Those are amazing words, aren't they? When we consider, first of all, that the Lord is speaking. At times we know the sinking feeling. Well, we have a high priest which is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. And through the psalmist he said, deliver me out of the mire in light of Psalm 40. From sinking do me keep. What a wonderful friend we have in the Court of Heaven, who is touched when we know that sinking feeling within. Well, if you would turn with me again tonight to the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, the third chapter of the Ecclesiastes. I'm going to read verse 2, and then verse 4, and then the second half of verse 5. The third chapter of Ecclesiastes, a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted. Verse four, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. And then the second half of verse five, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. Dear congregation, we sang earlier in Psalm 126 and verse 5, they that sow in tears shall reap in joy. A harvest of joy follows a seed time of sorrow. That is true in nature, isn't it? The hard work and the seed time, the long hours and the cold generally. But then later in the providence of God comes a harvest of joy as we see in Psalm 4. And what is true in nature is true for the people of God, the Church of Jesus Christ. There is the seed time of sorrow, the long months, sometimes the long years, when the servants of the Lord go forth and other believers sowing the word. And as they do so, they weep, they see so little. Like Peter, they say to the Lord, Master, we've toiled all night and have taken nothing. But they go on. But then comes a harvest of joy, days of great blessing, when many are gathered in before that great day of the Lord. Well, as we think of the seed time in verse 2, we're led to consider also the harvest, and it's determined by the Lord. So it is for other things. A day of great blessing follows a night of great triumph. Where there are the times and the seasons, change comes as we considered last week. We live in a world of changes. The seasons come and go. Solomon makes it plain. There is a change. There is a time and a season for everything. Well, last week, if you recall, we considered birth and death. There was the day of our birth. and one day there will be the day of our death. And we considered how important it is, vitally important, that between those two days, one is born again. Well as we considered birth and death, we were led to consider the Lord Jesus Christ. that He was born. He came into this world in order to die for His people. Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. He came, He was born, and He died, but death wasn't the end. He rose victoriously, and all who believe can look forward to a wonderful eternity with Him forever and ever. Well, we considered the first half of verse 2 last week. I'd like us now to consider a number of things, times and seasons for everything. And first of all, from verse 2, we consider firstly planting and harvesting. Secondly, weeping and laughing. And then thirdly, if time permits, embracing and refraining. Planting and harvesting, weeping and laughing, embracing and refraining. A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted. Verse two. There is the planting, the seed time in the year. A number of years after I left school, I worked for a firm called Helios. And the springtime was a particular busy time. There would be those who would go forth planting, potting. Thousands upon thousands of plants were potting. There was then the planting time of the year. And we can think of such a seed time. Late winter, early spring, a busy time on the farm. The seed is sown. But then there comes the growth. How quickly the fields change. Suddenly there is the green growth. In the field there is the shoot. But then later, the fruit. And there comes then the picking or the plucking up. Out in the fields there is the harvest. The fruit is gathered in. It's rooted up. Consider the potato crop. It's dug up. It's rooted up. used to help my grandfather. A number of years ago, when he lived at a place called Old Orchard, we would dig up the potatoes, and I would have to carefully put the fork into the soil. My grandfather was keeping an eye on me. He didn't want me to prod or to fork the potatoes. I had to do it very carefully. There was the digging up, the rooting up, or the plucking up, as we note in verse 2. The harvesting. Well, we can consider this in nature. And we recognize the good hand of the Lord towards us in providing another harvest. He crown of the year with his goodness, as we see in Psalm 65. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for another harvest, for the food that he's provided. So we can see to the there, the seed time. and the harvest. But let's open this up a little further and consider a spiritual planting, but then a spiritual harvesting. But first of all tonight then, as we note this, a spiritual planting. Turn with me to Psalm 92 verse 12 and verse 13. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon, Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. We notice they're the righteous, a reference to the Lord's people. They're covered by the righteousness of Christ. Are you? Have you a robe of righteousness covering you? The righteousness of Christ? Have you this new life? Or we think they're the righteous. Well, in verse 13, we read, those that be planted in the house of the Lord. shall flourish in the courts of our God. The planting of the laureate. We think of the place, the church of Jesus Christ. And one is found within, one is found within the church of Jesus Christ, the invisible church, all those savingly united to Christ in the first place. One is found in Christ. Oh, consider before there was that barrenness, but then one is found in Christ. There's life. They're found in his church. They're rooted in Christ as the apostle makes plain in Colossians. They're watered by the influence of his grace and his spirit and warmed by his love. Think of the Lord. He sends the rain. so that the crops might grow, but also the Son. Consider the believer in the church. They're rooted in Christ. They've been planted by grace and they're watered by the influence of His grace. There's more grace. There's support and thus growth. We're blessed through the Spirit and we're warmed by His love. Are you rooted in Christ? Are you warmed by His love? Remember those two on the road to Emmaus, their hearts were warmed. They'd been planted in the family, in the Church of Jesus Christ, and there Christ warms their hearts by His love and ministry. Is there that warming of your heart through Christ? Is there that ripening? There is to be the pleasant fruits appearing before Christ. So is there that rightening in your heart? Turn with me to the Song of Solomon. The Song of Solomon 5 and verse 16. The Song of Solomon 5 and verse 16. Awake, O north wind, and come now south, blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruit. He comes, the beloved we considered this morning. He's beloved. He's looking for the pleasant fruits in his garden, in his church, in our hearts. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits. My heart has been warmed by his love. I've been supplied through his grace. Let him see. Can we say that? Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits. Are there the pleasant fruits ripening before Christ this night? We thought of the planting. We've been planted through grace. We're to be fruitful, as we see in John 15. The pleasant fruits. In my garden there are some raspberry canes. And in the autumn they appear. Yes, there are some nettles which need cutting down, but there is the fruit that appears. Yes, there are the weeds of sin in our lives which need dealing with, but there is the fruit, isn't it? The pleasant fruits there as we see in the Song of Solomon. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat the pleasant fruits. Chapter 4, verse 16. The pleasant fruits. Oh, does Jesus look on the pleasant fruits in your heart? Does He look on the visible Church and does He see the pleasant fruits at this time? The pleasant fruit of faith ripening. The people looking to Him. He's the King. He's the Head. Does He see the fruit, the pleasant fruit of love? Love to Him and love to the Brethren. Oh, the blessing to be planted in and to have faith in Him for He to take note of it. We see that in the New Testament. Often Christ taking note of that grace, that fruit of faith. Sometimes He said to the disciples, O ye of little faith. Remember what He said in that centurion? Not seeing so great faith. Oh, to have faith seen by Christ. Love seen by Christ. Meekness seen by Him. So we think of a spiritual planting, what a blessing if we've been spiritually planted in Christ and in his church. But then consider secondly, a plucking up or harvesting, a spiritual plucking up or harvesting. In Matthew 13, verse 30, our Lord said, let both grow together until the harvest. And in the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, gather you together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. Verse 39, the enemy that sowed them is the devil. Referring to the tares. The harvest is the end of the world and the reapers are the angels. Harvest is coming. a time of gathering in. The Lord will gather His true people. They will find themselves with Christ forever in the heavenly world. What a blessing as we think of the great harvest to come. If we're a Christian, we will be gathered unto Christ and we will be with Him forever. And He will look on His garden and His pleasant fruits forever. However, false professors, the tares, who look like the wheat, will not be gathered in. They will find themselves in a lost eternity, in a place called hell, along with all others who did not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. What a harvest day is coming. What a day when there will be the plucking up. Are you ready? Have you life within? If you have faith, all is well. You can face the great harvest at the end of the world. You consider the farmer. He watches over his crop. And as we consider the great harvest at the end of the world, till then the Lord will watch over his people. He will feed them through his word. water them through His grace and through His Spirit and warm them through His love. Oh, what a one we have who is watching over His church, feeding the church, watering the church, warming the church. What a blessing to be warmed by Christ. One day He will come and there will be the harvest and we who love the Lord, we will be gathered unto Him And dear child of God, you will hear those words on that great day. Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. We think then of a spiritual planting. For those who have been spiritually planted in Christ can know that all will be well for them. on that great day when the Lord will bring about the harvest. Well, let's consider secondly now, weeping and laughing. Weeping and laughing. We thought of the seed time and the harvest, but let's now consider in verse four, the weeping and the laughing. A time to weep and a time to laugh. And then it's put in another way, a time to mourn and a time to dance. There's times of sorrow, but then there comes times of joy and gladness. The psalmist said in Psalm 30 verse 5, for his anger endureth but a moment, in his favour is life, weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Sometimes a storm has come in the night time and there's a little fear. Some of the children may be scared, but then in the morning There's the clear sky and the sunshine, and there's joy. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. It follows, are we not thankful that a season of joy follows a season of weeping? Psalm 126, verse 5, they that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him. As we think of those words, we're reminded again of verse 2, aren't we? The planting and the harvesting. Oh, a time of joy follows a time of sorrow. In life, times of sorrow so quickly arrive. One can know great sorrow in the heart. One can know what it is to sink like the psalmist, but also like Christ as we sang in Psalm 69. One can know a measure of happiness and calm, but then there plums into sorrow. The time of sickness has come. A time of hardship may be. things that we have witnessed in this pandemic, in this nation and in this world, times of great sorrow. For the believer there are the veils that they may pass through, the veil of tears, wherein there is much suffering and sorrow of heart. There's a cross to bear. We remember often, do we not, those who face persecution in distant lands. what a cross they bear. But all the Lord's people, to some measure, know what it is to suffer for the sake of Christ. There is that cross to bear. In Philippians 1 verse 29, For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake. There is the believing in Christ, but there is also the suffering, to some measure, It may be you're laughed at, you're mocked. You still believe the Bible? You attend church? It's not easy, is it? There is a cross to bear in following Christ at times of mourning and weeping. Our Lord said in Matthew 16 verse 24, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. There's a denying. One denies their own righteousness. Nothing in my hand I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling. There's nothing I've done to merit salvation. I deny my own righteousness. It's filthy rags. Christ is first. And there's a cross to bear. And it's not easy at times. Not easy to suffer for the sake of Christ. Not easy to be laughed at, is it? to be cold-shouldered, but the Lord will support. He is the one that will draw near in a wonderful way. He will support. In following Christ there may be many tears shed as you bear the cross. Turn with me to Psalm 13. How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, forever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? There's the psalmist, he had those that opposed him, those that were his enemies, and it brought him low. Sorrow in his heart daily. Yes, we're to rejoice in the Lord always, but at the same time we can know sorrow. And sorrow can so plunge us at times that we begin to sing like Peter day after day. I think of one particular pastor in Eritrea. He spent years in the container. physically abused and mentally abused. Yes, he knew such joy in his heart the last time I saw him that he knew days, weeks, years of sorrow. And it may be you're seeking to focus on the Lord, you're seeking to glorify Him, but the burden weighs you down. Those who mock you keep on their cruel activity. You may find yourself facing much persecution. Remember David, how, after fleeing from Saul, he found himself in difficulties amongst the Philistines, and he saw himself as a fugitive. Psalm 56, verse 8, he said this to the Lord, Thou tellest my wonderings, put thou my tears into thy bottle. Are they not in thy book? Thou tellest, Thou knowest my wonderings. Thou