I invite you to turn in the scriptures to Genesis chapter 45. Genesis 45, and as you do so, I'll tell you a little bit of how I came to select this passage this week. One reason is that it happens to be one of the lectionary readings used by thousands of churches throughout the whole world. Lectionary is just a series of scriptures considered very important, worth reading on a yearly basis. And then of the lectionary readings, this particular one spoke to certain struggles that I continue to have. And not, I don't think because of simply my circumstance, but as you hear these things, I think you're going to say, oh, this is one that we all struggle with. This is perennial. And then also because it relates to the subject that I was asked to teach at the upcoming RYS, conference this summer. Now, the context of Genesis 45, in case someone here is not familiar or that you'd benefit from being reminded again about this, comes after a man named Joseph has been sold into slavery. Joseph is the son of Jacob, who's descended from Abraham, the patriarch of the faith. And Joseph is favored by his father. His other brothers are jealous and that jealousy has not helped when his father gives him an especially nice garment of clothing. And then Joseph has the temerity to share with them a dream that he had. He dreamt basically that his brothers would bow down to him and that he'd be in a position of ruling, even though he was younger than all of them. And they were filled with anger and hate towards their brother. And when they saw an opportune chance, they flung him into a pit to die, but then determined, you know, we can make some money off of him, that goes further, and they sold him to some people who were bringing slaves down to Egypt. Later on, as he's a slave, he is brought to serve in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian, and there he is falsely accused of a crime and thrown into prison, and he's in prison for many years. And while in prison, the Lord enables him to interpret dreams for two men. One of them is delivered out of prison but then forgets to show his gratitude to Joseph. So Joseph continues to languish for a time until that very man ends up informing Pharaoh that there is someone who can interpret dreams. And God had sent such a dream to Pharaoh that he wanted an interpreter. So Joseph is brought out and then brought before Pharaoh, he interprets the dream and says that there are going to be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh appreciates this interpretation and he makes Joseph to be second in command throughout the land. Soon, the famine hits and not only do people from all around the ancient Near East come to Egypt for food, but Joseph recognizes his own brothers. They do not recognize him because he's dressed like an Egyptian and they could not imagine it. We've all had that happen, where you're just blind to somebody that you do know because they're in the wrong context. This was an ultimate wrong context. And so they don't recognize their own brother, but he recognizes them. And after a period of testing, whether there seems to be some change in them based on how they treat their youngest brother, he determines to reveal himself. And so we come to the reading of God's word. Let's first ask God's blessing. Father, we thank you for having granted us the opportunity to sit at the table of your word, where you give us true bread. We ask that you would please nourish us tonight through the leading of your Holy Spirit, far beyond what anyone would deserve, far beyond the natural abilities of your servant. Meet us in your power. Show us the face of our Savior. Strengthen us to walk in his strength. All of this we ask in his name. Amen. This is the holy word of the Lord beginning at verse three. And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph. Is my father still alive? But his brothers could not answer him for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, come near to me, please. And they came near. And he said, I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. For God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh and Lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, thus says your son Joseph, God has made me Lord of all Egypt. Come down to me, do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children, and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, all that you have. There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household and all that you have do not come to poverty. And then verse 15, he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them, After that, his brothers talked with him. