed a fatted calf. But he was angry. and would not go in, therefore his father came out and played it with him. So he answered and said to his father, lo, these many years I have been serving you. I have transgressed, I've never transgressed your commandment at any time, and yet you never give me a young goat that I might make merry with my friend. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you kill the fatted calf for him. And he said to him, son, you're always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. Amen, and we know God will add a blessing to the reading of his word. Let's just pray as we turn to God's word together. Father, we need your help today. I need your help. Holy Spirit, would you come and minister through us and to us today. Help us, Lord, to have an ear to hear what you're saying. Help me, Lord, as I share your word with the people of Abbots Cross this morning. And Lord, that they would hear not my voice, but they would hear another voice speaking deep in their hearts and lives. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. When word came through that the Titanic had sank off the coast of Newfoundland, crowds began to gather outside the White Star office in Liverpool to seek news of their loved ones. Two large boards were placed at the entrance. One board was labeled, known to be saved, and the other board was labeled, known to be lost. As word of passengers came through to the White Star Company, somebody would come out and put a person's name on one of them boards, no one to be lost, no one to be saved. The parables in Luke Chapter 15, if you go to the beginning of the chapter, it says, then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to him to hear him. What a wonderful thing. All the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to him. This was the Lord Jesus, to hear him. But there was another group of people, the Pharisees and the scribes. They complained, saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them. So he spoke this parable to them saying, so the parable was in a response. These three stories were in response to the Pharisees and the scribes complaining why sinners had come and why Jesus was spending time a sinner. And he told three stories. He told three parables. Parable of the lost sheep was the first one. We're just going to skim this until we get to verse 11, the parable of the lost sheep. A man had a hundred sheep, one went missing, and the man left the 99 and went to look for the one that was lost. What an amazing thing that is. He left 99 and he went to look for the one that was lost. I want you to remember that word lost this morning. This is what these parables are all about, lost and found, lost. He went to look for the one who was lost. Now, he already had 99. He already had plenty of sheep, but one that was lost. He went to look for the one that was lost. Second parable from verse eight talks of a woman who had 10 silver coin, and she loses one of these coin, and she lights a lamp, and she sweeps a house, and she searches carefully until she finds it. And when she finds it, she calls her friends and her neighbors together saying, rejoice with me, for I have found the peace which I lost. That which is lost, she left. She had the nine coins. She lost one. It was valuable to her. It was precious to her. So she looked until she found it. Jesus, remember, was telling these stories in response to the attitude of the Pharisees and the scribes who were complaining that he was spending too much time with these sinners and eating with them. An amazing thing, these parables are in response to this criticism. So, lost sheep needed a shepherd, lost coins who were valuable needed to be found and put back into circulation. You think about that. Have you lost a coin down the back of your sofa? Many times, when we were married at the beginning, way back in the day, things were tight, money was tight, and I remember my wife going down the back of our sofa. Anybody go down the back of the sofa looking for coins? Come on, nod your head. Tell me I'm not the only one that's done that. But while that coin is down the back of that sofa, it's out of circulation, it's still a pound. And it's valuable, it has the value of a pound, but it's out of circulation. This wee woman's coin was lost and it was no use to her, it was out of circulation, but it was valuable. I want you to think about that this morning. It was valuable. So, Jesus saw what these sinners were really like. The Pharisees were blinded by their outward appearance. The scribes were blinded by their outward appearance, but Jesus saw what these sinners really were. Lost sheep needing a shepherd, lost coins valuable needing to be back in circulation, and lost son, as we're going to be turning to now, lost son who needed to get back to father's house. Lost sons who needed to get back to father's house. Maybe you know somebody like that this morning. Maybe you know a sheep One of the four who has gone away and hasn't been in church for a while and hasn't been around the body of Christ for a while, maybe you know that first and foremost you need to pray for that person. You need to make contact with them. You need to let them know that they're still valuable. Maybe you know somebody like that, like that coin brings that to your mind, this person's really valuable, but they're not here, they're not in circulation, they're not participating in the body of Christ. There's people like that. Churches are like that. There's people who'll be around for a while and all of a sudden, through circumstances, through different things, they're gone and they're not here. We need to think about people like that. Our brother reminded us here this morning about letting the pastor and letting people know. There's somebody, there's an empty pew this morning, let somebody know. So, this young son, a certain man had two sons, two sons. This is a story about two sons, not just one. And this young son asked his father for his inheritance, his portion of what his father was going to