Progress and Joy

[00:00:00] Well, good morning, Christchurch. It's good to see you. I missed you last week, but I hope you were warm and cozy at home. [00:00:09] But it's good to be back. [00:00:12] And we are gonna continue Philippians. [00:00:15] If you are a guest with us today, and we've never had the chance to meet, my name's Chet and I would love to meet you. And we've been looking at this idea of joy in progress, how God wants to strengthen our joy. And God also wants to do some stuff in us and through us. And that's what the book of Philippians is about. [00:00:38] So we're gonna continue talking about that today. But just before we do, would you pray with me, Father? We do. Just thank you for the blessing. It is to be here and to be together. [00:00:52] And thank you for what today represents to us as your church, of how important it is for us to do life together, to learn to grow, to fight against the forces of isolation and loneliness, and to see the power of connection and friendship and serving together. [00:01:16] Lord, just make those things real to us today and help us also to see the power of Christ at work in us. [00:01:24] Even when life is disappointing, even when life is confusing, even when our life is not at the place we want it to be. [00:01:33] We pray that you would help us in all of this. [00:01:37] And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen. [00:01:42] One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from this philosopher named Albert Camus. [00:01:49] Now, generally, I don't like anything about this guy's philosophy, but he does have this great quote. I want to share it with you today. He said this in the midst of winter. [00:02:01] Anyone relate to that right now? [00:02:03] In the midst of winter, I found there was within me an invincible summer. Doesn't that sound nice right now? [00:02:12] An invincible summer. [00:02:15] I don't know, maybe some of you are like, no, I'll take negative seven for a little while longer. And I pray that you repent, you know, you winter lovers. Cause I like the idea of an invincible summer. Amen. He says, in the midst of winter, I found there was within me an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. Me too. [00:02:34] For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger, something better pushing right back. [00:02:52] What a great way to talk about something I think we all want. Don't you want an invincible summer in you? [00:03:00] Something that no matter what is happening in your life, you can go back to this place of warmth and strength and renewal. [00:03:11] I love how he says, there's something stronger, something better, that's pushing back Life pushes on me as it does on all of us, but then there's something in us that's even stronger to push back. And I think all of us, if we're honest, we want that in our lives. We want something in our souls that, you know, that doesn't just always bend to our circumstances. [00:03:38] We want something within us that can bring joy to joyless situations or can find meaning in disappointment or find perseverance when the going gets tough. [00:03:53] And that's what this whole idea, I think, of an invincible summer is about. [00:03:58] Now, Albert Camus, when he was talking about this, he thought that that was really just the power of the human will that could create that. But I would totally disagree with that. I don't think there is an invincible summer that's just within us, but I think there is an invincible summer that is Jesus Christ within us. [00:04:20] And that it's not in your power, but it's in his power, in his presence in you. And it can give us that strength, that renewal, that joy to push back against all the challenges of life. And when we look at the book of Philippians, and we are gonna read today, as the Apostle Paul writes about where his life. I see that invincible summer in him, and I believe he's gonna show us what it can look like in us, too. So we're gonna pick up where we left off here, and we're at Philippians 1, and I'm gonna pick up at verse 12 here. [00:04:59] And I know it's been a couple weeks here, but Paul is writing this to this ancient church. And what we've seen so far is that he kind of introduced why he was writing, and he talked about how he was praying for them and how he saw God at work in them. And now this is the point of the letter where he's giving them a little update on what's going on with him. It's kind of like you call someone and you, you know, you greet them, and then you fill them in on what life has been like for them. And that's where Paul's at here. And so we're gonna pick up at verse 12. It says this. I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. [00:05:43] Now, just to pause on this for a second, we know that Paul was writing this from prison. [00:05:51] And so when he says, I want you to know what's happened to me, he's talking about this whole ordeal that has landed him in a Roman prison. [00:06:03] And most Bible scholars believe that where he's actually in prison here is probably Rome and this is like