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. I have no doubt that Joseph's response to his brothers is one of the greatest demonstrations of magnanimity, that's going to happen a dozen times tonight, in the whole of the Bible, not just the Bible, but all of history. This is such an incredible display of grace, of understanding, of largesse. And as we consider this, we are going to be dwelling on what it means for providence to be magnanimous and how that shapes us. I am aware as I look out and I see a number of younger faces here that many of you are probably not familiar with the word that I just tried to say, magnanimity. Not only is that a hard word to say, but it is a much harder thing to practice. What makes it so hard? Well, think about what it is. Magnanimity refers to a greatness of soul It's an important word, I think, one that we don't want to lose because of its complexity. It's a greatness of soul that rises above personal pettiness, that sees and loves good in such a way that it walks past its own vindictiveness, and it demonstrates a kind of generosity or a willingness to forgive, especially to forgive wrongdoings. Joseph's willingness to be magnanimous. Where did that come from? I think the worst possible reading that you could have tonight is to think that God simply made Joseph differently than you. That he had access to something that you will never have access to, that he was just built different. Something in him was more like the angels. And that's great, we all love people like that, but it's not ourselves. And to tell ourselves, well, that's how other people are, but I'm this way, and God forgives me, and I'm grateful for him, and I'm trusting Jesus, and someday in heaven, then I'll be like that. We're going to see tonight that Joseph's ability to be magnanimous wasn't because of his natural temperament. It's because of the gracious work of the Holy Spirit, even then, in the heart of a person, as he caused them to look upon providence as being magnanimous. towards both Joseph and especially towards others who belong to the covenant community, but then also even towards the world that God pours his rain out upon the just and the unjust. He is exceedingly, abundantly merciful and kind. And because Joseph could look at providence that way, he could feel himself freed to image our magnanimous Lord. And in Jesus Christ, you have not only received such abundance of mercy, but you are being called as his ambassadors, as his imagers, to practice this towards others, not towards the deserving, they don't need it, but towards those who have offended you, towards those who do not deserve it. Now, as we consider this tonight, we're going to do so under three main divisions and I'll name each of them as we come to them. Three main divisions beginning with this. First, let's examine Joseph's story. Examine Joseph's story to see first what it meant for him to be magnanimous and to consider what was the root of his ability. I want you first to see verse three, what is the reaction of his brothers? How do his brothers react when they recognize for the first time who they're actually looking at? It says, and this is understatement, the ESV has dismayed. They were dismayed. However, that same term, depending on the context, can be as strong as being terrified. full of fear, overcome with dread. And why? It's perfectly understandable. The last time they saw this person, he was a young man, full of hope, and they were willing to murder him. They looked over the top of the hole, they looked down into the pit where they flung him, and there was no mercy in their face. And then they pulled him out, and for a moment, perhaps, he thought, oh, they were just playing. No, they were not playing. They're sending you to die after a lifetime of hard labor and abuse in a foreign country where you don't know the tongue and you're just a child. And now they recognize through some freak of providence that he is in power and he has all control and they are, if anything, about to die. And they begin to be angry at themselves, not just because they're going to suffer, but because these are now grown men, fathers and even grandfathers, and they have children of their own. And their children have children. And all of those people back there are going to die of starvation if they don't come home with the grain. And they're saying to themselves now, I brought this down on my family. They are full of dread and terror. Don't make light of this. This is one of the most poignant moments in scripture and for good purpose. And then how does Joseph respond to them? He immediately begins to apply relief. Now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. This is not meant to make light of sin. or to say that there are no consequences. But it is to say that his yearning as the one who had been sinned against was not for vengeance of his own. And he says, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. Where did this will to be magnanimous come from? The text links it to his faith in providence. The text links it to his faith in providence. I want to be very clear, not simply providence as God's supreme control, his decree, and his guidance of every molecule and motion in all the world. I have no doubt that the majority of us, perhaps all of us, believe that God is in authority over all things, at least in our more orthodox moments. We acknowledge he's God and therefore, even though I can't understand it all, he's controlling everything. He exists before all creation and time. Nothing can steer contrary to his purpose or else he would not be God. But that is not the Christian and the reformed doctrine of providence merely to acknowledge control. Because that's reducible to a kind of fatalism or tyranny. Our understanding of providence from scripture is one of abundant benevolence, particularly in Jesus Christ according to his covenant towards his people. In fact, this is spoken very clearly and wonderfully to us in one of our confessional documents. In the Belgic Confession of Faith, in Article 13, it describes providence in this way. We believe that this good God Good, not merely God. After he created all things, did not abandon them to chance or fortune, but leads and governs