Open with me to your Bibles in Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah chapter 6. We are going to read the 13 verses of this chapter. Isaiah chapter 6. We are looking at Isaiah's vision and commission. Or Isaiah's vision and vocation. His calling. Isaiah chapter six, reading from verse one to the end of verse 13. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims. Each one had six wings. With twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory. And the post of the door moved at the voice of Him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I, send me. And he said, go and tell this people, hear ye indeed, but understand not, and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their eyes heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate. And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return. and shall be eaten as a teal tree and as an oak, whose substance is in them. And they cast their leaves, so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. We thank God for the reading of his precious word. Well, after five chapters, We come to the commissioning of Isaiah. There are a small number of commentators who would argue this should come at the beginning. But the Lord does not make mistakes. Really the first five chapters is the overall Outline if you like of the whole book So really what you have in chapters 1 and 5 is the outline and the foundation if you like an extended introduction To this lengthy book then we have in chapter 6 Isaiah's call by way of this profound and glorious encounter with the majesty and glory of God In fact, the holiness of God is one of the chief themes of the book of Isaiah. It's the holy one of Israel. At least a dozen times, Isaiah uses this phrase. Most of the Old Testament does not emphasize in actual words the holiness of God. Yes, we see the holiness of God, but Isaiah verbally and in a very profound way in this chapter communicates the central attribute of God, the very core of what God is, the very essence of God's nature. is that he is a holy God. If we do not know something of the holiness of God, we do not know God. It's to know him as the God who is holy that we truly know him. So this chapter has been preached on by probably most preachers who are true preachers. And yet, as we go through the book, we are coming as by course to this chapter. And we do pray that God would bless us as we look into its contents. David Silversides, when he preached on this chapter, he preached three sermons. I plan only to preach one. So we'll seek to do an overview of the chapter. So we'll look at four points in this chapter. We'll look at the vision, Isaiah's vision in verses one to four. Then the vilification in verse five, the visitation, verses six and seven, and the vocation, verses eight to 13. Vision, vilification, visitation, and vocation. What is the greatest need of the church today? What is the greatest need of the church today? Some say, some answer, better strategies, better programs, better ministries, you know, get everybody involved and so on, and have all these different ideas, so on and so on, and are they the greatest need? No. Isaiah chapter 6 lays before us what God declares to be the greatest need of the church. And that is men of God encountering the holiness of God. This is the great need. coming face to face as much as it is possible for a creature, especially one who is going to represent God to his people and to the world. These men need to know their God. Daniel says, they who know their God shall be strong and shall do exploits. The greatest need of all is to know God, to know who he is, to know what he is, to know him as much as is possible for a creature to know him. The Lord Jesus said, learn of me. to know him, Paul could say, and the power of his resurrection. We need men called by God who have met with the God of holiness, who have had some sense of the glory of God, thereby recognizing their own wickedness, and indeed the wickedness of society in which they live, then knowing God's cleansing, God's grace, God's sending, not only to pronounce judgment, but also in the midst of judgment, to see mercy revealed and experienced. We need men sent by God. We need men who meet with God and who are sent by God. That's why when the Lord Jesus in, Matthew 9 says that the harvest is plenteous. He exhorts his disciples, pray to the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth laborers. There's too many in the harvest field not sent by God. I was saying to those I collected this morning in the car, That in a sense, as I was in my own study out in the back of the house this morning, as I put my head into my hands before God and said, Lord, how much do I know you? How much do I know you? How little I've experienced what Isaiah has experienced. This is what we need. Not only when we're preaching such a text, but when we are to deal at all in the things of God. We cannot speak to other creatures about God unless we know him, unless we experience him. One of the things that made the Puritans stand out was their experience of God. They believed in experimental religion, a religion that was not just academic, a religion that was not just words, but a religion that was felt, experienced, that changed the life, that had an effect on the life. And that's what this passage is all about. Consider with me, first of all, the vision, Isaiah's vision. Notice the when, the timing. In the year that King Uzziah died, we read earlier on in chapter 26 of 2 Chronicles. We read of the length of Isaiah's reign, 52 years. We read of his living right before the Lord and his victories, his fortifying of Israel, his victory over his enemies. And then we read of his pride. He got so strong. He got so fortified, he felt invincible. He felt unbeatable. And he was puffed up with