the early 60s. And so what we know from the book of Acts that gives us a history of, of some of this is that Paul went on a multi year ordeal of being persecuted, mistreated, lied about facing several different kinds of injustices from his own people and from the governing authorities. He just went through years of really being wronged at multiple levels. [00:06:44] So when he says, I want you to know what's happened to me, he's talking about that whole era there, like these last couple years, you've just seen me go through the wringer. He says, I want you to know it's actually served to advance the gospel. I love what he's saying here. He's saying all that ugliness actually. [00:07:07] I see God has a purpose in it. [00:07:12] And God's purpose has accelerated through this mess in my life. I don't know if you've seen this in your own life, but God works in mysterious ways. [00:07:27] God's plans don't always unfold as we think they should or ought to. But yet there is a genius and a wisdom and what he does. And so Paul says, look, the good news of Jesus has advanced so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard. So all the kind of Roman army that is guarding him. He's like, I got a captive audience. [00:07:55] You know, if you chain yourself up to a preacher who's really in jail at that point, you get me. [00:08:04] You know, like, I mean, kind of the way I see it today is that I didn't get to preach last week. So I have two sermon time. Amen. [00:08:17] Yeah, you didn't. Thank you for the one Christian back there who clapped. Yeah, yeah. [00:08:23] But Paul said, look, I've been sharing Christ with those who, who have been watching over me. And they all know. Cause you know, they are like, oh dude, you got that shift. Good luck buddy, you're about to get an earful. [00:08:36] And Paul said, I've made it through. Cause it's been a couple year ordeal. And to all the rest, but they also know that my imprisonment is for Christ. [00:08:43] They also realize that all these political games, all these lies, they're not the real issue. [00:08:50] But people know that I'm here because of my devotion to Christ and that sticks out to them. And he says, and most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. And so Paul says, so not only has the good news of Jesus gone to all these people that would not have been reached without My imprisonment, not only has it spread that way, but also the other churches look at my example and what I'm experiencing and it gives them courage to share the good news about Jesus. [00:09:33] Now here's what I love about this section, is that Paul is not chained up to these circumstances, even though he's literally chained here. [00:09:47] That Paul is in a place where he didn't choose to be. [00:09:53] His goal was not to go to prison, which I've also had that goal in my life. It's kind of, I've always really shot for the stars and you know what church, so far, mission accomplished, but there's still time. [00:10:11] But that was not what he was intending to do or hoping to do. [00:10:15] Again, the circumstances around it were lies, manipulation, all these kinds of things. But yet when he's in the midst of there, and I'm gonna read further in a little bit, he's also gonna say, in the midst of all of this, I'm joyful. [00:10:32] In the midst of all of this, I can honestly say I see God at work in a significant way. [00:10:39] And here's what I love about this, is that Paul was not a man. [00:10:45] That his well being was controlled by the world outside of him. [00:10:53] In other words, his internal reality was more powerful than his external reality. You with me on this? [00:11:02] That even though his external reality in this moment is not great, is not where he wants to be, is not fair, is not right, he still could find a sense of God's purpose and a sense of joy. [00:11:18] And I wanna be a person like that. How about you? [00:11:21] Cause I think in life, no matter where you are, there you are. You with me on this? [00:11:29] And so many times in life we think, well, if I can change something on the outside of my life, then it will change something on the inside of my life. [00:11:40] But here's the truth. [00:11:42] If I'm miserable today, there's probably not a lot of external changes that are gonna change that. You with me? [00:11:50] And then there's people that they can be joyful and have well being in the midst of all kinds of circumstances. Why? Because they're living from a sense of internal strength in connection to God. You with me on this? And I would say that's an infinitely better approach. [00:12:10] And that's what we see here in Paul. And Paul says, look, even though these circumstances are unusual, unexpected and not asked for, I see God moving very, very significantly. And I just want to encourage some of us today, maybe your life isn't in the place you want it to be, maybe your life isn't in the Place that like, all right, you know, at this age, at this season, I dreamed of being here and here I am. [00:12:44] And you're kind of, you