them according to his holy will in such a way that nothing happens in this world without his orderly arrangement. Now, I will acknowledge I don't always understand the order, but imagine you drew out a pattern and paint across the ground. and this pattern and paint stretched from here to five miles from here. And then you placed an ant in the middle of one of those paint lines. Does it understand the pattern? No. Is there a pattern? Yes. And you have to be above it all at times to understand how these things are fitting together. And we're smaller by comparison to God than that ant is to some five mile line. We don't understand it and yet His word declares the goodness, and so we confess this doctrine gives us unspeakable comfort, since it teaches us that nothing can happen to us by chance, but only by the arrangement of our gracious Heavenly Father. He watches over us with fatherly care, keeping all creatures under his control, so that not one of the hairs on our heads, for they are all numbered, nor even a little bird can fall to the ground without the will of our father. In this thought, we rest knowing that he holds in check the devils and all our enemies who cannot hurt us without his permission and will. For that reason, we reject the damnable error of the Epicureans who say that God involves himself in nothing and leaves everything to chance. I doubt that there's a person here who identifies as Epicurean And yet in practice, we function like them. Acting as though God left it to chance or it's as good as chance because it wasn't benevolent in purpose. But here in our text, it's linked several times to God's purpose and providence. Look at verse five. And the function of the word for. Now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. For God sent me before you to preserve life. God knew what sort of brothers he had. God did not hold their hand back. God permitted because he had already purposed how things would fall through. Verse seven, and God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive For you, many survivors, let the weight, let the glory, let the grace of that settle upon you. What did he not just say? God sent me before you to show his great power. That's true. God sent me before you to preserve the lives of a bunch of Egyptians. Well, that happened as well. God sent me before you to preserve alive your children. That happened too. That's great. No, it's God sent me before you to preserve for you, for the sinners, for the murderers, for the people who hated me. He was preparing even then, as you sent me off, someone who would be your very life. In the moment of your most murderous intention, He was laying the groundwork for your deliverance. This is how he looks at it and he says, and to keep alive for you many survivors, those children, your offspring, and the children of children that you're so worried about, even as you are willing to kill your father's favored son and to separate him, God was ensuring that your own children would live. This is the abundant providence of the Lord and do not tell us that he is less abundant in his goodness today simply because he hasn't spelled out to us. all of the ways that we shall see in eternity his goodness was being perfected. Joseph understood this and because of that the understanding of God's goodness not just towards his brothers but even towards him he begins to overflow in goodness towards them. Recognize that. Humanly speaking, there's no reason not to think that the famine would have come, even if his brothers had not committed that sin. And Joseph would have languished and died like the rest of them, and he wouldn't have been able to say, but I was the good one. Good compared to your brothers, but compared to the Lord's righteous standard, no one of us can hold our head up. Joseph received grace and his experience of grace as one who is descended from God's covenant line who had received an understanding of a righteousness simply through faith. He now came under duty to extend similar grace to these brothers in the covenant. And look what it says in verse eight. So it was not you who sent me here. And notice that, in a sense it's true it was them, but the way that he's able to let go of his bitterness by understanding God's good purpose in it. If you only look at the human agent and you don't believe on the gracious purpose, you are going to remain bitter and unable to forgive. But he chooses to look at God's purpose, the magnanimity of the purpose. And so verse eight, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh and Lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. And then he says, come down to me, do not tarry. This isn't just somebody who's showing performative forgiveness. You know, sometimes, you know, when we were children or maybe you have children, you say, you know, you need to apologize to your brother or sister. And then they apologize. And the other one says, I forgive you. Oh really, you do? You forgive them with your arms crossed? No, the clear sign of forgiveness here is his desire to bring them in and to him. Now, I'm not saying that in every instance in life it's appropriate or safe to bring some people back into your presence, but there is a sense in our hearts where we long for the day where that can be the case, and we don't think, Oh, I just, the Lord must truly be miraculous because if that person's in heaven and it's going to be heaven for me, wow, what a