in question 36 and finishing this up hopefully this morning and beginning question 37, trust. But we are looking at this question, who is the mediator of the covenant of grace? And again, the very fact that there is a covenant of grace requires there to be a mediator. That's what we were looking at last week, that a holy God and a sinful people cannot come into peaceful relations apart from a mediator, a go-between, one who would represent us before God and who would be sent by God with overtures of peace from heaven to earth. And so the only mediator of the covenant of grace is the Lord Jesus Christ. And we looked at 1 Timothy 2, verse 5, for there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men. the man, Christ Jesus. And this is so important for us to understand for our own salvation, for our peace and comfort, and for our freedom as the children of God, that we are not beholden to any institution. We're not beholden to the institution of the church, for example. We're not beholden to any other man, such as Rome claims the pope is the vicar of Christ on earth. We're not beholden to a priest. other than the high priest who is in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a direct, personal, immediate, and constant access to the throne of heaven through the work of Jesus Christ. And this is such a joyful and freeing truth. that has been lost of view at times and recovered. One of the greatest of those recoveries being the Reformation in the 16th century, the 15th century, laying the groundwork for it, but the Protestant Reformation. where we see the gospel again brought into such clear view, having been obscured by the many glosses of the Roman church. And so our catechism makes much of this, the only mediator of the covenant of grace is the Lord Jesus Christ, who being the eternal Son of God, in other words, what is it that qualifies him to serve as this mediator and what qualifications these are that set him apart as unique. What is it about him that uniquely positions him as the only mediator? Well, he is the eternal Son of God, being the eternal Son of God of one substance and equal with the Father. We looked at these verses last week. And there are many more that we could add, but these, I trust, are sufficient, and I trust it's not something where any of us here are wrestling with, the understanding that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He's not the first of God's creations, as the Jehovah's Witnesses falsely teach. He's not simply a good man or a great prophet, one of the many prophets. as Islam and Muhammad's teaching in the Quran represents, that he's just another prophet in the line of Old Testament prophets. He is not equal with Lucifer and the brother of one of God's creatures as the Mormon Church teaches. but he is the eternal Son of God, one with the Father, of one substance and equal with him. And so those references are given and there are others if you'd like to study that further, let me know. In the fullness of time became man. And so let's look at Galatians chapter 4. Jesus being the eternal Son of God, He's not created at the incarnation, He assumes humanity. in verse 4 of Galatians chapter 4. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So you're no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir through God. And so there in verse 4, when the fullness of time had come, this speaks to the purpose and the plan of God, that He had planned the Old Testament, all that would unfold there, and He would plan, He had planned at a time to send His Son into this world to take on humanity. human nature. And so when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son. Back to the Catechism, the Lord Jesus Christ, who being the eternal Son of God of one substance and equal with the Father, in the fullness of time became man and so was and continues to be God and man in two entire distinct natures and one person forever. Now again, it's important for us to understand not only that Jesus Christ was the eternal Son of God, but that when he took man, humanity upon himself, a human nature, when he was clothed in flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, that this was not just some temporary phase where he would take humanity upon himself but then shed that husk of a human body when he had completed his work on this earth of his life and death and resurrection. But of great importance in the scriptures for our comfort, the Lord Jesus continues to be God and man. He continues in this way. He is the perfect man. He's the resurrected one. He's referred to as the firstborn from the dead. He is the one in 1 Corinthians 15 who leads the way in terms of this resurrection unto the new life, the new creation. He is the first. It's also, if you'll turn with me to Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 2, And actually, before we look at chapter 2, if you look in verse 3 of chapter 1, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. And if you look at Chapter two then in verse four, but God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us. in Christ Jesus. And so not only is this true of us in the sense of a covenantal connection, a union that we have with the Lord Jesus Christ, that we've been joined with him by faith, we've been made even his body and he is the head. so that wherever He is, by virtue of that relationship, we have a place and a right. He's not separate from His body in that sense. Not only is that true, but consider this also just in terms of the humanity, the perpetual humanity of God's Son now, that He made us alive together with Christ, that it was the humanity of the Lord Jesus that died on the cross, that was buried in the tomb, and that was raised up. It's one of us who was raised from death