pride. And he felt that he could do anything. He felt that nothing was beyond his reach. So he goes even into the temple. And he does what is outside of his calling. And he's rebuked. by the people, and then he is judged by God. He becomes a leper in their very sight. And he's rushed out, and he rushes out himself, and suddenly everything is gone. He can no longer be a king on his throne. His son, Jotham, replaces him to all intents and purposes as king, and he lives the remainder of his life in isolation. So in the year that King Uzziah died, and even though, and again, most commentators would agree on this, even though Uzziah came to a bad end, there was still that sense among the people that a great king, a mighty king, a king that brought protection, but now he's dead. Now Isaiah has died. But the contrast is, yes, Isaiah lost his throne. Even before he died, he was not on his throne. But now the Lord is seen sitting upon a throne. The Lord is sovereign. Isaiah is dead. Isaiah is gone. But the Lord is high and exalted. I saw The Lord. Isaiah is in the grave, but the Lord is raised up. The Lord is glorious. We read in John chapter 12 in our New Testament reading that this one that Isaiah sees, John tells us in verse 41, who is it? It is the pre-incarnate Christ. It is Christ sitting upon a throne. It is Christ high and lifted up. It is the same Christ that we worship, that we glorify. In fact, we have reason to believe that all the visions of God in the Old Testament were visions of Christ, the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ. So John chapter one, verse 18 says, no man had seen God, that is God the father at any time, the only begotten son, which is in the bosom of the father. He had declared him or he had revealed him. He is the one that we've seen. No one can come to the father, but by me. The same in the old Testament as in the new. So the when of the vision, the who of the vision, the Lord, high and exalted, Christ himself. But then notice the where of the vision. Sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. We have a throne, we have a train, and we have a temple. Glory, the glory of God is being seen here. The majesty of God, the glorious appearance of God. is being seen. What a contrast between Uzziah and the Lord of hosts. But then notice in verses two to four, the what of division, the when, the who, the where, and now the what in verses two to four. Notice we have in these three verses, we have seraphims, we have six wings, we have a shout, we have a shaking, and we have smoke. In the seraphims, we have a double plural because seraphim is plural without the S, but with the S, it's a plural plural. It's an emphasis of numbers. There are these glorious creatures that if we were to meet one of them, if one seraphim was to appear in this room now, we would all fall down with fear just to meet one of these creatures. One of these creatures created by God would be enough to send fear. We see that, don't we, in Luke's gospel. Fear into the heart because of the vision of an angel. Well, this was more than an angel. This was a seraphim. This is one right at the throne of God. The ones who encircle the very glory of God. And there's a multitude of them. There's many of them. And they have six wings. And notice that with these six wings, they have different purposes. It says in verse two, with Twain, he covered his face. These glorious creatures cannot look on the glory of God. They are glorious, more glorious than we can imagine. But even them and all their own sinful glory cannot behold the glory of God. And with Twain, he covered his feet. The feet represent the earth. Remember Moses, take off your shoes, for this is holy ground. Same with Joshua, in Joshua chapter 5. Just before he crosses over to take Jericho, he has the vision of the captain of the army, of the host of the Lord again, the pre-incarnate Christ meets Joshua. Again, the same command, take off your shoes for this is holy ground. And with Twain, they did fly. Amazing picture. But then in verse three, One cried onto another. They're declaring, they're shouting to each other. And it's the essential response. The absolute response of not just seeing the glory of God, because we must make a distinction here between the glory of God, the majesty of God, and what the seraphims actually cry out or shout out. They're not saying God is glorious. They're not saying God is majestic. They're saying something much more fundamental. They're saying God is holy. God is holy. Yes, God's glory and majesty is something that can be, yes, we hide our eyes from, but it's visible if we're able to behold it. But now we're speaking of something that is of his very nature. God's glory and majesty is one thing, but it's holiness. Notice it is declared three times. And as R.C. Sproul makes the point in one of his sermons on this verse, this is just a Hebrew way of emphasis. It's it's this emphasis repetition. It's the simplest form of emphasis. They repeat it three times. Holy, holy. And you can imagine as they're saying each of the word, it gets louder. God is holy. He is holy. He is holy. He is a holy God. Holy is the Lord of hosts. You see, on Friday night when we were in the other room dealing with Joshua chapter one, remember what we said at that point, that God is calling Joshua and he's going to be the leader of the armies of Israel. But what is Joshua to be? Does God give him a whole list of military instructions and how to be the best military leader? No, he says to Joshua in chapter 1 verse 8, study the word of God. Be a student of God's word. Meditate on the word of God day and night, Joshua. This is how to be a leader of my people. Be a student of the word. Get to know me, Joshua. That is your greatest need. The greatest need of the man of God is to know his God, to be like his God in holiness. Notice also we have in these verses, all the senses are impressed. We have sight, sound, feeling, smell, and possibly taste. Sight, the seraphims with the six wings, that image that we can't even comprehend. So the sight is affected. The sound, the shouting. is affected. The feeling, there's a shaking. Verse four, the pulse of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, this is a seraphim, the voice and the door moves, it shakes with the power of his voice. And then maybe smell and even taste, you smoke. smoke filling the house. All the senses are being arrested. All the senses are being arrested in this vision of the holiness of God, of this one who is holy. Isaiah needed all his senses affected by God. Even our taste needs to be impressed with the greatness of God. Psalm 34 verse eight. