Tag Archives: Maundy Thursday

Common Union – Sermon for Maundy Thursday

The Scripture readings for tonight’s service are
Exodus 24:3-11; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32; and John 13:1-15, 34-35.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

On this night, 3,470 years ago, God appointed a feast. God told His people to slaughter a lamb, take its blood, put it on the doorposts of their houses, and live. But the lamb wasn’t only used for its blood. God’s also told them to roast the lamb’s body and eat it. Those Passover lambs doubly provided for God’s people. First, the lambs’ blood marked the doors of God’s people which protected, shielded, and delivered them from the sentence of death. And second, the lambs’ bodies provided the strength and nourishment the people needed for what would happen the next day (Ex. 12:1-14). The morning after that first Passover, God’s people gathered themselves and all that they had and left Egypt to begin their journey to the Promised Land.

On this night, 1,991 years ago, our Lord Jesus celebrated the final Passover feast with His disciples. After that meal was done, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples saying, “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.” Then, He took the cup, blessed it, and gave it to the disciples saying, “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

By doing this, Jesus put an end to the old covenant that His people had broken and established the New Covenant. In this New Covenant, He forgives your iniquity and remembers your sin no more. And this New Covenant does more than that. Because of this New Covenant, God promises to be your God and make you His people (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:8-13). Forgiveness and being God’s people. This New Covenant delivers forgiveness through the shedding of Jesus’ blood, but don’t forget that this meal also unites us together as God’s forgiven people.

In 1 Cor. 10:16-17, Scripture says that the Bread and Cup of the Lord’s Supper are, as the ESV translates it, a “participation” in the Body and Blood of Christ. Unfortunately, the way we use “participation” most often these days is simply showing up. In some competitions, simply showing up gets you a participation ribbon. Translating that word as “participation” might give the impression that Jesus does nothing more than show up in the Bread and Cup. I prefer the KJV which uses the word “communion.” The Bread and Cup of the Lord’s Supper is a “communion” in the Body and Blood of Christ. These elements unite us with the Body and Blood of Christ.

Because the Lord’s Supper is, according to Jesus, His true Body and Blood, it first unites us with Him. And second, since this Sacrament unites us with Jesus, it also unites us with one another. It makes us one body (1 Cor. 10:17).

We need this unity, this communion with one another. The first thing that God says about mankind is, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). Man alone is not good. That doesn’t mean that man alone is bad; it’s just not good. To make mankind good, God creates a woman, a companion, a wife, a bride for Adam and this completes him. Then, not only is mankind good like the rest of creation; humanity is elevated above the rest of creation and is very good (Gen. 1:31). We were not created for ourselves to live in isolation. We are created for others.

In the Lord’s Supper, we become a united community, a holy and forgiven people who are bonded together with Jesus and with one another as the body of Christ. And as a body, we love and care for one another because we need each other (1 Cor. 12:12-27).

If one part of your body is hurt, the rest of your body compensates. If you cut one of your fingers, you use your other fingers to do what needs to be done while the injured finger heals. If you break an arm or leg, the other one picks up the slack. When Jesus gives us this new commandment to love one another, He is calling you to do the same thing for the other members, the other parts, of the body of Christ. And the love you have and demonstrate for your brothers and sisters in Christ is evidence to the world that you are truly Jesus’ disciples (Jn. 13:35).

On the same night, 1,991 years ago, when Jesus gave us Holy Communion, He also served His disciples by washing their feet. For several reasons, foot washing isn’t a Sacrament. One of the reasons is that Jesus says that washing was a lesson on how to love one another. He asks if they understand the lesson (Jn. 13:12) and says that what He did was an example of serving others (Jn. 13:14).

By that example, the Creator of all things makes the glory of His love shine by humbly serving His creatures. Jesus is the God of love, and He loves you by giving to you and serving you. This example of foot washing shows that we followers of Jesus are to give and to love and to serve each other as He does. Christ says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13:34-35).

What does this love look like? Jesus will say a little later, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). Laying down your life for someone else can only happen once because you only have one life to lay down. The day may come when you need to lay down your life to save a friend’s life. But until then, lay down your life in the all the other little ways that you can. Lay down your pride and ambition and self-interest and ease and comfort to love and serve your neighbor. Lay down your lives to love and protect those for whom Christ has died because we are a holy communion, God’s blessed, forgiven community.