to everlasting life. One of us ascended into heaven. One of us sat upon the throne of heaven. And this, I think, is the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, his identity with us as a man, as well as, of course, our relationship with him in covenant. that makes this such a powerful and sweet truth, that we can see the future of humanity in the Lord Jesus. We can see the end of all things. We can see the glorious promises of God being fulfilled in an amazing way. that we are far from being cast off and lost into judgment for our sin, God has taken our nature upon himself in his Son Jesus Christ. And he has pledged in this to preserve us, to redeem us for a glorious future. He has bound himself to us in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so as we read in John chapter 1, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we have seen his glory. Glory is of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. And so there were certain teachings, heresies in the early days of the church that just could not reckon with the glory of this truth. whether coming from a Platonic Greek philosophy or many other worldly perspectives, it was the doctrine of who Jesus Christ is that God himself would take upon himself, permanently join himself to the creature, to man that was just beyond the reckoning of so many coming from these philosophies of unbelief. And so there were many efforts to try to soften this or water this down or change it to make it more palatable and more susceptible to our understanding. But none of those perversions are in keeping with the Scripture, they don't preserve the Gospel, and they're just simply not true. The Lord Jesus did not just take up our nature temporarily to be a Savior, but He has taken it permanently. And we read that in these verses. Look at Luke chapter 1. He was the eternal Son of God and is, and he took upon himself the addition of a human nature. Look at this announcement to Mary in verse 28. Well, verse 26, In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom. There will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, How will this be, since I am a virgin? And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age is also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who is called barren, for nothing will be impossible with God. And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. And so here we have the Virgin Mary, who'd never known a man, conceiving a child in her womb. And her question, of course, is how could this be since I'm a virgin? And the answer that the angel gives is that this child will not have a human father. This child will be conceived within you by the power of the Holy Spirit. And therefore, he will be called holy, the Son of God. And so this is what the Scripture teaches. In Romans chapter 9, if that highlights for us the divinity of this this child of Mary, that He was God's Son, conceived in her, and He certainly partakes of our nature through His incarnation. But Romans chapter 9 also gives mention of this in terms of the human nature, the real and true humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we were just looking at this in the morning service, Romans chapter 9. So we'll, for the sake of time, jump down to verse 3. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen, according to the flesh. They are the Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises to them belong the patriarchs, and from their race according to the flesh is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. So there's another great passage in verse 5 that we see that Jesus Christ has a human line, a human genealogy. His humanity is traced through Mary and even for sake of the legality of it, through Joseph in some of the Gospels, in Matthews in particular. But it was truly through Mary that His humanity is obtained. He has a true and real human mother and is created by the power of the Holy Spirit in that humanity. And so it is from their race, from the patriarchs, from the Israelites, according to the flesh, that is Christ, who is God over all blessed forever. So we see both of these truths beyond what we could have ever imagined and still in many ways beyond our ability to comprehend in terms of how could this be yet so clearly taught in the scriptures that Jesus Christ was and continues to be God and man in two entire distinct natures and one person forever. This was not just an appearance. It was not just the manifestation that he walked among us in a way that we perceived him to be a man. We see something like that with the angels often in the Old Testament. Abraham is a classic example of how he cooked a meal and fed these guests, and it turns out they were angels, and Hebrews makes reference to that and tells us to be careful to show hospitality. For by this some have entertained angels unaware." But this is not what we're seeing in the case of the Lord Jesus. He does not just take on the appearance of humanity for a time, but He truly took upon Himself a human nature. In Colossians chapter 2, we have this same truth beautifully stated in verse 9. Six, therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Four, Him, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. And you have been filled in Him who is the head of all rule and authority." And so here we see again, the person of Jesus Christ is this miraculous, marvelous union of the divine Son of God with a true human nature. He truly is one of us in the sense that he truly is of the race of mankind. He truly is. He has our very nature. If you look at Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 7, this matter of this being not just a temporary stage in the work of the Son of God to be our Savior, but this being perpetual, permanent, forever. Notice in Hebrews chapter 7 how this very truth is the ground of our eternal life and salvation. It would not be the case if we were to change this teaching of Scripture in terms of who Jesus is to say that he came from heaven, he took upon himself a human nature, but when he died upon the cross, for example, he laid that down. and then as a pure spirit he ascended back up into heaven as some of the early heretics in the church were teaching. But no, look at Hebrews chapter 7 verse 22. This makes Jesus back up to verse 20. Well, it's hard to find where to start. Let's look at verse 17. Well, Let's look at verse 11. Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law, what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from whom no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah." Notice there again, the humanity of Jesus. Just like we have parents and grandparents and a family tree that we can look back at, the humanity of Jesus Christ, he's descended from Judah. He claims his place among mankind as a child of Israel. He is descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe, Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek who has become a priest not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life, for it is witnessed of him, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." A quote from Psalm 110. For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness, for the law made nothing perfect. But on the other, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. And it was not without an oath, for those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath. But this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him, the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever. This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office. But he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a son who has been made perfect forever. Here we come in Hebrews to something of the second cycle in making a point. If you go back to the very beginning of Hebrews, all of the Old Testament means of revealing the glory of God are laid forth. and shown to culminate in the highest possible expression of the revelation of God. And so what is the fulfillment, the greatest and highest and eternal fulfillment of the prophetic office? It is the Lord Himself, the Son, who comes and speaks. Who could speak more clearly of the will of God? Who could reveal more clearly the glory of God? He is the radiance of His glory Himself. And so, in looking back and appreciating all of the former ways that God spoke to us in many times and in many ways, We come then to Jesus Christ and we find this is why the apostles will refer to, even in their own time in the New Testament, the last days. Why is that? What does that phrase really mean? Does it mean that Paul and Peter were convinced that the end of all things was probably the next day? Not necessarily, no. They understood that God had much that he would accomplish and the timing of this, as Jesus told his disciples in Acts chapter 1, was in God's hands, not something they need to worry about. But what they did understand and mean by that phrase that these last days is found there, that very phrase in Hebrews 1, in these last days he has spoken to us by his son. And so that's true of the prophetic work of God's revelation, his spoken word, the living word comes and became flesh and dwelt among us as we read in John 1 14. But this is also true of the great priesthood and the work of the priesthood throughout the Old Testament, that there were different administrations of this. We have a Melchizedek, a mysterious figure. We don't really know anything about him except Abraham went to him, whose name means king of righteousness and who was the king of Salem, the king of peace, a fascinating figure. And Abraham paid tithes of the spoil and recognized him as a priest of the living God. So you have a Melchizedek. We also have sacrifices being offered by Abraham, by the other patriarchs, by Noah, even back as far as Abel. We have sacrifice in the picture. And then we take a big step forward under Moses and we have the Levitical priesthood and the house of Aaron especially being singled out and these laws shedding more and more light on this work of atonement and redemption and how the sin of God's people could be covered. But when the Son comes from heaven and takes upon himself a human nature, and becomes the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and offers up himself as the sacrifice that actually can do what all of those pointed to, and steps forward as the priest who actually does have access to the very most intimate and immediate presence of God. He is just as He was as the prophet. He is in these last days. We have now such a high priest. There can be no higher expression of the work of priesthood in terms of God's covenant dealing with His people. For His own Son to take our nature. for His own Son who sits on the throne of heaven to be also our representative, not going in to an earthly holy of holies once a year, but constantly in the immediate presence of God in heaven itself. It's the highest and best expression and the final and ultimate expression of priesthood as it was pictured all through the Old Testament. And so he is the ultimate priest. And this is what Hebrews is making such a point of and what our catechism is calling attention to, the perpetual nature of this. is such a blessing. It should just fill us with joy to consider that God's Son took our nature upon Himself, not just for a brief time to do some work on our behalf, but permanently. He is both God and man in two entire distinct natures in one person forever. And He holds His priesthood permanently