All Saints (transferred) Yr C October 30 2022

All Saints (transferred) Yr C October 30 2022

Daniel 7:1-3,15-18, Psalm 149, Ephesians 1:11-23, Luke 6:20-31

 

We arrive back at Luke’s story after Jesus has chosen the disciples, and he sets about teaching them everything he can as they embark on their journey to Jerusalem. Jesus comes down from the mountain, stands on the plain, raises his head to look at his disciples, his friends, and begins this teaching. Luke has every intention that any onlookers, including you and I, will overhear what Jesus says.

 

Jesus says, blessed are you who are poor now, for yours is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. And immediately the disciple’s ears prick up, your ears prick up. Who’s he really talking to? The disciples are not poor, the disciples are not hungry, we are not poor, we are not hungry. And all of a sudden the disciples know, and we should know too, that this is not about us, it is about people who are poor and hungry. In Luke’s beatitudes it is Jesus who has attitude. You will also notice that these beatitudes are not the same as the beatitudes in Matthew’s gospel. Luke’s seem much more strident, much less spiritual, than Matthew’s. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus is clearly including those who are on the margins, those who are disenfranchised, those who have nothing, those who are blessed.

 

You see, you remember, near the beginning of Luke’s story, we hear Mary’s song, the Magnificat. This song frames Luke’s gospel, none of this gospel can be read without referring to it.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

 

Jesus does indeed speak about those who are rich and powerful being cast down. "Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. "Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. These are hard words for us, as we sit here many of us have had plenty to eat. But, blessing, according to Jesus, far from being about material abundance, is to enjoy the regard and favor of God. And the God of Israel to whom Jesus bears witness reserves special regard for the poor, the maligned, the downtrodden. This God shows particular favor to those in need. While this may at first seem threatening to those of us who enjoy so much of the world's bounty, it also clarifies our calling to identify and help those in need, and it promises that God stands also with all of us in our moments of loss, distress, and poverty.

 

And this remains good news, it is good news because Jesus says directly to us, Love your enemies, do good to those who turn their backs on you, give your coat to someone who needs it. The good news here is that the heart of God is full of mercy and compassion, abounding in steadfast love. The good news here is that God loves every one of God’s children, and that God’s dream for us is to act in love.

 

We read these beatitudes on this All Saints Day, the day we remember the cloud of witnesses, all those who came before us to walk this journey of love, all those who show us what it means to be blessed. Because a saint is an ordinary person like you and me who is made holy, and who is blessed by God.

 

We too are blessed to be a blessing. We are filled with God’s love, and mercy, and compassion, Yes, we can be saints too. The words we pray at a funeral, “Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light,” remind us that we are numbered in the ranks of those who are sinners made into saints, we are not perfect, but perfectly loved. And we are called specifically to welcome all God’s children, we are called to love our enemies, and we are called to bless those with whom we disagree.

 

Along with the saints we name today we too are called to bless others with mercy and compassion, with love and forgiveness. And on this day of all saints, we reaffirm our baptismal promises. We remember who and whose we are, we recall our identity as beloved sons and daughters of God. We vow to live our lives from that center, from that identity, God’s beloved. On this day of all saints, we remember, we reaffirm, and we renew our courage and bravery to be witnesses to God's amazing and abundant love.

 

As we reaffirm our identity as God's beloved, we are renewed for the journey. This community of faithful saints, along with the cloud of witnesses, the saints who have gone before us, we are renewed by hope and blessing for the journey we take together. We call upon each other and God to stand here beside us as we follow Jesus into the world to do the work that we are called to do, and that work is to be agents of God's healing and reconciliation, agents of God’s love in the world. 

And all the saints of God say, Amen. 

 

20 Pentecost Yr C Proper 25 October 23 2022

20 Pentecost Yr C Proper 25 October 23 2022

Jeremiah 14:7-10,19-22, Psalm 84:1-6, 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18, Luke 18:9-14

 

We continue in Luke with this parable, no easier than any that have come before it. What is the kingdom of God like? The kingdom of God is like the Pharisee and the tax collector who both pray before God.