leave him. And really, you know, this was a really disrespectful thing to do, because what he was really saying was, he shouldn't inherit that until his father died. So what he was really saying was, you should really, I want my money, and that would have happened if you had died, so really it doesn't matter to me, just give me the money. He was being so, so disrespectful to his father. But his father didn't deny him that. His father gave him the goods that fell to him, and he divided his livelihood up between the sons and the younger son, not many days after, verse 13, headed off, gathered all together, and journeyed to a far country. Journeyed to a far country. And you know, the boy really went for it. He lived it up. He had plenty of friends while he had the money, parties. He was living the dream, as they talk about in these days. He was living the dream. But it all ended up badly. It all ended up badly. As he spent all his money, his so-called friends run off and left him. They took himself off. A famine hit the land. And he found himself feeding pigs. He joined himself to a man who owned pigs. And this, for this, there's swine that's called here. This, for this young man, would have been the lowest of the low. Swine were seen as unclean animals, and he was feeding the unclean animal. He had went from being in father's house, having had all the benefits of father's house, being looked after, being loved, and all them different things. Think about this, put yourself in this young man's place, to being in the depths of despair. I said he would have ate, surely ate the pods that he was feeding the pigs. You know, maybe you have somebody in your family like that this morning. I certainly have. People who have went and lived away far from God, people who are in a low place today, people who have went away, maybe have been around church, maybe have been around the things of God, and went away, and thinking that this is the way to go. But you soon find out that as we take ourself away from God, maybe you're in here this morning, you've been struggling in your relationship with God. And maybe you're wondering what everything's all about. Maybe things have happened, maybe things have happened in your life and you're thinking, you know what, church is not for me anymore. I'm just here, I'm just making up the numbers. I'm just, you know, I'm going to head off. Can I tell you something? You go out that door and you head off and you take yourself away from the body of Christ. It won't end up good. The outcome won't be good. The outcome won't be good. Because you need to be in the presence of God, you need to be around the people of God, you need to be worshiping God, you need to be drawn close to God. He ended up in a sore, bad place. One preacher from the past made this great statement. He said, sin takes you further than you want to go. It keeps you longer than you want to stay. It costs you more than you want to pay. I'll say that again. Sin takes you further than you want to go, it keeps you longer than you want to stay, and it costs you more than you want to pay. It was a mess. It was a mess. But glory to God. Verse 17 tells us a great thing that happened in this young man's life. Here's what happened. It says, when he came to himself, when he came to himself, he had a moment. where he came to himself. How many of my father's hired servants, hired servants, have bread, enough to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise and I will go to my father and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants. He had a moment, he came to himself, he remembered even the servants in his father's house. were well fed and well looked after, so he decided to turn around, and he decided to go back. In all our three parables in this Luke chapter 15 that Jesus tells these three parables, Jesus speaks of the sinner repenting. It says in verse seven, I say unto you likewise, rejoice. The man who found the sheep and carried it back, the farmer who carried the sheep back on his shoulders, and he called his neighbors and he called his friends and he said, rejoice with me for I have found my sheep which was lost. Verse seven, I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. It's a word I want you to think about today. Repents, there's a lot of gospel preached today with no repentance. There's a lot of gospel preached today with no repentant. Jesus preached repent. for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," or the kingdom of God is at hand. John the Baptist preached, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent. We think we know sometimes what repent means, but do we? There'll be more joy in heaven over one sinner, one sinner who repents." And when the wee woman found her coin, and when she had found it, verse 9, she calls her friends and neighbors together saying, "'Rejoice for me, for I have found the peace which I have lost.' Likewise, in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Repents. I want you to think about that word, repent. Repent. So what is repenting? Jesus speaks of a sinner repenting and the joy in heaven because of one sinner. You see, repentance always comes before salvation. Sometimes we, you know, we get this the wrong way around. Repentance means there's a turnaround, and it's the Spirit of God working on a life that brings you to a place of repentance. We repent and believe. That's what the Bible says. What shall we do? When Stephen preached the great sermon in the book of Acts, what should we do? Repent and believe the gospel. Repent came first. Turning around and repenting. Repentance is not just turning around, it's we're going this way and we're going away from God and we're going against God and we're turning, yes, to God and the spirit of God begins to work in our hearts and we turn to God. But turning around to God, There has to be a change in mind, a change in heart, a change in our whole being. That's what repentance is. That's what repentance is. This young man had a moment, he came to himself, he had a moment of repentance, and it made him do something. Repentance always makes us do something. Repentance is not just saying, you know, so many different people say, I say the sinner's prayer, repent and believe the gospel. It has to be repentant. He said, I will go to my father and say, just make me a servant. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. You see, before salvation comes, we need to realize that we're lost. We need to realize that we're on that. You remember the two boards outside White Stars Liner? There's a board that says those who are lost and those who are found, those who are saved. We need to realize, before we get saved, we need to realize we're lost. Before the people of Rathkill get saved, they need to realize they're lost. You're in here this morning, you're not saved. You need to realize you're lost. You're lost forever. Except the mercy of God has poured upon your life. And God, you're in a good place this morning. If you're in here this morning, you're not saved. You're in here this morning, you're maybe in your heart. Nobody else knows in here, but in your heart, you know you're backslid. You know your prayer life's not where it was. You know reading the Scriptures is not where it was. You know that you're only marking time. You're not going anywhere. But you need to know, it's a good, it's a good thing for you to know that, you know your position. And then God can do something about that. Repentance is coming to that place where you know you're not worthy. We're teaching a group of young people in Ballysellin about grace and mercy. Teach them about Jesus and these big words that are attached to the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and mercy. Grace gives you what you don't deserve. Somebody said God's riches at Christ's expense. Grace gives you what you do not deserve. Unearned favor, unearned forgiveness, unearned acceptance with God. Can't earn it. For it's by grace you're saved. Through faith, it's not of yourself, not of works, least any man or woman should boast. That's what grace is. What's mercy? Mercy is holding back. Grace gives you what you don't deserve. Mercy holds back what you do deserve. Mercy holds back what you do deserve. And we see the father's heart here as this young man come back. He had took his father's money, said, I want my inheritance. And he might as well have been saying to his father, I don't care. If you were dead, it wouldn't make any difference. At least I have the money. I've got the inheritance in the back pocket. I'm going to live it up and I'm going to live a great life. And you would have thought when he came back that the father, But I said to him, now I'm gonna sit you down here and I'm gonna tell you a few home truths. You know what you do when you're a young person? You know, when my kids grew up now, but when I remember my son in particular and my daughter, sitting them down and telling them a few home truths. How many people have done that? Telling them a few home truths. Here's the way it is. You're gonna live under my roof. You're gonna live by my rule. How many people have said that? Many people have heard that. And that's what you would have thought the Father would have done, but what a heart. What a heart the Father had. What a heart. What an amazing heart. And this portrays the heart of God. This portrays the heart of God. The Father saw Him. Let's go on down. when he made his way, so he's repented, and his heart is said, I'm not worthy. He's come to this position, and he wanted to go and tell his father this. And he arose, and he came to his father, but when he was still a great way off, his father saw him, and he had compassion, and he ran, and he fell on his neck and kissed him. Folks, what, the father was waiting on him. Every day, the father was out there looking on the horizon to see if he could see him coming. Every day. And if you're in here this morning struggling in your relationship with God, God's there. He's saying, bring it to me. Come to me. Don't struggle. And listen, you see, if you're a Christian in here this morning and you're struggling, join the club. Join the club. People get saved in Ballysul recently. I says, welcome to the battle. Come on, Christians, we're in a battle, aren't we? No. Why does it talk about the armor of God? Why does he give us armor to put on if we're not in a battle? We're in a battle against the flesh, we're in a battle against the devil, and we're in a battle against this whole world. We're in a fight, but you're not in that fight on your own. The Father loves you. He loves you. Think about a man who would leave 99. You think, oh, God's all happy with the crowd that's up there and spiritually prayed up and spiritually read up and all them different things. You know, I haven't been reading, I haven't been doing this, I haven't been doing that, so he's not really worried about me. He left 99 and went for one. He loves you. Whoever you are in here today, he loves you. The wee woman swept until she found that coin. If you're like that coin today, maybe you're not participating in the body of Christ the way you used to. Maybe you're not involved. You're maybe a coin who has value, but you're out of circulation. God wants to bring you back into circulation and help you get going again. He has plans and purposes for your life. Verse 21, and the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven. Now there's a really significant point. First and foremost, when we sin, we sin against God. We sin against heaven. And he says, I have sinned against heaven and against you. in your sight, and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son." He was in a low place, wasn't he? I'm no longer worthy. Do you ever feel like that? I'm no longer worthy to be even, to take the name of Christ on board, the things I've done and the battles I've had, and I've just, I'm so fed up with myself. The enemy wants to, you know, when you're feeling that, he wants to give you a big stick. And he wants to say, take that stick and give yourself a beating. You've been a