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusted in him. All our being needs to be taken over with a sense of who God is. every part of our being. God is not just to be in a corner of our experience. He is to be all of our experience. God is to be all in all to us. And we cannot serve God until we've had some degree of this encounter with him. Because the whole man, the whole woman, is to love the Lord their God. Deuteronomy 6 verses 4 and 5. That's the vision. That's Isaiah's vision of God. But then noticed, secondly, the vilification. the vilification. And it's self and it's social. It's of the self and it's of society. Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Notice the self-vilification comes first. One of the signs of grace is when we condemn ourselves. Let a man examine himself. You see, Isaiah does not look at the glory of God and the God who is all holy and say, now I just need to go and condemn the people. No, he says, woe is me. In fact, Luther's German Bible says, woe is me for I am dissolved. I am dissolved. I am undone. I am undone. Because in seeing the God who is glorious and majestic and is all holy, I realize how sinful I am. How wicked I am. The reason people think that they're OK is because they've never met with God. In Luke chapter 5 and verse 8 with the great catch of fish. Just the power of Christ to enable, and Peter knew this was a miracle because Peter was a trained fisherman. And what's Peter's response? When Simon Peter saw it, he saw the miracle. He fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. I'm a sinful man. We need to have an encounter with the glory of God. And then we have a societal vilification. And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. You know, people have said to me over the years, you know, we're not too bad as a nation. Well, how can anybody say that? January 1st this year, we passed legislation to make it legal and right and acceptable to kill the unborn. We dwell in a sinful nation. But notice what Isaiah says. He comprehends it all in the lips. People's talk. The Lord Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. We're shown to be what we really are by what we say. The fruit of the lips comes from the root of the heart. And Isaiah feels the weight of God's holiness upon his lips. the weight of God's holiness upon his words. And he realizes that his wickedness, his evil is revealed in his speech. Jeremiah expands on this thought of a people of unclean lips. In Jeremiah nine, verse three, They bend their tongues like their bow for lies, but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth for they proceed from evil to evil. They know not me, saith the Lord. Again, you see there in Jeremiah nine, verse three, the reason they're so expert in sin is because they have no knowledge of God. They're good at sin because they're bad in their relationship with the Lord. And you see, it's like oil and water. The more we know God, the less we will love sin. The more we immerse ourselves in the word of God, the more we get to know him, the closer we get to him, the less sin will be attractive to us. It's an absolute. An absolute scenario. If you live in sin, you won't want God. You won't want the Word of God. You won't want to be close to the glory of God. Mine eyes have seen the King. See, Isaiah, Isaiah thought this was the end. It's amazing, isn't it? Isaiah thought this was the end, but this was the beginning. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to have an encounter with God. Be afraid not to have an encounter with God. Because an encounter with God will be the beginning of your life. It will be the beginning of your usefulness, the beginning of your service. The beginning of the very reason why you exist, because as the Shorter Catechism tells us, man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Yes, he thought this was the end, but this is the beginning. Look at verses six and seven, the visitation. And I love this. There's a visitation here. Notice the arrival of the seraphims, then flew one of the seraphims onto me. The seraphim leaves the very immediate presence of God and comes to Isaiah. This does not remind us that the Lord Jesus Christ left the glory of heaven and came to us, that the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, a visitation. You see, we couldn't come to God. We couldn't come to God. God had to come to us. That's the difference between human religion and the religion of Scripture. In human religion, it's about man trying to make his way to God. But in Scripture, God comes to man as a visitation. It's the same in John's first epistle, the first couple of verses, that which we have seen, that which we have heard, that which we have tasted. Of the life. This we declare. This life that was manifested. This we declare unto you. God visiting us. Notice the altar. Having a live coal in his hand. We're reminded that Christ himself, Hebrews tells us, Christ is our altar. Christ is the place of