 

The Pharisee stands by himself and says, "thankfully I am not like those other people, I fast, I give a tenth of my income, and I'm just downright good." Or words to that effect. And really, the Pharisee is actually just telling the truth, a Pharisee is righteous before the law, he’s not really a bad guy. He is also doing exactly what is asked of him, he’s giving a tenth of everything he has. But the portrait that the gospel paints is not only of a righteous man before the law, but also of a self-righteous man who looks down on others for not being as good as he.

 

The tax collector is standing off on his own, beating his breast and lamenting his wretchedness. A tax collector works for the Roman government, and the Roman government is the occupying power. Tax collectors are not really in good favor with the Jewish people. But this tax collector seems to recognize his need for God. And on the pharisee’s terms, a tax collector is not righteous before the law.

 

Maybe what the Kingdom of God looks like in this parable, is the difference between being self-righteous like the Pharisee, and being humble, like the tax collector. The tax collector shows us that we stand before God and recognize that we are recipients of a profound gift. Recognizing that God is God and we are not, recognizing Love and forgiveness are the key elements of the relationship we are called into.

But, if we jump too quickly to the sentence that finishes this piece of scripture, "all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted," we might think this is easy and straightforward. But parables just cannot be read that way, they are never easy and straightforward, there are always layers of meaning, and even innuendo. Jesus does not teach in easy and straightforward ways.

So, what do we do with the pharisee and the tax collector? You see, as soon as you decide you are humble like the tax collector, you become prideful like the pharisee. So, this isn't about not being righteous or even self-righteous like the pharisee and instead being humble like the tax collector. As soon as we do that, we are in danger of puffing ourselves up with humility.

This story is about God, and God's relationship with us. So, what does this story show us about God? It continues to show us that God's heart’s desire is to be in relationship with us. What gets in the way of that relationship is judging others about their behavior, those thieves, rogues, adulterers or even this wretched tax collector. What gets in the way of that relationship with God is being dishonest with yourself, being self-righteous.

God's heart's desire is to be in relationship with each of us and all of us together. God's heart’s desire is to love us into our true selves. What that means is that we don't have to be perfect before coming into God's presence. That means that we don't have to have our lives all put together before coming into this church. That means that we are imperfect and sinful people. That means that this Pharisee, and the tax collector and all of us who are like him, are equally welcome in God's presence and we are loved by God.

The children’s story Old Turtle and the Broken Truth gets at this nicely. In it, the truth of the universe comes to earth but on its way is broken in two. One half – that we are special and deserve to be loved – gives strength and happiness but over time leads to arrogance and disregard for others. Only when we discover the other half – that so also all others are also special and deserve to be loved – can we live into the peace and goodness of the universe and of God. This is the heart of justification. A word used in this to describe the tax collector, a word whose meaning we have trouble understanding. But justification is the empowering word that frees us from insecurity and despair and then frees us again to share that same good news and love of God with others. And for this reason, recognizing that we are justified has the capacity to provide our central identity and to illumine all our decisions and choices, particularly regarding those around us.

When are you like the Pharisee? We are like the Pharisee when we come to the conclusion that there is nothing we can learn from those with whom we disagree. We are like the Pharisee when we put up a wall around us so thick and so tall that no one and nothing can get in. We are like the Pharisee when we decide that we are right and everyone else is wrong.

When are you like the tax collector? We are like the tax collector when we sit in the lowest seat only because we hope we will be invited into the highest seat. We are like the tax collector when we don't speak up for those who are oppressed because we don't want anyone to know that we are followers of Jesus.

God's heart’s desire is to be in relationship with both the Pharisee and the tax collector. God's heart’s desire is to love us into our true selves. And our true selves are imperfect and perfectly loved. God's invitation to us is into relationship, and that relationship is through prayer, and song, worship and service, and learning God's word. That relationship is through one another, because when one with another, we are Christ for each other. In our lives and in our witness to the love that wins, we are in relationship with God.