bad Christian. What kind of a Christian are you? You know, you wouldn't even be thinking like that if you were a Christian. Anybody ever hear that from the old enemy? You're not even saved. Are you sure you're saved at all? It's a lie. Lies of the enemy. At that point, we need to go to the Word of God, and we need to see what the Father says about us. The Father didn't even answer him when he says, you're not worthy to be my son, or I'm not worthy to be your son. Just make me a servant. The father didn't answer him. Here's what he'd done. But the father said to his servants, bring out the best robe. Bring out the best robe. He put on him a ring. The ring was a sign of sonship. In that Eastern culture, that ring was a sign of sonship. See, he never stopped becoming a son. He was always a son. He was just a son who had strayed. He was a son who had went away from father's house. The ring was a sign of sonship. and sandals on his feet. Bring the fatted calf. The fatted calf's really significant because it was one of the, the other cattle are all out and they're grazing and they're doing, the fatted calf is kept in and fed in the stalls. Doesn't get any exercise. And it's fattened for that purpose, for a celebration. So that they kill it and it's sumptuous. What it was used for was a celebration. Celebration. Bring the fatted calf. Let's kill it. Let's eat and be merry, for this my son who was dead is alive again. He was lost, he's found, and they began to be merry. They threw a party. They threw a party. They threw a party. The father's love for his son had never changed. Folks, God's love for you today is amazing, so amazing that Jesus Christ died on a cross. to pay for every sin, past, present, and future that you have and will commit. That's the love of God. That's the love of God for you today. God loves you today. I want you to hear that this morning. You say, well, I know that, Andy, but is it deep down in your heart? Is the love of God having an effect in your heart? The Bible says it's the love of God that draws people to repentance, the love. God's a God of justice, absolutely, all day long. God will punish sin and has to punish sin. But the great news is he has already punished Jesus in your place. Oh, the love that drew salvation's plan. Oh, the grace that brought it down to man. Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span. Where? Calvary. Calvary, what a savior. You're in here this morning, you're not saved. God one more time is reaching out his hand to you. Jesus is reaching out his hand to you and he's saying, come. Come on to me, don't come on to Abbots Cross Church or the Belfast City Mission or some other denomination. Jesus says, come on to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He went to the cross to pay for your mess and to pray for my mess, to fix that mess. He wants you to experience that love today, just like this young boy was experiencing the love of his father. That love had never wilted. It had never diminished. It was always the same. And you see, human love, if somebody does well for you, you'll think good of them. That's human love. And human love's a powerful thing. But it's nowhere near on the level of God's love. God's love never changes. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. You know anybody like that? Any of our politicians like that? Any of the world leaders like that? What they say yesterday is the same today and the same tomorrow. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. His love's the same yesterday, today, and forever. What a Savior. What a Savior. What a Savior. Everyone was happy except for one, the older son. The older son, he come near the house, and he heard the music and the dancing, and he called one of the sisters, he said, what's going on? She says, your brother's back. Your dad has killed the faddock cab, he's so overjoyed. He's put a ring on him and a robe on him and sandals on him, he's killed the faddock cab and they're having a party. And the older son had not one bit of joy in his heart for his brother coming back. And if you go back to the beginning of the chapter, this older son portrays the Pharisees and the scribes, religious people. Religious people. Jesus, remember, was telling these three parables in response to them criticizing him for spending time as sinner. Folks, when the church, listen carefully to me, when the church loses its vision for souls, for the lost, we're in trouble. when it becomes just about religion, and the matter of fact, and the form of things, we're in trouble. Jesus spent all his time. Yes, he went to the synagogue. Yes, it's recorded that Jesus read the scriptures in the synagogue. But he met the woman at the well who had five husbands, and the man she was living with wasn't her husband. He met her outside. He met Weezekeus, the wee rascal, getting into Jericho. He met Blind Bartimaeus sitting on the side of the road begging. There's women at the well, there's Bartimaeuses and there's Zacchaeuses all around us in church, all around this building this morning. There's brokenness. All around Baliseulon this morning, there's brokenness. And we have a message that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Jesus spent his time in the mess, and he got criticized, who by? Religious people. Religious people. They were the ones that criticized him. Us, we're as big as opponents. We're the people, the religious people who should've knew better. The brokenness is here. We need to, this older son, this older son was self-righteous. Here's what he said as we finish up this morning. He said this. He was angry that he wouldn't go in. Therefore, his father came out and played it with him. father played it with him. You see the father played with my son. You know, my young son's home. Your brother's home. He's come home. Come in and join us. Wouldn't come in. Here's what he said. So, he answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years I have served you. These many years I have served you. I never transgressed your commandment at any time. You