knowest the pathway I'm going down of suffering and sorrow. Put thou my tears into thy butter. Oh, consider how the Lord deals tenderly with his people. You just think of tears. They're tender, aren't they? And yet the Lord, as it were, collects them and gathers them carefully. In such a tender way, we can entrust them to the Lord. We can trust him in the veil of sorrow. The Lord knows we have a high priest who is touched with the feeding of our infirmities. In light of that, we can ask the Lord to put our tears into his bottle. Don't forget my sufferings, Lord. Don't forget my tears. Come to my aid. Thou who didst know what it was to sink here upon earth, come and support me. Take my tears, take my sorrows, and comfort me. Oh, dear brethren, your tears are not forgotten. The Lord takes note of your tears. Your sorrows are not forgotten. Your sorrows in following Christ, your sorrows and sickness, your sorrows in other situations. He knows we can entrust them to the Lord. He knows those times when we have wept on our own in the secret place. He knows. Thou tellest my wanderings. Put thou my tears into thy bottle. Lord, thou knowest what I'm going through. O Lord, take what I'm going through and support me. Remember me, Lord. Don't forget me. He has our tears in his bottle. He hasn't forgotten. He hasn't forgotten the difficulty you may have faced in the college, the sixth form, or the school, or the workplace. He hasn't forgotten. He hasn't forgotten when you found it hard in the workplace, in the community. He hasn't forgotten. He's remembered. He'll continue to support you by grace and bring you to an expected end, an end of deliverance. There's times of weeping, isn't there, in following Christ and as we live in this world, but then there's times of joy, a time to weep and a time to love, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Joy comes, gladness of heart. It may be a good friend comes along who listens and then comforts with words. The friend helps, but most of all, the great friend comes. He soothes our sorrows, heals our pains. He healed the broken and hearted. Psalm 147. And there's a little reviving. And the tears are wiped away a little. Yes, we look forward, do we not, to death and that great day when God shall wipe away all tears? But he does it to some measure, doesn't he? He does wipe away our tears at times. Yes, we know tears again and we look to that day when he will wipe them all away. But you know, he wipes some of the tears away and we found at his feet rejoicing in him. What a blessing it is when He comes and He brings gladness. Psalm 4 verse 7, Thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. Thou hast. You know, you may go and meet some friends and they do you good. I was listening to a minister the other day. It had done him good to meet other ministers and he felt a little stronger. Oh, how the Lord does us good when he draws near our great friend and he lifts us, he revives us, and we know a measure of joy. Thou hast put gladness in my heart. I trust my tears for thee, Lord. Come now with thy tender hand and put gladness in my heart. Sowing in tears, but then there's joy. Oh, the Holy Spirit comes and cultivates that grace of joy. There's been sorrow in the heart, but the Spirit quietly works. And we're found rejoicing in Jesus. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. Philippians 4, verse 4. That's what we're commanded to do. But we find our hearts so full of sorrow at times. But He comes and He causes us to look unto Him. And we're found rejoicing in Him. At times, it seems the night is long. In the wintertime, we seem to have such long nights, don't we? We know we're going to have long nights, but they always seem long, don't they, when they come? Sometimes it's a long night of trial. But joy comes. There comes a day when the heart is pulled and we're looking unto Jesus. Oh, he is the one that helps us in trial. He is the faithful friend who will never forsake us. He is the loving shepherd who will guide us through the valley. And so joy will come. Joy will come to you in your sorrows because of Jesus. Joy will follow a time as well. But then consider another weeping and another rejoicing. First of all, a weeping over sin or a mourning, a time to weep. A time to mourn. When the Lord is working in effectual calling, conviction comes first. To some measure, to some it's a great measure, like the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus. For others, it's smaller, like it was for Lydia. But to some measure, there is conviction. And the Holy Spirit does now that convincing work of sin. particularly the sin of unbelief. Turn with me to John 16, verse 9. "...of sin, because they believe not on Me." What a sin unbelief is, isn't it? But there comes this conviction and this convincing. I've not put God first. I'm not believing in Jesus, the only Savior. One is led to consider that a sin. They're not believing. becomes a weeping or a mourning. But then there is an enlightening of the mind in