As you come tonight to receive this Sacrament, this Holy Communion, you receive Christ’s Blood that protects you from death. And you also receive the nourishment and strength that you need to love one another.

So, tonight, come to this altar, this table, at your Savior’s invitation. Come and behold God. Come and eat. Come and drink. Come and be united with Christ and united with one another. Then go. Show the world that you are truly Christ’s disciples by your love for one another as you journey to the Promised Land of His eternal kingdom. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Authority & Service – Sermon on John 13:1-15, 34-35 for Maundy Thursday

John 13:1–15, 34-35

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.[1]

On Sunday, we heard the account of Jesus’ Passion from Mt. 26-27. With all the horrible things that happen to Jesus – the betrayal, the denial, the arrest, trial, beating, mocking, and crucifixion – it is hard to read and listen to. Again, don’t forget that Jesus endured all of that for you because He wanted to. For that joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame (Heb. 12:2). But even knowing that Jesus did it all for the joy of purchasing you, it can seem like everything and everyone in creation conspired against Jesus and that He was a helpless victim. But that is not the case. Jesus was in complete control of everything that happened.

When you consider everything that happens after Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, you can see that He is the one running the show.

Palm Sunday and the following Monday and Tuesday, the Gospels record how Jesus would enter Jerusalem to preach and teach in the Temple. On Tuesday, Judas conspired with the chief priests and put the thirty pieces of silver in his pocket (Mt. 26:14-16). None of the Gospels record Jesus entering Jerusalem on Wednesday of Holy Week. The reason for this was Jesus knew Judas was seeking to betray Him (Jn. 6:70-71). Going into Jerusalem would have given Judas an opportunity to get Jesus arrested too soon. This is also why it appeared as though Jesus didn’t to have a plan on where He and the disciples would celebrate the Passover. But that isn’t the case. His plan was to keep the plan secret. Jesus carefully and deliberately orchestrated everything so that Judas can’t betray Jesus until Jesus is ready.

On Thursday, Jesus sent only Peter and John to find a certain man and follow him to a house, and the owner of that house would show them the upper room where they would prepare the Passover meal (Lk. 22:7-13). So, when Jesus and the twelve disciples get to the upper room, only Jesus, Peter, and John knew where they would be that night. Judas doesn’t betray Jesus until Jesus dismisses him to do it which happens in some of the verses we didn’t read tonight (Jn. 13:21-30). Again, Jesus is in complete control. Even though the events of the Passion seem to be chaotic, Jesus is exercising His authority. 

But look at how Jesus uses that authority. He uses it to serve the disciples by washing their feet. This washing was, in a sense, a parable acted out. By serving His disciples in this way, Jesus is showing how He wants them and us to serve and love one another.

Having someone was your feet was common in Jesus’ day. Anyone who was going to be a guest at a banquet would have their feet washed even if they had just bathed. The walk from one house to another would make a person’s feet dirty enough to need another washing. But the task of foot washing was always reserved for the lowest servants. It was normal for a disciple to do many different chores for the rabbi he was following, but foot washing was never one of them. But here, in a beautiful reversal, Jesus – the Rabbi, the Teacher sent from God, and, in fact, God in the flesh with all authority – humbles Himself to serve His disciples by doing the lowest task for them. This foot washing was an act of vulnerability and intimacy.

When Jesus washes their feet, Judas had not yet left to betray Jesus. Judas was still there. Our Lord washed Judas’ feet and served His betrayer in this way. Judas does not benefit from this, but Jesus still does it for him.

With this foot washing, Jesus gives us an example that teaches us a very important lesson: Love isn’t always easy or clean. Love can often be one-sided and unanswered. Just because you love someone and do selfless acts for them does not mean they will love you in return. Remember, you aren’t greater than Jesus. If His love was rejected and repaid with betrayal, yours will be too.

Yet, still Jesus would have you, His disciples, His Christians, love your enemies just as you have been loved by Him. Bear one another’s burdens. Forgive and serve one another. That is this new commandment, this new mandate, that Jesus gives.