know, disappointed, frustrated, angry, confused, upset. I just want to invite you for a second here to think about what we see in this passage. [00:13:00] Because oftentimes there's what happens to us in life, but then there's another story of what God is doing through what happens to us. You with me. [00:13:12] And Paul was able to break out of and just not see what happened to him. But he was able to see what God was doing and it gave him joy and strength and purpose. And one of my. [00:13:29] The best ways to explain this is there was a man named William Cooper in like the 1700s. And he was a man that struggled severely with depression. [00:13:42] And in the 1700s, you know, they just called it melancholy. There wasn't tons of resources. I mean, this was a tough journey at that time in his. I mean, it's still a tough journey today, but at least there's a lot more support. [00:13:55] And so he navigated this in a very tough time. And eventually it led him to Christ and he gave his life to Christ and committed his life and, you know, had a relationship. But that didn't take the struggle away. [00:14:12] So here's just kind of one good thing to know is when we give our lives to Christ, it doesn't always mean the struggles of our lives just disappear. Then I wish it did, Church. I wish it meant that just for every one of us, they were done and gone and no more. But that's not how it works always. [00:14:31] And so he struggled with it, but he wrote about the struggles and he made them into songs. [00:14:39] And they became some really, really powerful hymns. [00:14:43] And the one hymn that I wanna share with you today is, he called it God Moves in Mysterious Ways. So when people say God works mysteriously, it comes from that hymn that he wrote. And let me share the words with you today. He says this. [00:14:57] God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform he plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm deep in unfathomable minds of never failing skill he fashions up his bright designs and works his sovereign will Ye fearful saints talking to us Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take. I love this part. The clouds that you much dread are big with mercy and will break in blessing on your head. Isn't that great? [00:15:46] This is my favorite part. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense. [00:15:52] I want you to hear that today. [00:15:55] Paul didn't judge the Lord by feeble sense. He didn't just Say, look, this prison, this is it. This is the whole story. What's God doing? God's failing me. All of this sense, this. No, he knew. You can't judge God's purpose in your life by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace. [00:16:13] Behind a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face. [00:16:20] His purpose will ripen fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower. [00:16:31] Blind unbelief, assured error and scan his work in vain. God is his own interpreter and he will make it plain. [00:16:40] I don't know if those words resonate with you, but every time I read them, they speak to me. [00:16:46] Do you see what he's saying in that? He's saying, yes, God does work in mysterious ways. Church. [00:16:52] The Lord hears Paul and God called him to spread the good news of Jesus around the ancient world. [00:17:02] And then he landed in jail. [00:17:05] Well, how is a guy who's supposed to go from town to town, share the gospel, then land in jail, and yet the gospel continues to move forward? [00:17:15] Well, God works in mysterious ways. [00:17:18] Judge not the Lord by feeble sense. [00:17:24] That there is a whole level of activity that exists in the realm of God that we don't always know about in our life. [00:17:33] But what I think we see so beautifully modeled in Paul is that he learned to trust God through the uncertainty, through the confusion, through the disappointment, through the frustration, through. Through the times in life that felt like this is the end of the road or this is all off course. And God worked through him powerfully. You with me on this church, and I just wanna encourage some of you today, maybe you're in a frowning providence. [00:18:07] This is not where I wanna be. [00:18:10] This is not what I want happening in my life. [00:18:12] This is. I'm not glad or excited about this, but. [00:18:16] But I want you to trust him for his grace. [00:18:20] Behind a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face, but he needs trusted. Walked with you, with me on this church. [00:18:29] And Paul does that. [00:18:31] So he says, look, I'm here, I'm in prison, and the gospel is going forward. And he says, and in that I rejoice. [00:18:42] Now, here's what I also love about Paul. He not only has this place in his heart where he allows God to be God. [00:18:51] God doesn't have to explain everything to me. He is God. He allows God to be God. But he also says, and the purpose of my life is that the good news of Jesus will go forward. [00:19:04] So I think one of the things that actually brings the most joy into our life is when we stop