the knowledge of Christ. And one turns. Remember that lady who came in where our Lord was in Luke 7? She was weeping. She felt her sin. But then there was an enlightening. She's looking unto Jesus. She has faith within. Our Lord spoke of her faith. And she was told later to go in peace. There'd been weeping, but joy came. You go in peace. In time it comes. Not all have a full assurance of faith when they come to faith in Jesus Christ. Let me underline that. Not all have it. Some wait a while as the old confessions make plain. And as we see in John, some are troubled with assurance, but in time, yes, my sins are forgiven. A time of weeping, have you wept over your sin? And do you know the joy of God's salvation? Do you know the peace that all your sins are forgiven? Now, as we think of the believer who has been led unto Jesus, the believer was not made perfect. There's indwelling sin, and we all know that, don't we, who love the Lord here tonight. We have a battle, don't we, with our sin. It gets us down, doesn't it? Why do I think those things at times? Why do I go and do that? Why do I say that? We're not perfect. We fail the Lord. But the Shepherd goes after us through the Spirit. When we're convicted, we're prone to wander from the Lord we love. But the Shepherd so loves us, He goes after us. And there comes a time of mourning or weeping. We failed the Lord. Why did I do that? Now turn with me to Psalm 51 verse 1. Here's the psalmist, he's mourning over his sin as a believer. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercy. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, the only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Against thee I failed thee, Lord. I sinned against thee. Wash me. Cleanse me. I acknowledge my transgressions. I acknowledge I've done wrong, and I confess them. I make them plain to thee. And then in verse 12, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. For David, he hadn't known it as he had backslidden into sin. But then he's mourning, he's weeping, and he's longing for the joy. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation. I'm sorry for my sin. It will come. When we mourn over our sin, returning joy will come. The joy of God's salvation. There will be that restoring work. The shepherd, he restores the soul. Sometimes we're laid low in affliction and he comes and restores. He lifts us up. Sometimes we backslidden. He comes to restore. And the end of that restoring work is not only that we've been so near to him again, but that we will be rejoicing in him. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation. Now there are times separate from some sin we may have done that we know sorrow through affliction or something else. But there are some times we don't know the joy because we haven't confessed some sin. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation. A time of weeping, but then a time of laughing. O Lord, Thou art near to me. I am rejoicing Thee. I have known fatherly forgiveness. Oh, our prayer is to the Lord. Lord, bring us to that point each day. Bring us to that point each day. Dill in our hearts. Well, we must conclude fairly and finally. Embracing and refraining. Embracing and refraining. Turn with me to the end of verse five. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. Now, a good number of the commentators point out here a lesson for the married in light of 1 Corinthians 7. There's a time for closeness, intimacy, but then there's a particular time for fasting and prayer. And you can read of it in 1 Corinthians 7, verse 5. And a lot of the commentators take us to that point. A time for embracing in that close way for the married, but then a time to refrain from embracing. So the particular time is given for prayer and fasting. 1 Corinthians 7 verse 5. But let's just consider one or two other things as we draw to a close. You consider for a moment those two brothers Esau and Jacob. Jacob, after he had deceived his brother and gained the blessing instead of his brother, had to flee. He had to flee away. We're told in Genesis 27, verse 42, the words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. And she sent and called Jacob, her younger son, and said unto him, behold, thy brother Esau has touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. So Jacob had to flee. But what do we read later in Genesis 33, verse 4? We read of an embrace. There was a happy reunion. And Esau ran to meet him. It's interesting, isn't it? Jacob had to flee away, but on that happy day, Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him and they wept. There was a time for embracing, but there also had been a time to refrain from embracing. Sometimes you may have a friend and you embrace. But sadly that friend does something or becomes unfaithful. In love you embraced, but in love you have to refrain. It's not easy. Love will restrain the arm as well as move the arms to embrace. Let me use a few illustrations. A loving parent will embrace their child, but also a