because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. And Moses is such a beautiful picture in the Old Testament of what was needed and what Jesus would ultimately accomplish in this final and ultimate way. Moses going up on the mountain standing in the presence of God, pleading for God's forgiveness and grace and patience and mercy for a sinful people who, down at the base of the mountain, they're so unclean, they can't even touch the mountain God is on, lest they die. They needed someone who would plead on their behalf, and this is who Jesus is. He always lives to make intercession for them. Moses pled for God's forgiveness and grace and mercy, and that was just a little picture, a shadow, an imperfect picture of the work of Jesus Christ. Again, Moses was hindered by his own sinfulness. Even as great as he was as a servant in God's house, the Son, as the writer of Hebrews earlier in this letter, is worthy of far more honor, even as the builder of the house, more than the house itself. And so Jesus Christ, sinless, not having to leave the presence of God to minister to the people of God perpetually, not subject to aging. We see Moses getting old. We see Moses growing weak. He needs men to come and hold his hands up. as he's praying for God's blessing upon the people of God. And of course, what a picture, an example all of us should strive after in terms of his godliness. But at the same time, we see just his imperfection, his weakness, his finitude. And in all of these respects, we are looking forward to a high priest who never grows weary, who never has sin, who doesn't need anything outside of himself to fully accomplish the intercession that we need in God's presence. And so, it is indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest. Why is it fitting? Well, that's the type of high priest we need. We can't survive with anything less than that, than perpetual, continual intercession, and perfect and constant intercession. It is indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, wholly innocent, unstained, separated from sinners and exalted above the heaven. And so he is perfect and His humanity has been glorified and He is in heaven, separated from us and yet with us. If you look at the ending phrase of the Great Commission as Jesus is sending His disciples into the world, what do we read? And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. And this brings us to the promise of the outpoured Holy Spirit that we see commence in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost and continue. That's the other amazing thing about Pentecost. That was not just a punctual, one-time event. It would have been nice to be there and see that. No, we live in this ongoing day in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, where the Spirit of God is poured out upon His people and manifests His power in sanctification, as His name is, so He does, the Holy Spirit. And so Jesus Christ, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. And so, as we read in chapter 8 verse 1, now the point in what we are saying is this, we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. And so, what is this language referring to? That these Old Testament expressions of this in the tabernacle and the priesthood of the Levites and so forth, that these were all earthly representations, copies of a true and heavenly reality that now has been ultimately entered into by the Lord Jesus. And so, if someone had asked you, How significant and important is it that Jesus wasn't just a temporary expression in the life of God's Son, but that his humanity is taken permanently? Hopefully we at least have more reason and clearer reason to be grateful and thankful that Jesus Christ has taken our nature upon himself forever. And that brings us to question 37, how did Christ, being the Son of God, become man? Christ, the Son of God, became man by taking to Himself a true body and a reasonable soul. In other words, the whole package, an entire human nature. What are we constituted of? Well, we have an outward form, but we also have an inner spiritual life, a soul that will never die. and our humanity will be completely restored and renewed in the resurrection. But it wasn't that Jesus just took upon himself the form of a man in the sense that he took a body, but he also took the fullness of humanity upon himself without sin, even a reasonable soul. And so, again, this goes beyond, strains the limits of our understanding, but we just follow the teaching of Scripture in this. And so, again, John chapter 1, verse 14, we have this clear reference to his body, and this seems to be less contested, although in the days of the early church, as I said, it's amazing what the vain philosophies of the world did in seeking to corrupt the Gospel, that Jesus didn't actually have a body. In the short aftermath, a generation after seeing Him nailed on the cross and die, and all of the evidence and testimony of His life walking among us, these were all just illusions. This was not really what it seemed. Again, wicked and perversion. But in John 1 14, and the Word, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we have seen His glory. Glory is of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. And so, the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, took upon Himself a true body and also a reasonable soul. He is able to sympathize with us, not just in the limitations of our physical form, but in our inmost struggles in our soul that we would know human emotions and human trepidation even. We read about the Lord Jesus and His apprehension as he was in Gethsemane facing what he alone truly understood, the awfulness of the judgment of God that would be poured out upon him as he who knew no sin became sin