making life about Us, selfishness brings the most misery into our lives. [00:19:22] Cause we weren't created. It's not a big enough purpose to just live for our own comfort, our own happiness, our own agenda. [00:19:34] And I were made for a bigger purpose than that. [00:19:39] And that purpose is the purpose of God. [00:19:42] And there is this paradoxical thing that happens that as soon as I start making life not about me, but about God, I actually enjoy my life more. You with me. [00:19:56] I actually can appreciate and deal with everything that comes my way according to a different approach. [00:20:05] And Paul says. Paul says, the gospel's advancing, and I'm thrilled about it because the purpose of my life is to make Jesus Christ known. [00:20:18] And that is happening. And I wonder today if you were just to honestly look yourself in the mirror, and I was to look myself in the mirror. And if you're a follower of Jesus today, is that the purpose of your life? [00:20:30] Could we look and say, you know what? [00:20:33] My life is to glorify God, to see the gospel go forward. [00:20:41] And that's what I'm about. So Paul looks at these prison cells and he says, actually, these walls aren't stopping that. [00:20:48] They're accelerating that. [00:20:51] And sometimes the walls in your life and my life that God will bring will actually further purpose through you. [00:21:01] Even though it's challenging, it's painful, it's difficult. You with me on this. [00:21:05] And this is what we see in Paul. And so Paul looks at all this and he says, you know what? [00:21:11] I'm not afraid to suffer and sweat. [00:21:17] Lead a little bit for the cause of Jesus Christ. [00:21:21] And if you're a follower of Jesus today, I just want you to hear this for a second, I think so many times. We wanna serve God in great ways with our lives, but we don't want it to cost us anything. You with me? [00:21:36] Like, you know, it's like you wanna work out, but you don't wanna sweat. [00:21:41] Just let me get in great shape, but let me have very little effort or sweat. You're like, well, you can't have ways. You with me on this? And I think so many times we want God to be honored. We want to serve him in a remarkable way. But we want to do it without any sacrifice, without any sweat, without any challenge. But here's the deal. [00:22:07] When I look at the great men and women of scripture, I don't see one happening without the other. You with me. [00:22:16] That oftentimes they go together and they become the pathway that God uses to glorify his name. And Paul, Paul, in fact, he said it this way one time. He Says, I bear on my body the wounds of Christ. [00:22:36] And he said that as a point of I'm rejoicing in that, that I am serving Christ, and it's costing me something. [00:22:48] It's costing sweat and tears and sacrifice. [00:22:52] Because think about it this way. [00:22:54] If you're a follower of Jesus, this is the only time you get to sweat and bleed for your king. [00:23:03] See, one day the Lord's gonna call you home and you are gonna glorify him and worship him and enjoy him forever. [00:23:14] But you're not gonna sweat. [00:23:16] You're not gonna bleed. [00:23:18] The struggle's over, and that's awesome. [00:23:23] But I think we also have to recognize the moment that we're in, that this is our opportunity to fight the good fight. [00:23:33] This is our opportunity to say, yeah, Lord, you really do matter to me. [00:23:40] And I'm gonna live my life in such a way that that is evident. You with me on this? [00:23:46] And Paul does it. Paul says, look, God's work's going through. It's costing me something, and I accept it. And then he goes on, verse 15, he says, in fact, some preach Christ from envy and rivalry, others from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing I'm put here for the defense of the gospel. [00:24:06] The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. And in that I rejoice. [00:24:26] And so, just kind of looking at what Paul's saying, here's what he's saying. He's saying, you know, while I'm in prison, some people are trying to kick me. While I'm down, some people are trying to make it worse. [00:24:39] And they're kind of jumping on this bandwagon, but their motives are impure. Some are doing it out of selfish ambition. Some are trying to, like, stir up trouble for me in here. You know, there's all kinds of craziness going on. But then Paul says, other translations says, but what do I care? [00:24:57] I like that one. He says that in every way Christ is proclaimed. [00:25:04] And I just thought that was a good reminder to guard our focus in life. [00:25:11] Here's what I know about myself. If I am worried about the intents and motives of other people, and my focus is there, and I'm constantly trying to judge and discern and allowing myself to get agitated and frustrated, then all of that ends up coming out from me on the wrong people. [00:25:35] Anybody like that? Or am I the only messed up one in this room? [00:25:40] I don't know what happened last week, but everybody came back an angel. Today