As I pondered this passage for the last few days, I wonder about us, here at Trinity. I wonder about how we show people in our community how God's heart’s desire is to be in relationship with each and every person. We, here at Trinity are not perfect. Our worship is not perfect, it's sometimes messy, but everyone is welcome. All of us are not perfect, sometimes we come sad or angry, but we always are forgiven.

You see, the invitation to worship the God who is love is God's invitation, and there are thousands of people who still haven't heard the invitation, or who refuse the invitation. Today I encourage you to invite someone you know into God's love. Invite someone you know to Trinity for a cup of coffee and conversation, and to stay for the community. Invite someone you know to Trinity to experience the God whose heart’s desire is to love them. Invite someone you know to Trinity to find meaning and acceptance for themselves and their children. Invite someone you know to Trinity who is searching and has lost their way.

Invite the Pharisees, invite the tax collectors. You know that here they will find themselves, here they will find the love that wins, here they will be home. It is God's invitation, but you must bear the invitation into the world. Go out into the world, bearing God's invitation to love.

Amen.

 

19 Pentecost Yr C Proper 24 Oct 16 2022

19 Pentecost Yr C Proper 24 Oct 16 2022

Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 121, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5, Luke 18:1-8

 

What an odd sort of story from Luke. Keeping in mind that when Jesus tells a parable, he is trying to shake us up, make us see and hear things differently, what might this parable have to say to us today? I wonder if it has to do with taking a long view. I wonder if it has to do with staying in and participating in our relationship with God.

 

Let’s take a look at a couple of scenarios that may shed some light on this very odd little story. First of all, we know that at this point in Luke’s gospel, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. This story is one of a series of stories of Jesus imparting as much wisdom to the disciples as possible before arriving in Jerusalem. We are overhearing Jesus instructing the disciples, and it seems like Luke really means for us to overhear these instructions. 

 

And yet we have this very puzzling judge, and an equally puzzling woman. It seems to me that a character in a story Luke is telling should be an upstanding character. In a culture that values honor and assigns shame in its absence, like this one, it seems that the judge in this story should have been honorable, but instead this judge is associated with shame, we learn that because the judge neither feared God nor had respect for people. Eventually the judge granted this woman’s need out of convenience for himself, nothing more noble than that, he just didn’t want to be bothered anymore. The widow should have been respected, but she was powerless, so this was life and death for her. And her coming to this court and this judge was constant and repetitive.

 

There are all sorts of ways this could go; you’ve probably heard many of them. But despite what the world would say to us, despite those whom we encounter that would have us believe God is inconsequential, or God is irrelevant, like this judge in our story, I want to offer something different. First, I think God is calling us to stay in this relationship, God is calling us to participate in this relationship, God is calling us to partner with Jesus in loving one another. And in our world today, that is a hard thing to do. And secondly, having a relationship with God needs a long view. 

 

So staying in relationship with God, participating with God in loving all creation, co-conspiring with Jesus in healing, is about taking the long view. I saw a meme on Facebook this week, a picture of an apple with these words, “the day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.”

 

Staying in this relationship with God. Staying in when the going gets tough. Staying in when all evidence suggests it’s a lost cause. Staying in when God doesn’t seem to answer your prayers as you wish. Staying in when death looks you in the eyes. Staying in when everything and everyone in our culture says you are foolish. Staying in is what God calls us to and staying in any relationship is hard. But you can do hard things.

 

The going gets tough, doesn’t it? We have learned to expect results instantly. Our internet speed must be instantaneous. Our email must be answered immediately. Our texts read and responded to right away. Everything we experience today regarding the gathering of information is about having it in the palm of our hand right now. We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom, while starving for relationship. We have lost sight of the value of waiting, of patience, of obedience in the same direction.

 

God calls us to stay in, even when the evidence suggests it’s a lost cause. But that evidence is interpreted through a lens that may not have God in focus. The story of Jesus’ life and death look like a lost cause. People looked to Jesus as leader, as king, and maybe even as magician. And yet, Jesus was put to death on a cross and laid in a tomb and left for dead. Stay in, hold on, wait for it…. Mary and the other women return to the tomb to anoint the body and God does a new thing. 