But because you do and will fail in this mandate that Jesus gives, Maundy Thursday is more than Jesus giving a new commandment. It is the night that Jesus also mandates and gives you a meal. Tonight is the night in which Jesus was betrayed, and Judas isn’t the only culprit. Even the disciples who love Jesus fail Him, but He does not fail them. That is why Jesus gives the disciples more than a mandate. He also leaves them the enduring, continual gift and meal of His living Body and Blood.

The two Sacraments Jesus has given us are both precious and give salvation and forgiveness, but they are different. Baptism defines who we are as Christians. In Baptism, we are given God’s name (Mt. 28:19), we are begotten as His children (Jn. 3:3-8), and we are clothed in Christ (Gal 3:27). Baptism defines who we are.

And the Lord’s Supper is what we, the Baptized, do because it is what Jesus has given us to do. We are to eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus (1 Cor. 11:23-25) and whenever we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, according to Scripture, we proclaim His death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:26). In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus promises that we receive the forgiveness of sins. And most Christian thing you can do is receive Christ’s forgiveness.

When Jesus calls us to eat and drink in remembrance of Him, He doesn’t mean, “Do this while you think fondly about Me and what I did for you a long time ago.” Instead, this remembrance is about faith. Faith recalls and clings to what Jesus did and still does with this Bread and Cup. According to what Jesus says, this Bread is His Body which was broken upon the cross for you, and this Cup is His Blood which was shed for you. In faith, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper believing that all of this pertains to us and to our salvation.

Jesus’ death happened nearly 2,000 years ago on a cross outside Jerusalem, but the fruits of His redeeming death are given both before and after. Jesus gives His disciples His Body and Blood even before He makes the sacrifice. And He continues to give the same gifts in every congregation where two or three are gathered. His gift is not bound by time or place.

Both the mandate to love one another and the meal of the Lord’s Supper go together. They are faith and love in action. With the sacrifice of His Body and Blood, Jesus loved the disciples. And when He washed their feet, Christ showed them how to love each other as they place their trust in Him.

So, dear saints, follow Christ’s example and do as He has done to and for you (Jn. 13:15). Your Savior, who has all authority, came to serve you.

And know that when you come to this altar, to this table, you come as royal children of Christ the King and are serving the world. The world benefits from you receiving what Jesus gives in Holy Communion. This Sacrament drives back the forces of darkness because in this meal, Jesus’ death in the place of sinners is proclaimed (1 Cor. 11:26). Jesus puts His Body and Blood into you to crucify you to the world and the world to you (Gal. 6:14). As you receive this meal and do this in remembrance of Him, you celebrate His victory over sin, death, and the devil. Of course, you benefit from this, but so does your neighbor. As you are fed and strengthened in your faith, you will go back into the world knowing that God has forgiven you for the sake of Christ.

And when you fail to be the servant Jesus calls you to be, when you fail to love as you have been loved, run back to Jesus. He is always ready to give you another washing and another serving.

Dear saint, you are declared by Jesus to be clean. Your Lord and Savior is here to be your Servant and cleanse you again. Come and receive what He gives you for your cleaning, for your comfort, for your strengthening. Amen.The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Reworked from 2021.

Passover to the Lord’s Supper – Sermon on Exodus 12:1-13 & Mark 14:12-28 for Maundy Thursday

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Before God rescued His people from slavery in the land of Egypt, He gave them a meal to celebrate their deliverance – the Passover meal. They were to take a lamb and slaughter it at twilight. God told them to take some of the blood and smear that blood on doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they would eat it. They were to eat that lamb and unleavened bread quickly and dressed to travel. That night, God passed through the land of Egypt and struck dead all the firstborn of both man and beast, but He did not enter any houses where He saw the blood of the lamb on the door. That blood was a sign that shielded God’s people from death.

It’s interesting, though, God had already set apart His people so they were not troubled by the previous plagues. Scripture tells us that the flies of the fourth plague didn’t pester the Israelites (Ex. 8:22-23). In the fifth plague, the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not the livestock of God’s people (Ex. 9:4, 7). The hail of the seventh plague didn’t fall upon the Hebrews (Ex. 9:26). Same with the darkness in the ninth plague (Ex. 10:22-23). God didn’t have His people set up any sign to keep those plagues from harming them. They didn’t need to put a fly in their window or write a “Have a nice day” in chalk on their sidewalks to be spared from those plagues. But with this final plague, God had His people set themselves apart with the sign of the blood of the lamb marking their doors.