It was about me. Remember the Pharisee and the tax collector went into the temple to pray? Pharisee stood up and says, I thank you that I am not like other men. I fast and I give and I pray and I do. Too many I's. Too many I's. The old tax collector said, couldn't even lift his head, he beat his breast and he says, have mercy on me. A sinner. Have mercy on me. sinner. Too many eyes in this young man's address to his father, I served you, I worked hard, you never even gave me a goat to eat. Come on! joy of seeing a sinner. There's nothing like seeing a sinner coming in repentance and coming and crying out to the Lord for salvation, and never, ever, ever. I have experienced some great highs in my life, my children being born, my grandchildren being born, sporting events, sporting things I've been involved in, some great highs in life. There's nothing, nothing compares to seeing somebody who's lost come into the kingdom of God and be seen. Nothing. The joy that that brings. The joy that that brings. Folks, as a church this morning, can I encourage you? You're sitting here in the middle of this area. Don't be discouraged. Get your eyes off the war leaders. Get your eyes off what's going on around you. There's sinners there tomorrow, this evening, never mind tomorrow morning, this evening. There's people who you can maybe invite to the service tonight. Tomorrow, there's somebody, there's a neighbor, there's a friend, there's a family member. We need to be concerned about them. We need to be concerned about them to pray for them, to have a vision for who God is and His love for sinners. His love for sinners. As soon as this son of yours came back who devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed a fatted cow. Huff, this man was huffed in a real huff. Couldn't see. And you see, the Pharisees who had the law and the prophets and all the scriptures before them, here's a big lesson. They had everything before them. And they also had the master before them. the Messiah, standing right before them in the flesh, and they missed him. And they missed him. They missed him. They missed him. Jesus says, I came to seek and to save the law. Your brother who has returned. Son, you're always with me, always with me, and all I have is yours. It was right that we should make Mary and be glad, for your brother was dead, and he's alive again. He was lost, and now he's fine. There's nothing more important than the salvation of a precious soul. This morning, remember that. Nothing more important. Yes, it's important for us to have a relationship with God and to nurture that relationship and to stay close to the Lord when we come to the Lord. Absolutely. If you're a backslider in here, in heart, you're maybe sitting here this morning and you know that in your heart you've drifted far away from God. Come back. Come back. Come to Him this morning as we sing this last piece. Worship team's coming. As we sing this last piece, come back. Come to Him. Come to Him. And tomorrow, Let's take somebody, here's a challenge for you this week. This week passes, I've been studying this, I was out in the garden yesterday and there was names started coming into my head, people that I played football with years ago who I haven't thought about for a lifetime. And they started coming to my mind. And I started, I was around the garden lifting up leaves and I started praying for them around the garden. Pray that the spirit of God would bring people to your heart. And you begin to pray for them, and God will open a door for that person to come to salvation, to repent, and to believe the gospel. Father's heart's a heart of love this morning. Father's heart's a heart of grace and mercy this morning. Romans 5 and 8 says this, God demonstrated his love this way, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for all. The hymn writer said it this way, love's so amazing, so divine. The man, my soul, my life, my all. Are you giving him your all today? Are you giving him your all? He shouldn't be a bolt onto the end of your day. He should be the beginning of your day, the middle of your day, and the end of your day. Let's encourage yourself in the Lord today. Encourage yourself with the Father's heart for you today. Let's all pray before the worship team comes and leads us. Father, we thank you for your word today. We thank you, Lord, that your heart is a heart for the lost. Your heart is a heart for the broken. Your heart is a heart for those who are in prison. Your heart is a heart for those who are captive in their mind and their bodies and they're enslaved to that old enemy. Lord, help us to draw close to your heart and pour your love into us in these days that lie ahead. Anybody in here this morning that's not saved, Lord, may this be the day that they would realize that they're lost, they need to repent and believe the gospel. And the gospel is, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Pour out your spirit upon us, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Our final song is How Deep the Father's Love for Us. We've just been thinking about the Father's love. So now we're going to sing about it as we bring our service to a close. After the introduction, please stand while we sing. Our King and Father's love for us. How fast we all know, measure, that He should give His only Son. In Jesus Christ, in Jesus Christ. Let's pray together. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God. Father, we thank you, Lord. What kind of love is this that draws us, sinners, lost, broken, to yourself and gives us a robe of righteousness? Lord, we thank you for our time together this morning. We pray that you would remind us of that love. Remind us that you turned your face away from that sin that Jesus bore on that cross. But Lord, you haven't turned your face away from us this morning. In fact, Lord, you're calling us to yourself. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit dwell and abide with each one. this day and the days that lie ahead. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.