 

Remember that seed? The day you plant it, it looks nothing like the fruit you will eventually pick and eat. When the seed goes into the ground, it sure doesn’t look like the apple that one day hangs on the tree. Burying the seed in the ground looks a lot like death, and yet what emerges is new life. Letting go of our old selves, our addictions, our need to control, our need for power, our belief in our unworthiness, is a lot like being buried with Jesus, to rise again as new creations. Stay in for the long haul, the arc bends toward joy.

 

Stay in when God doesn’t answer your prayers the way you want God to answer your prayers. How hard is that? You and I both know God is God, and we are not. How many times have you heard from God no, not now, maybe even no, not ever. What we think is best for us is often not what is best for us. And yet, God loves us so very much God lets us choose, God even lets us fail. These are not the times to turn our back on God because God didn’t do it our way. Stay in, participate in this relationship God gives us. Stay in and don’t let the world beat you down.

 

Stay in even when following Jesus may look foolish. Some would say, look out only for yourself, make money at the expense of others, guard your walls so that no one who challenges your carefully constructed contours may show you something new and different. Because looking out for the least and the lost, feeding those who are hungry, caring for those on the margins, won’t get you anywhere, won’t make you money, and surely won’t buy you happiness. Stay in when following Jesus may look foolish, the arc bends toward hope.

 

Stay in because death is not the worst thing that happens to us. The worst thing is not living while we are alive. God gives us this great gift of love, and mercy, and compassion. God gives us this great gift of new life today. Let go of the stuff that gets in the way of relationship, let go of the stuff that pulls us apart, let go of the addictions, let go of the anger, let go, so that you can stay in and your heart may love.

 

Stay in for the long haul, the arc bends toward joy, hope, and love. And as you stay in this relationship that God offers you through Jesus Christ, and through all those you encounter, you are empowered and equipped to love with your whole heart, and what happens then? Love wins. Amen.

18 Pentecost Yr C Proper 23 October 9 2022

18 Pentecost Yr C Proper 23 October 9 2022

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c, Psalm 111, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Luke 17:11-19

 

It seems to me that the phrase "an attitude of gratitude" may seem a bit cliche, but I do believe this passage from Luke is all about that. Jesus is going about the region healing and teaching, which is all well and good, but even Jesus would get tired and cranky I imagine, and really would love to hear a thank you. You've been there, right? You bailed your kid out of one more jam, you helped again with the homework, you made a great meal, you did the dishes, all expectations of parenthood sure, but still, a thank you would be nice, but you would never say that out loud. You volunteered for the school fundraiser, you shoveled your neighbor's driveway, you donated money to the Red Cross, Episcopal Relief and Development, the United Way, and really, a thank you is all you want.

 

Well, the good news is that this passage isn't about us and what we want, it's about Jesus. Jesus who healed ten lepers, including a Samaritan, an alien, a foreigner, an immigrant. Jesus didn't even ask to see his green card, wasn't worried about whether he could adequately speak the language, Jesus just healed him, and nine others. This outsider, this alien, this foreigner, this immigrant shows us all up. He's the one who thanks God, he's the one who gives God the glory. Not that any one could blame any of us for not remembering to give thanks, just look at the state of things.

 

But really, we know with our heads, that God is the giver of all things: every mouthful of food we take, every breath of air we inhale, every note of music we hear, every smile on the face of a friend, a child, a spouse, all that, and a million things more, are good gifts from God's abundance. There is an old spiritual discipline of listing one's blessings, naming them before God, and giving thanks. It's a healthy thing to do, especially in a world where we too often assume we have an absolute right to health, happiness and every possible creature comfort. Give it a try, make your list.

 

Additionally, this story shows us something else as amazing as gratitude and thankfulness. It shows us what new life and resurrection look like. Lepers were banned from their communities, they said good-bye to family, husbands, wives, children, and they go live with other lepers until they die. Not only did Jesus restore this man to health, this man was also restored to the community, and in a society in which honor was conferred by one's place in the community, that restoration was maybe even more life giving than the restoration of health. You see, this man was dead and is alive again. Faith and gratitude travel hand in hand.