sacrifice for us. But notice the application. He laid it, notice where the very point where Isaiah perceived the problem, that's where the live coal touches his mouth. Now remember, this is a vision. It's not literally a burning coal touching Isaiah's lips. That would not be a pleasant experience. This is a vision. It's teaching. It didn't literally happen, but it happens by way of vision to show what God is doing for Isaiah, that God is taking away his sin. At the very point where Isaiah feels his iniquity, at the very point where Isaiah feels that he is dissolved, as Luther put it, or undone, as our translation has it, unraveled, maybe is another way. Everything is just, you know, sometimes when you feel sick, you feel like you're just, your whole body just feels like it's falling apart. That's exactly what Isaiah is saying. At the very point where this is all centralized in the lips, the sacrifice, the coals of the altar touches his mouth. And the announcement, we're told, Isaiah's told, isn't this wonderful, that Christ died for us, but we're told that Christ died for us. Do you get the point? In action, he did it, but then we're told he did it. And that's what happens here for Isaiah. It's explained to him. Oh, this has touched. thy lips and an iniquity is taken away. God's word tells him. His iniquity and his sin is purged. It's illustrated, isn't it? But in Zechariah chapter three, verses one to five, with Joshua, the high priest, Joshua, the high priest is standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan on his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said to Satan, the Lord rebuked the old Satan, even the Lord that has chosen Jerusalem. rebuked thee, is not as a bran plucked out of the fire. Joshua, it says in verse 3, was clothed with filthy garments. And he stood before the angel in these filthy garments. And he answered and spake to those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And he said unto him, Behold, I have caused an iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with a change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. Notice the difference. In verse 1 of Zechariah 3, it's Satan standing by. In verse 5, it's the angel of the Lord standing by. It's not how we begin. Brothers and sisters this morning, it's not where you begin. It's where you end. It's not your sin of the past or even of the present. It's what God is doing. It's what God has done for you and what God is doing for you that matters. Trust in the promises of God. Trust in the word of God. Place your faith in him. Lastly and briefly, the vocation. The last six verses, but we'll just refer to them briefly. There's four sub-points, which doesn't sound brief, but it is. Four sub-points in the vocation. Verses 8 to 13. We have the messenger, the message, the mission, and the mercy. The messenger, verse 8. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then said I, here am I send me. What a change. What a change. Here's a man who was just saying, I am undone, I'm unraveled, I'm dissolved, I'm at an end. Now he's saying, Lord, I am your man. I am the one, I will go. What a change. What a change God makes simply by forgiveness. What a change Christ's death makes for those who trust in Him. What a change is made. We see it from Genesis to Revelation. People who were unworthy, sinful in themselves, God takes and makes them His servants. We're no different. We're no different. Your need, my need, is not to become better people. Your need and my need is to know Him, to trust Him. That is our need. Just, see, biblical salvation is God's Word. We are the recipients. We're the recipients. We receive the grace of God. We receive Christ. We don't give. People emphasize, you know, what we do know is we receive every spiritual blessing. Ephesians chapter one says all blessings in heavenly places are ours. How? Because you're a good person? No, received by faith. Just believing Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Genesis 15, just trust, just believe, just accept the word of God. Don't doubt that the sin in the garden of Eden was foundationally and fundamentally a disbelief in the word of God. Just believe and all is yours. Then the message, verse nine, it's not a nice message, it's a message of judgment. And he said, go, tell this people. See, God doesn't say to Isaiah, well, Isaiah, you've lived a pretty bad life, you need time to get holier. No, no, as soon as Isaiah has been cleansed, he's ready. That's why in Mark's gospel, when the Gadarene demoniac in Mark's gospel, chapter five, is healed, the Lord sends him on a mission. Go and tell your family and friends what great things the Lord has done for you. Go immediately. Go now. As soon as we receive God's blessing, Psalm 51, David had committed adultery and murder. We think, useless, no good. And David says that when the Lord forgives me, when the Lord cleanses me, then will I teach transgressors thy way, then I will be a useful servant of God. But I need to know God's forgiveness. I need to know God's mercy first. In fact, he uses that in Psalm 51 as an argument with God. Lord, cleanse me. Let me know thy forgiveness. Let me know that the filling, the fresh filling of thy Holy Spirit so that I can go and teach others thy ways. This message of Isaiah was a message of judgment. And brothers and sisters, that's what this society needs. They need to know that God is angry with the wicked every day. So that since, we made this point last week, didn't we? Since the service began, as their souls died and gone to hell in this land, even as we sit here. God is angry with the wicked every day. You see, God is not a God of passions. And this is why we find it hard to understand, because, you know, I was driving down to Stilorgan today, or wherever it was, someone pulled out in