for us. In verse 36 of Matthew chapter 26, Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, sit here while I go over there and pray. And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled." This is language that is a human response. He's sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch with me. Again, it's just hard for us to even conceive, but the eternal Son of God is not subject to death. God is life. This is by virtue of the humanity that He took upon Himself, that He could die upon the cross, that He could have fear and apprehension considering the awfulness of death and the judgment of God that He was to drink, the cup that He was to drink. He began to be Sorrowful and troubled, then he said to them, My soul is very sorrowful even to death. Remain here and watch with me. And going a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. Again, we, I think, underestimate, we undercredit the righteousness and the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was not just free from struggle, free from trouble, free from temptation that He walked and lived among us as the Son of God, but it was as a Son of Man that He was tempted in all things as we are yet without sin. that He confronted the very real struggles and challenges and the troubles that afflict us, which are, if we were to categorize all of those together, our physical troubles, as great as those can be, would be on the low end of the scale in terms of where true sorrow and suffering is often found. But the Lord Jesus knew the human experience without sin. He knew what it was to be hungry, to be weak, to be sorrowful, to have this grave apprehension. He prayed a second time in verse 42. Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. So we read in Matthew chapter 28 of the reasonable soul that he had a true humanity in its fullness. being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost," back to our answer, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary, of her substance, and born of her, yet without sin. And so we'll look quickly at Luke chapter 1 again. these verses where the angel Gabriel, we just read them so we'll look quickly at them. The angel Gabriel is sent to this virgin betrothed to a man in verse 27 whose name was Joseph, the virgin's name was Mary. In verse 31, behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. She is his true mother. He partakes of her humanity. And in verse 35, the angel answered her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you, therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And down in verse 42, or 41, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. and she exclaimed with a loud cry, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And so the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God who took upon Himself a true body and a reasonable soul. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary of her substance and born of her. We also just looked at Galatians chapter 4 verse 4, but when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son born of woman. born under the law. And so it is the Scripture's plain teaching. that the eternal Son of God took upon Himself humanity, a human nature, a true body, a reasonable soul, yet He did this without sin. In Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." And so when we think of the things that tempt us and our lack and need that make those temptations so difficult, in everything except sin, The Lord Jesus participated fully in the limitations, the weakness, the frailty, the hunger, the thirst, the fatigue, all of the temptations and all of the lacks that contribute to that, which again is a mystery because He is the eternal Son of God, omnipotent, the creator of the world. But as the evil one came, the tempter, in his days of temptation in the wilderness, here it is amazing that Jesus Christ has gone 40 days without eating in the wilderness, and it is only his restraint, and that's what the tempter says, turn these stones into bread, what are you doing? But the Lord Jesus did not come to avoid the hardship of hunger, which his people had tasted of, but he came to accomplish the will of his Father. And so perfectly, he did not dodge or sidestep any of the hardship of his work as our representative, but he entered fully into our humanity. And so, as we read in Hebrews 7, we'll read again in closing, for it was indeed fitting, in Hebrews 7, 26, it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Well, let's pray. Our Father, we give thanks to You for sending Your Son. We thank You, Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, that You came to this world and You clothed Yourself with human flesh. You took upon Yourself a reasonable soul. You came born of woman. in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, you were conceived as a child of man and you continued and even to this day you have perfected humanity. in yourself and you reign on high as our glorious high priest, as our great prophet and our exalted king. We pray that you would come and minister to us, Lord Jesus. We thank you for your promise to be with us always, even to the end of the age. And we pray that through the Holy Spirit, through his indwelling presence, that you and the Father would come and make manifest that you have made your home with us. and that we would have joy in your presence, that we would come into the Father's presence through your work as our priest with great joy and confidence, knowing that it is a throne of grace to us, a grace for help in time of need. Bless now our worship, and we pray that you would draw many to call upon your name in joy and to worship you through the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray in his name, amen.