loving parent will say no. And maybe the child is told to sit over the other side or go to their room. My mother loved me. She embraced me. But at other times, she said, Aaron, you go to your room. You think about what you've done. And when you're sorry to the Lord, you come back and talk to me. A time for embracing, but a time to refrain from embracing. In the church, Sometimes there has to be a stepping back. We're taught that here. It's to be done in love, praying that there can be an embrace again, a time for embracing, but there's a time to refrain for embracing. A friend maybe has done wrong and you in love have to step back a little, that they might learn. Saying sorry in the visible Church of Jesus Christ is not heard as often as it should be. Wonderful are the embraces, and that's what we long to see more and more in the Church of Jesus Christ, but it can't always be. And that's what we see here. It cannot always be here upon earth, at least for a season. Sometimes there has to be a stepping back, and that's not easy. But as the embrace is in love, so the refraining is to be in love. But then, in closing, consider the embracing of a special friend, the embracing of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, what a friend He is! He comes and He embraces us. He embraces us in love. Oh, what a blessing that is! In time of trial, I'm here for you. Or we can think of friends here upon earth, loved ones who embrace us in a time of trial. A few years ago, I remember my sister-in-law, she sobbed on my shoulder in the situation she was facing in. I heard of a minister in Scotland who knew that another minister was going through a difficult trial and he did this. He came and embraced him and said, you will get through. Thankful for such friends. Thankful for Christ, oh, the great Friend who comes alongside. I will hold your hand. I will support you. Have you embraced Him? Psalm 2 verse 12, Kiss the Son lest He be angry. Embrace Him in the arms of faith. Have you? Have you embraced Him in the arms of faith? Have you embraced Him in love and evidence of faith? Are you embracing Christ? Oh, that embrace in that initial way. But in subsequent times, embrace Christ. Sometimes we stray. Our hearts are stirred. We go searching, but we can't find Him. But then we read in the Song of Solomon 3 verse 4, it was but a little that I passed from them, but I found Him whom my soul loveth. I held Him and would not let Him go. I held Him. embracing Christ, exercising faith near to Him. In that initial way, we embrace Christ, but in subsequent times, sometimes there's the distance. And as you think of this, Song of Solomon chapter five, the Lord withdraws a little at times, but then there comes the returning embrace. What a lesson for the church. Oh, we long for those times when we so hold Christ. He's near to us. He's dear to us. You consider how Jesus holds his people in closing. Song of Solomon 2 verse 6. His left hand is under my head and his right hand doth embrace me. He embraces us. There's a time for embracing. Embrace me all the time is our prayer, isn't it? Don't let there be any distance, forgive me my sin, come and embrace me, Lord. And what a prayer we have in closing in the Song of Solomon 1 verse 2. And with this I close. Let him, reference to Jesus, let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for thy love is better than wine. He's kissed me in an initial way, but keep kissing me, embrace me, Lord. Make known thy love to me. Make known that I'm loved by thee. Kiss me, for I value thy embrace. I love it when thou art near. I love it when I sense that thou art sensing, sense that thou art supporting me. Kiss me. More of thy love, Lord Jesus. A time for embracing. Let it be more often, Lord. I want it to be all the time. Amen. Let us pray. O Lord, our God, may the time not pass quickly. O embrace us, Lord. Do not be at a distance. Come quickly back if we have failed thee. O shepherd, come and put thine arms around us. Lord, we pray, we are sorry for our sin. O blessed beloved, Embrace the church in these days in a wonderful way. If thou hast sat to the distance because of the sin of thy people, come back quickly. Surely it's the time for a great embrace when thy love is so felt in the church. O come and embrace us, and may we hold thee more often. O how thy word just blends together, I held him. I would not let him go. Oh, Lord, it is a time to embrace Thee now in this day. Oh, we want to hold Thee tonight. We don't want to let Thee go. Help us to hold Thee in the morning. Help us to hold Thee the next day. Oh, may we be brought closer unto Thee, Lord Jesus, until we see Thee. And we thank Thee heaven will be a place where we will embrace Christ forever. And we will also embrace his people with no intermission forever and ever. Hear us, O Lord. Speak to us, we pray. There is a time and a season for everything. May there be a great time coming when thou dost come near to the church and share thy love upon us. Hear us for Christ's sake. Amen.