miracle. No, our desire is to be in a right relationship with all whom God would be gracious toward. And so he says, you shall dwell in the land of Goshen, a land particularly suited to flocks It says elsewhere, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have, there I will provide for you. When we see providence as magnanimous towards ourselves, we become providential towards others, and it comes out of grace. We are not just a receiving, receiving, receiving, receiving people. We were blessed to be a blessing to all the nations, not just to be good towards those who are entered into a compact of mutual well-being. In a church, a lot of people take care of each other and it's easier to be good to them. But what about when somebody comes to us and they're in a position of need and have very little offer? Maybe they're not even converted yet. I will provide for you. And this heart arises out of his experience of covenant grace. Now I want you to compare this by way of our second division to certain parallels that we'll see in the life of Jesus Christ. In fact, I encourage you to turn in the word to Acts chapter two. Acts chapter two, you're going to see that there are very clear parallels between Joseph's experience and Jesus' experience, even though they're separated by an enormous span of time. And this is because the Holy Spirit purposed many things in the Old Testament, many historical events, to be like an echo from the future. And the smaller events in the past find their fullness in Jesus Christ. What do we find in Acts chapter 2? Well, Peter is addressing a crowd shortly after Jesus' resurrection. and he's helping them to understand the gravity of what they are caught up in. Like Joseph, Jesus was especially beloved of his father, over whom the father in the gospels we read says, this is my beloved son, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him. The one who was appointed to rule. And yet, his own brethren, his brethren the Jews, hate him. and they despise him. And they don't just cast him into a pit or sell him into slavery, they give him over to the bondage of death in the grave. They murder him, they crucify him. And Peter begins to impress this upon a crowd who have gathered ostensibly for worship. They've come for a holy feast, and yet these same people are implicated in the death of the Savior. And he says in chapter two, verse 22 and following, men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. This is God come in the flesh. This is God come to deliver. This is the Savior in the presence of his people, and they despise and they kill him. Well, it wasn't us, it was the Romans. No, you used those lawless men, and you might think of lawless here as somebody who's just running amok. Probably in the context, it's people who had not received the oracles of God, the written law. These people who don't carry as much guilt because they had less light. But God's people knew what they were doing as they were represented through their leaders. Verse 24, God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it. Why was it not possible for Christ to be kept in the grave? It's not simply because he is a divine being, the eternal second person of the Trinity. It's because God covenanted from the beginning that no righteous human should be brought under the pain of death forever. And once Christ had satisfied for others sins as he came to bear their place, he was yet a human and remains truly human. And there would be no purpose or right according to God's covenant to keep Christ in bondage. He's righteous. And so he's raised up. And now imagine how this crowd begins to feel when Peter says to them, this Lord of glory, this one who was raised from the dead and is now dressed with more royal authority than Joseph in Egypt, you crucified him. And then there is a further similarity between the story of Joseph and that of Jesus, and that's as I just said, the relationship between Joseph's kind of symbolic resurrection and the true resurrection of Christ. Think about that. Joseph is put into the pit. The pit is a image used in scripture for death over and over because of burial. and he's put into the pit, and then he's taken out and sent down into bondage, and as far as they know, he's dead, and his father is given to believe that he's dead, and they hold up these bloody garments, and they say, oh yeah, he's been eaten by a wild animal. But then to see him again, it's as though he's come back from the dead. But in Jesus Christ, you have something far greater. Someone from out of all of human history has come back in the power of immortal life, never to die again. By the way, I just want to insist, every genuine believer recognizes that as a historical fact. It's not just a component of mythology, but as a historical fact. And the fact that someone has been raised shifts everything. And this Lord of glory is now standing face to face with the people who hold blame. Peter goes on in verse 32. This Jesus God raised up and of that we are all witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he's poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. He's referring there to the gift of miraculous tongues in order to speak to all the nations in his name. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but David himself says, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand. until I make your enemies your footstool. Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Again, try to imagine the feeling of that crowd on that day. The recognition, the person we just brutally shamed and murdered is God. And he's sitting on a throne and he's appointed a day of judgment. And they've been hearing about that judgment all their lives. They're familiar with the prophets. They know it's coming, but they didn't imagine that it'd be them under the gavel. And now they're being told this Jesus, this Jesus is the one you have killed. Verse 37. Now, when they heard this, they were cut to the heart. and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brothers, what shall we do? And they're thinking not just of themselves, but they know that when God's judgment falls upon a people, it sweeps up all in its wrath. Not because God has a temper, but because people are wicked. From the youngest to the oldest, they share in the corruption of nature. You don't have to teach anyone how to sin. It's in us to forsake him, to deny him. And they've seen throughout Israel's history that God's judgment comes upon the people when they forsake him. And they're thinking now of their children and their children's children. What do we have to do? Is there anything that can placate the Lord? And Peter said to them, repent. And the word repentance here means a changing within. A changing within. and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Be changed to believe that God is willing to wash you and to cleanse you. That's the imagery of baptism. The imagery of baptism is one of washing away filth. What do we have to do to be cleansed of the blood that's on our hands? And he says, simply desire to be forgiven graciously through our Lord. Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls himself. And it's beautiful. It's a parallel to the way that Joseph says, come down to me, live in Goshen land, be where the sheep can graze. Come draw near to me, not just you, but your children and your children's children. And here through the apostle, Jesus is beckoning to these murderers saying, come be with me. Receive my promise. I'm gracious. And with many other words, Peter bore witness and continued to exhort them saying, save yourselves from this crooked generation. So those who received his word were baptized and there were added that day about 3000 souls. In the very moment when Jesus was being crucified, it was in order that he would save his killers. And it's possible for us to think, well, that was them, but that's not me. But you need to recognize your part in this story. Every one of us participates as a part of humanity in the same sort of guilt. You could say, well, I wasn't there, I didn't decide that. Yes, you did. And I don't say, if I have a tone of frustration, it's with myself. Every time we have treated sin lightly, every time we've run back into the arms of the enemy, Every time we've embraced again, all of the heart habits that we know at their core are revolting. We are treating Jesus as though his death meant nothing. Every time we turn back, it's as though he had no reason to come. He didn't come for himself, he came to save. And so it's as if we take up the same hammer to drive the nail. You have no place in this world, Jesus. We want to keep living in sin forever. It was our sins that necessitated his death. Reverend Smith kindly gave me a book recently by John Webster, who has since gone to be with the Lord. And in it, he has a passage dealing with this in particular, and he says, this collection of assorted religious leaders, speaking of those Pharisees and the Sanhedrin who condemned Jesus, This collection is not just a particularly wicked set of specimens whom we can inspect and then congratulate ourselves by saying we would have done otherwise. Not at all. In rebelling against the covenant of grace, they are merely doing what we do. Israel here is humanity itself in its hatred of God. Here is acted out our rejection of God, our covenant breaking, our falsehood, and therefore what is condemned in us. On what ground could I ever say with certainty, if I had been there, I wouldn't have done that. His own disciples all fled. And yet we have to understand that the Lord, in spite of our sin, it's not that he begins to be magnanimous. He who says, I am, according to his covenant eternal in the Redeemer is magnanimous towards his people. He didn't start. There's no historical point where you can say, well, he hated us, but now he likes us. He never began because he always has his purpose. And in this, we have to understand Christ looking at us similar to Joseph looking at his brothers. And he says, I am your brother whom you sold into death. Yet do not be distressed or angry with yourselves, for God sent me to preserve life for you. This promise is for you. What then do we do with this? By way of conclusion, I want to lay before you just a few ideas of how the Lord is calling you to walk out of these doors. This is not hypothetical. This evening, as every time when we come for worship, you are in an encounter with the Lord. A mere human servant is speaking, but just as the word of God is truly composed by authors who are human and yet truly divine, so the thing that happens in preaching is way more than some person running their mouth. The Lord himself has occasioned that you should cross paths with this scripture and to reckon with it. Are you going to be changed? How do you look at his providence? How are you going to look at it this