I wanna know what happened to all the sinners that were. [00:25:50] But when I allow myself to get overly concerned with what other people are doing or not doing, all it does is usually bring out something unhealthy in me. [00:26:05] But Paul says, yeah, I know they're up to a bunch of shenanigans and I don't care because I care only that Christ is being honored and his name is being proclaimed. And guess what? Whether they mean to or not, that's happening. [00:26:21] And in that, I rejoice. And I think it's just a good reminder in life to guard our focus. [00:26:29] Maybe some of us today, we're just adding misery to our life because we're worried about what other people are doing and whether it's good or bad or this or that. [00:26:41] And we're missing what God has for us today. [00:26:45] And Paul says, look, I see God moving forward. I'm gonna bless what I can bless, and I'm not gonna concern myself with the rest. [00:26:53] I'm gonna bless what I can bless. I'm gonna rejoice in what I can rejoice in. I'm gonna find the bright spots and that's the focus that I'm gonna allow in my mind. [00:27:06] And it brings me joy. I rejoice. And then he says this. Yes, and I will rejoice. [00:27:12] For I know that through your prayers and and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now, as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. [00:27:39] If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. [00:27:43] Yet which I shall choose, I cannot tell. I'm hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that's far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. [00:27:57] Convinced of this, I know I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith. There's that phrase, progress and joy. [00:28:11] So that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus because of my coming to you again. So just to summarize what Paul's saying there, he's saying, all right, I don't know what my future holds. [00:28:25] Don't you wish God just sent you an email with every chapter of your life? Anyone? [00:28:31] Anybody got that email? Before, No, I don't think it's coming. [00:28:38] Because the Lord doesn't always tell us everything we want to know, and he doesn't tell us everything we want to know about what is ahead of us. [00:28:50] And so Paul says. He says, I don't know what's gonna happen to me. [00:28:56] I don't know if God is going to lead me out of this prison and I'm gonna be back on the road going from town to town and sharing Christ and strengthening the churches and writing letters. He's like, I'm hoping for that. [00:29:12] I'm praying for that. But I don't know. [00:29:16] He says, and I don't know if this is where my journey here ends, that this imprisonment is gonna lead to my death. [00:29:27] So that could be too. [00:29:29] He says, but whatever the scenario is, he says, I know Christ has me because if I live, I'm gonna serve him, and if I die, I'm gonna be with him. [00:29:42] And both those options are good to me. [00:29:45] And Paul says, but here's what I hope. I hope that I can stay and I can be with you, and if I have any hand in this, that I can be there for you for the joy and progress of your faith. [00:30:02] And here's what I love about Paul, is that he recognized that Christianity is a team sport. [00:30:11] We need each other. [00:30:13] Paul says, I want to stay because I think God wants to bring a deeper joy and further progress to your faith through me. [00:30:24] And I think we can assume vice versa as well. [00:30:27] See, part of the way God strengthens us is through the faces of the people around you. Church. [00:30:35] And so many times on our spiritual journey, on our walk with God, it can be so easy to get on a path where we're just kind of walking alone. [00:30:47] But I believe some of the greatest progress God wants to bring into your life and some of the joy that God has for you is gonna come through other brothers and sisters walking with you, you with me on this church. [00:31:04] And we beat this drum all the time as a church. [00:31:08] And just an FYI, I will keep beating this drum. [00:31:12] I know how to run a joke into the ground, but it's so important. And. And so today, Better Together Sunday, that's what this is about. It's about kind of calling us as a church to say, hey, God wants to bring greater joy and progress to our faith, but it's gonna happen in relationship. It's gonna happen through relationship. Paul says, I wanna stay so I can be with you and I can encourage you and I can strengthen you and I can pray for you and I can walk with you through the challenges. And so today, I just want to encourage you to, after service, go out and check out all the different groups that are there. [00:31:59] There are a lot of great opportunities. And I want to encourage you to get connected somewhere. [00:32:07] To get connected and to be open to allowing God to pour in your life through someone else, but also allow God to work through you into someone else's life. You with me on this? See, it goes both ways. [00:32:24] We need to allow our hearts