 

Last week, the gospel reading was all about faith. When I read that passage in Luke I wondered if the story was not about not having enough faith, but about God's absolute and abundant faith in us. I wondered if the story isn't about being worthless, but about God's absolute and abundant love for us. I wondered if the story is about the awesome wonder of God's grace, the grace that makes us feel a might bit small in comparison.

 

Have you ever felt alone? So alone that you just sit down and weep. So alone and so afraid and so alien, that you feel like you are backed against a wall and there are no choices, no options, and that you are in a kind of prison, you can't see a way out. One of my favorite psalms is number 137. It’s an incredibly sad song about feeling separated from God, about being in exile. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and there we wept, when we remembered our home and those who love us, and maybe if we would put down roots, plant some flowers, it would feel more like home. These songs remind us about our own condition when we feel so totally isolated, and alienated, like we just don't fit in, like there is no one in the whole world who understands the pain of our own life. Not unlike the lepers in our reading today, banished, alone, isolated.

 

God calls to us in that place. The Good News is that no one is cut off from God's love, God's grace, God's forgiveness, God's healing, no one. No matter how horrible, or insignificant, or disenfranchised we think we are, no matter how far away from healing we think we are, we are not cut off from the love that wins. Sometimes, we, as did the apostles, say to The Lord, "increase our faith!" And the Lord's response is even faith the size of a mustard seed, which is mighty small, hardly even enough to see, is enough. Indeed it is not even about how much faith you have at all, the story we embody, the story we enact, the story of Love, is the story of God's faith in us.

 

You see, our relationship with God is never about us at all, so it is not about how much faith you or I have. Our relationship with God is about God's faith in us. And God does have faith in us, that is shown in the pattern of the sacred story. God creates and blesses all of creation, creation turns away from God and we wander in the wilderness, God calls us back into relationship and comes into our lives in a real and incarnational way, there is forgiveness and reconciliation and transformation.

 

We know the truth of this relationship in the reality of death and resurrection. God accompanies us through the pain and the suffering and the joy of this life. Jesus is God in the flesh, and walks this journey with us, Jesus suffers through pain, hangs on a cross, and through Jesus God shows humanity what new life looks like. Jesus is broken, and wholeness looks nothing like life before death. It is all about death and resurrection. Talk about faith, God has faith in us.

 

Remember, I said this last week, and it bears repeating. I don't get up in the morning and ask God for more faith, I get up in the morning and know that because God has faith in me, because God is faithful, I can do the work God calls me to do. Sometimes I wonder where God is, sometimes I wonder what God is up to because I sure can't figure out the plan, but that doesn't change God's faith in me. With that, some semblance of faith returns. And that faith looks like love. Love as an act of the will, love as mercy and compassion, love as justice and peace. Lord, help me to be your love in my part of the world today, Lord, help me to treat each person whose path I cross with mercy and compassion, is my prayer. Lord, help me to get on board with what you are already accomplishing in the world today. Lord, you have faith in me, help me to have faith in myself.

 

This world is broken, most of us are broken, and Jesus, in flesh and blood, in the bread and the wine, seeps into our very being and heals us, we are made whole in the bread and the wine. We are made whole by the love that is shown forth in this community, love that is Jesus in our midst. Jesus prepares supper for us, Jesus invites us to the table for food and drink, Jesus gives Jesus' very self so that we may be put back together, we are re-membered in a meal, in a community, that is Jesus' body.

 

It doesn't take much faith at all, indeed, it doesn't take any faith at all, to see the truth in these stories. We are humans, broken and loved back into wholeness. We are humans, worthy of God's love, the love that wins. And that reality causes us to give thanks and praise in all places and at all times, just like the outsider, the foreigner, the immigrant, who gave thanks to God. Amen.