week when things don't go the way that you wanted? That was providence. Somebody might have purposed wrong, that person who cut you off or that person who insulted you or that person who in your own home you struggle with. but it's God's providence that you should be in that situation as we are in James in the morning and James tells us all of these trials, all of these afflictions, they're appointed through God's good hands. All of these things come down as gifts for our sanctification and yet we look at them and we say, I don't want anything to do with that. Well, because we don't see how it's for our sanctification or for the magnification of his glory as he receives glory when we show our Christ-like character instead of responding in the flesh. His glory is much more important than our present happiness. But our future happiness is his glory. That is the things that will cause our heart to sing in eternity when we are most conformed to Jesus Christ, then will have been that he was most glorified. And so for him to do anything but magnify his glory and goodness would be to deprive you of your future joy. And yet we're here stomping our foot like a toddler saying, make it easy now. He wouldn't be good if he made it easy all the time now. His glory would be shielded from the world and from you. And so I urge you, brothers and sisters, by faith, believe the testimony of the word that God's providence toward you is magnanimous. Psalm 37 verse 23 says, the steps of a man are established by the Lord. When he delights in his way, though that man may fall, he shall not be cast headlong for the Lord upholds his hand. Just because you stumbled, don't draw a conclusion. As one person, Jeremiah Day said it, the longer I live, the more faith I have in Providence and the less faith I have in my interpretation of Providence. We interpret it by the word, Romans 8 verse 28, dear to so many of us. We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose. And his purpose is not just the end, it contains every means along the way. When in doubt, take your bearing from the cross as the way that you know that he loves us. Second, I want to urge you as Christ's ambassadors and imagers your calling, your duty is to express greater and greater character in the way that we see Joseph. To be magnanimous, not because you're so good and you want, but because he is good and you are a vessel and he desires to live through you. Be magnanimous. It's your calling. It's not just a convenient thing or a nice thing, an optional thing. You're at the diner and you're choosing what you want and they've got all kinds of appetizers and sides. And one of those is to be gracious. Nah, I don't want that today. It is our calling. And so we have to encourage one another. And we see somebody who is not being that way, whether it's me or anybody else, you call them out in love. Say, brother, sister. God didn't make you to be fleshly. He made you to be like Jesus Christ. And when you are that way, you have greater, more joyful fellowship with him. And people are blessed, and the church grows, and the world is stunned. And the elector called in because God doesn't just use our mouths. In his providence, he appointed signs and wonders. And somebody says, where are these signs and wonders? It's a miracle when Christians forgive. And you have an opportunity to be miraculous, will you be understanding? Then choose grace rather than a grudge, especially towards those who have done the most wrong. That doesn't mean sin doesn't have consequences. It does mean rising above personal malice, petty hatred. Proverbs 19 verse 11, good sense makes a person slow to anger. And it is the glory of a man to overlook an offense. Is our glory being veiled? Romans 12, verse 17, repay no one evil for evil. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. You may say it was the other person who did the evil, but now you've been overcome with evil if you will not show Christ-like forgiveness through the help of his spirit. That would sound like a sentence of death were it not for the reality of the indwelling Holy Spirit. And so I'm not calling you tonight to trust in yourself or to become a more devoted person through your own moral effort. We are calling you through the word. Believe on the Holy Spirit given to you in Jesus Christ. That's what Peter tells the crowd. This promise is for you and you shall receive the Holy Spirit. Don't walk out of those doors until you have trusted that Christ gives you his spirit to live his life a little more this week than last week by his help. Let's ask his blessing. Father, we thank you and we praise you for meeting with us in this service and in the word. And we thank you for having occasioned opportunities in our life that however unpleasant, painful, grieving, are nevertheless the occasions where the resurrected power of Christ and the reality of the Holy Spirit shine. Where you take pleasure in seeing your people lift their faces like Job and not curse you, but bless you in your wisdom. We pray for you to give greater willingness to us, not through our own strength, but by capturing our vision and causing us to see your providence as full of blessing. And as you show us how you have been so gracious every day, even unto everlasting life, we pray that you would please form in us a more gracious spirit. All of this we ask for your glory, for our joy, for love toward our neighbor, in Jesus' name, amen.