to be able to receive from other brothers and sisters. [00:32:30] There's a lot we can learn from each other. [00:32:33] There's a lot of ways we can grow together. But then sometimes God also calls you to a place because he wants you to pour into someone else. [00:32:44] Cause God's gonna give you a thought or an encouragement or a connection that he's gonna use for that person's faith. You with me on this? And so I wanna encourage you today to go check out. You can have some chili while you do it. [00:32:59] You know, we won't make it too painful here and check out and sign up and be part of. And put yourself in a place to build some connections and relationships. You with me? Now, here's my favorite part about this whole passage. Paul says. [00:33:18] He says, life is like a double bind now. Now, I don't know if you've ever heard the term a double bind, but it's a situation where you can't really win. [00:33:31] Like, maybe you're at work and your boss is like, tell me what you think about that last initiative we did. And you're like, you really want me to tell you what I think? Like, yeah, yeah, please. I want that feedback. You're like, okay, well, here's what I think. And you tell them. And then they're like, how dare you think that? You know what's wrong with you? You're terrible. And you're like, you just told me to tell you. And now you're chewing me out for telling you. That's a double bind. You with me? You can't win on either end. You. You know what I'm saying? You ever been put in one of those? [00:34:00] You ever put someone in one of those? [00:34:04] Do you ever put yourself in a double bind? [00:34:07] I find myself doing that all the time. I, like, have a decision that I'm weighing, and I'm like, over here. And I'm like, my mind's telling me, no, no, this is terrible. You can't do this. Yada, yada, this is why it's so bad. And then I Make the decision. And then all of a sudden, my mind starts chewing me out for making that decision. [00:34:25] I was like, you were just chewing me out on this end. Now you're getting me on this end too. [00:34:29] That's why I'm crazy. [00:34:32] Any other crazy people here today? I'm like, I'm putting myself. I can't win on either end. That's a double bind. And no one likes them. No one likes being in them. No one likes being put in them. But it's kind of a human thing. [00:34:47] But here's what I love about this passage. [00:34:51] Paul says, get this. He says, has put life in a double bind. [00:35:00] He says, I can't lose here. [00:35:03] I can't lose. [00:35:04] Paul says, if I live, if God's got more story for me, more life for me, then I'm gonna serve him. [00:35:13] I'm gonna know him. I'm gonna be fruitful, I'm gonna work hard. [00:35:18] I'm gonna keep showing up and seeking to honor him. I'm gonna make my life count. For his kingdom to me, to live is Christ. If God's got more of that for me, then that's what it's gonna look like. And I'm in Paul's like. [00:35:33] And if it's the end of the road for me, I win on that end too, because I get to lay down this struggle and I get to go be in the presence of. Of my Savior second. That sounds great too. Paul says I can't lose. [00:35:51] No matter what life throws at me, I can't lose. Why? [00:35:57] Not because of him, but because of Christ in him. [00:36:01] Because Jesus Christ is the real invincible summer within all of us. [00:36:09] And what is true of Paul's life, Church true of your life, too, because of Christ. [00:36:18] You can't lose that. There's always grace, there's always strength, there's always wisdom. Sometimes you can't fathom it in the moment or in the season or in this lifetime, but you can always trust it. [00:36:34] Because to live is Christ and to die is gain. [00:36:39] He's put it in a double bind. Let's pray. [00:36:46] Father, we thank you so much for your grace and your mercy and your wisdom to us. [00:36:56] Father, I just pray special for those of us who maybe find ourself in a confusing place in life. [00:37:05] I pray you could just strengthen our faith. [00:37:09] I pray you could give us a new perspective, a new light where we can see your hand at work even in the challenge before us. [00:37:21] Father, I pray that we would just unreservedly offer our lives to your purpose. [00:37:30] I pray like Paul we would live for the advancement of the Gospel. [00:37:34] That Christ would be so precious to us, so beautiful to us, that we would serve him with all our might. [00:37:45] We would sweat, we would bleed if need be, because we see you as so worthwhile. [00:37:55] That, Lord, we would not try to save our life, but we would lose our life for your sake and truly find it. [00:38:05] Help us in that, Lord. [00:38:07] Help to find good brothers and sisters that can pour into our life and that we can pour into. [00:38:15] Grant us the grace to not do all this alone, but to find your strength in the face of the people around us. [00:38:25] May we be your church and your body to one another. [00:38:31] Bless this time, bless this season, bless all this in the good name of Jesus. [00:38:40] Amen.