front, and it's like when we were on the way back up. And there's like that instant moment where you feel like, argh! And God's not like that. God is consistently angry. His anger doesn't go up and down like with us, that we go from anger to peace, to love, to joy, to hatred, whatever. God's not like that. God is consistently angry. He's consistently loving. All his attributes are in perfect harmony. So the same God who brings a believing sinner to heaven, At the very same moment, damns an unbelieving sinner to hell. The very same instant. God doesn't change. He is perfectly consistent in his attributes. The mission, based upon the message, again, who wants to be Isaiah here? Who wants to be Isaiah? Who wants to go and to pour this judgment? You know, make the hearts of these people fat, make their ears heavy, shut their eyes. Lest they repent, lest they hear. There's no reminiscence here. This is God's sovereign condemnation of sinners. This is not God trying his best to save as many people as he can. This is God giving sinners over to judgment. I said, Lord, how long? He answered, until the cities be wasted without inhabitants, and the houses without men, and the land be utterly desolate. And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. You know, sometimes even doctors understand this. There was a brooder in Belfast, and he had a condition. And his condition was so bad that they had to amputate one leg. And then a few months later, they had to amputate a second leg. Sometimes these measures need to be taken medically. You'll hear God is saying there needs to be an amputation. There needs to be a taking away. These people need to be removed from the land. These people are no longer considered even an option for mercy. But then, lastly, we see the mercy. But yet. The wonder of God's words that they have these, you know, buts. What a wonderful but we have here. But yet in it shall be a tent It shall return, shall be eaten, even that will be under pressure. There's a teal tree and there's an oak whose substance is in them, and they can't survive. So the holy seed, it comes right down to the holy seed. Back in chapter one, it says that unless the Lord had left us a remnant, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah. So never be too discouraged by small numbers. The word of God tells us it's the remnant. God is saving the remnant. It happened even in the life of the Lord Jesus. I often mention John chapter six, the multitude walked away. They had their fill of bread and fish. And then when he didn't like what the Lord Jesus said, they walked away. The Lord Jesus says to Peter and the apostles, will you walk away also? And Peter says, Lord, to whom shall we go? For thou hast the words of eternal life. Habakkuk praise. Habakkuk praise in Habakkuk three, verse one. Oh Lord, I have heard thy speech and was afraid. See, the prophets were not unfeeling men. Isaiah wasn't. When Isaiah heard these words, you would imagine, like Habakkuk, there was fear. I don't want to do this. This is dreadful. I'm afraid of the Lord. And Habakkuk goes on. Habakkuk prays, O Lord, Revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make known in wrath, remember mercy. You see, the prophet Habakkuk, as I'm sure Isaiah as well, responds, Lord, yes, you are holy and righteous in your judgment, but in wrath, remember mercy. We pray for the mercy of God. upon our land. The response, we might say, comes in Isaiah 54 verse 7. For a small moment I have forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness Will I have mercy on thee? Sayeth the Lord, thy Redeemer. Isaiah 60 verse 10. For in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee. Oh, the Lord bless his word to our souls. Amen. Psalm 67. Psalm 67, as we turn to the Lord's table. Psalm 67, Lord bless and pity us, shine on us with thy face, that the earth thy way and nations all may know thy saving grace. Let people praise thee, Lord. You see, we have a responsibility, brethren, We have a responsibility to pray not only for our own souls, but to pray for this land, to pray for this nation. And this Psalm, and that's why one of the reasons why I think we need to reject human compositions is because God knows what we need to be singing, even in the context of prayer. It's not a day for singing no happy day. Is it while multitudes are going to damnation? It's not a day to be singing, you know, how wonderful things are, you know, and in my sort of little corner. No, no, we need to represent our land in the in seeking the Lord. We're not just engaged in what's Thomas Sumner during the week about pietism. Pietism is a scourge of the church. Pietism is like, I'm going to heaven, I'm okay, and I'll forget about everything else. No, we seek the Lord, yes, for our own souls, but we seek the Lord for our land, for our nation. Lord, bless and pity us. Shining us with thy face, that the earth thy way and nations all may know thy saving grace. Lord, let Ireland praise thee. I'm not saying we should change the words. Let Ireland lift up its voice and be glad in the worship. God's able to do that. God is able, Ireland can't do it. This nation can't do it. No nation can, no people, no individual, we can't do it. But God can do it by his grace and mercy. Psalm 67, and let's stand to sing. Lord, bless and pity us. Shine on us with thy face. that the earth thy way and nations of old may know thy say. in grace. Let people praise thee, Lord. Let people of thee praise O let the nations be glad in songs their voices raise. Thou justly people judge, Honor through nations all. Let people praise thee, Lord, let them praise thee, both great and small. The earth her fruit shall yield, Our God shall blessing send. God shall us bless, men shall Him fear, Oh Lord, bless us now as we turn to the Lord's table. In Jesus name, Amen.