17 Pentecost Proper 22 Yr C Oct 2 2022

17 Pentecost Proper 22 Yr C Oct 2 2022

Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4, Psalm 37:1-10, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Luke 17:5-10

 

How much is enough? We work our whole lives to have enough. Enough money to retire, enough house to live in, enough toys in our garage, or our lake place, or our vacation place. Can we ever have enough? When we lived in Rapid City, we knew a person who we perceived to have a lot. A large house with a great view, cars that were very nice, a vacation home in Montana, and the ability to give abundantly. Sometimes Willie and I wondered what that would be like. We wondered what it would be like to just be able to buy, without choosing between this one or that one, we could have both. We wondered what it would be like to not have to stick to a budget at the grocery store, just buy whatever we wanted. We wondered what it would be like to always stay in a fabulous hotel, and while on vacation to do whatever we wanted, never having to say no because we just don’t have the money. What would it be like to have enough to do it all?

 

How much faith is enough? Eugene Peterson, in his translation of the bible, The Message writes, “The apostles came up and said to the Master, “Give us more faith.” But the Master said, “You don’t need more faith. There is no ‘more’ or ‘less’ in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it.”

 

I think this story from Luke is about God's absolute and abundant faith in us. I think it is about faith, and faith is not a quantity to be measured, or thing to be possessed, or something to be consumed. This story is not about how much faith you have at all, the story we embody, the story we enact, the story of Love, is the story of God's faith in us. 

 

You see, our relationship with God is never about us at all, so it can’t be about how much faith you or I have. Our relationship with God is about God's faith in us. And God does have faith in us, that is shown in the pattern of the sacred story. God creates and blesses all of creation, but creation turns away from God and we wander in the wilderness, God calls us back into relationship and comes into our lives in a real and incarnational way, in flesh and blood, there is forgiveness and reconciliation and transformation. 

 

We know the truth of this relationship in the reality of death and resurrection. God accompanies us through the pain and the suffering and the joy of this life. Jesus is God in the flesh, and walks this journey with us, Jesus suffers through pain, hangs on a cross, and through Jesus God shows humanity what new life looks like. Jesus is broken, and wholeness looks nothing like life before death. It is all about death and resurrection. Talk about faith, God has faith in us. 

 

I don't get up in the morning and ask God for more faith, I get up in the morning and know that because God has faith in me, that God is faithful, I can do the work God calls me to do. Sometimes I wonder where God is, sometimes I wonder what God is up to because I sure can't figure out the plan, but that doesn't change God's faith in me. With that, some semblance of faith returns. And that faith looks a lot like love. Love as an act of the will, love as mercy and compassion, love as justice and peace. Lord, help me to be your love in my part of the world today, Lord, help me to treat each person whose path I cross with mercy and compassion, is my prayer. Lord, help me to get on board with what you are already accomplishing in the world today. Lord, you have faith in me, help me to have faith in myself. 

 

Faith is not about having enough, faith is about asking questions, not about having all the answers. Faith is big enough and important enough to be able to embrace all of our doubt. And faith is never about being perfect, but about being perfectly loved.

 

We live in a broken world, most of us are broken, and Jesus, in flesh and blood, in the bread and the wine, seeps into our very being and heals us, we are made whole in the bread and the wine. We are made whole by the love that is shown forth in this community, love that is Jesus in our midst. Jesus prepares supper for us, Jesus invites us to the table for food and drink, Jesus gives Jesus' very self so that we may be put back together, we are re-membered in a meal, in a community, that is Jesus' body. This is faith.

 

Friends, we’ve got all we need to be faithful. We’ve got a God who loves us so very much. Faith is an adventure. Faith is putting one foot in front of the other and walking toward a future we do not see yet but trust God is fashioning. Faith is heading out the door each day looking for opportunities to be God’s partner and co-worker in the world. Faith is imagining that the various challenges put in front of us -- whether solving a problem at work or forgiving someone who hurt us, -- are actually opportunities that invite us to grow as followers of Jesus and witness to God’s presence and goodness in the world.

 

Being faithful, finally, is about recognizing all the God-given opportunities just to show up and do what needs to be done: doing our work, caring for those in need, protecting the vulnerable, reaching out to the lonely, befriending the friendless, keeping the world going, contributing to the common good, changing the world. Amen.