The fact that God had His people do this not only on that day but also every year afterward was to preach an annual sermon. Each year in the Passover feast, God was reminding His people and preaching to them that the blood of a lamb protected and guarded them from His wrath and death. That blood and meal reminded the people of what God had done in the past, but it was also pointing forward to another Lamb and a better blood that would protect and shield God’s people. And that Lamb is Jesus.

But then, in our Gospel lesson tonight (Mk. 14:12-26), that Passover sermon was preached for the final time. Jesus has His disciples prepare the Passover meal, and that very night, that sermon is fulfilled. It’s no longer needed. The Passover sermon is about to become obsolete because Jesus institutes the new testament of His Supper where He gives His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins.

One interesting thing to notice before we move on here: In both instances, both with the Passover meal and the Lord’s Supper, God gives this meal to His people before the event actually happened. Before God passed through Egypt, God gave the Passover meal. The same thing is true in the Lord’s Supper. Before Jesus goes to the cross and gives His body unto death and sheds His blood, Jesus gives the meal of His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins.

Jesus had come, and He was about to do His Father’s will. The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (Jn. 1:29) and eternally protects God’s people from the plague of death (Heb. 12:24), this Lamb had come to give Himself so that His blood can shield you and death no longer has a claim on you.

The Passover meal had served its purpose. Tomorrow, Jesus will go to the cross. And to replace the Passover meal, Jesus now gives you Holy Communion. Yes, the Lord’s Supper was instituted in the context of the Passover, but it lays aside that old meal. Many people have tried to figure out at what point during the Passover meal Jesus gives Communion as its replacement. But Scripture indicates that Jesus institutes Holy Communion as a separate thing after they had finished that final Passover meal. The Gospel of Luke especially indicates that Jesus institutes His Supper after the Passover meal was finished (Lk. 22:20). 

Now, instead of the Passover meal, you are to eat the bread, which Jesus says is His body, and you are to drink the cup, which Jesus says is His blood. And you do this as a remembrance of what Christ has done for you. Yes, there is remembrance in this meal, but it also delivers exactly what Christ promises it delivers. Jesus promises that in this little meal, you receive the forgiveness of your sins. And unlike the Passover meal, which was an annual thing, Jesus says to do this often in remembrance of Him (1 Cor. 11:25).

So now, Jesus invites you – yes, you – to His altar, to His table. Jesus knows what you need, and He invites you to come and receive it. This is your entry into the Holy of Holies. Here in this meal, the time and distance between you and the cross of Jesus collapses as you participate in the feast of the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:19-20). Here, your Lord gives you everything you need as you walk out of your slavery to sin and toward the Promised Land of the new heavens and earth (Rev. 21:1). Here, your sins are forgiven. Here, the Body and Blood of Christ are given for you.

So, come. Your Brother, your Lord, and your Savior invites you. Amen.The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

A Mandate & a Meal – Sermon on John 13:1-15, 34-35 for Maundy Thursday

Listen here.

John 13:1-15, 34-35

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Tonight is the night when Jesus was betrayed into the hands of evil men, but the plan had already been put into motion. The money had been counted and put in Judas’ pocket on Tuesday of Holy Week. That day, Satan entered into Judas Iscariot through a love of money (Lk. 22:3-6), and he agreed with the chief priests and officers to hand Christ over to them.

This is probably why we do not have any record of what Jesus did on Wednesday of Holy Week. Jesus probably didn’t do much that day. After Jesus entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He would enter the city and preach and teach publicly in the Temple. The Gospels record that these public appearances and teaching happened Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. But there is no record of anything happening on Wednesday.

It is very possible that Jesus didn’t even enter into Jerusalem on Wednesday because He knew the plot. If He had entered into Jerusalem on Wednesday, He would be arrested. It is also probably why He didn’t appear to have a plan on where He and His disciples would celebrate the Passover. Jesus isn’t just a guy who doesn’t like to make plans. His plan was to keep the plan secret. The whole thing is carefully and deliberately orchestrated so that Judas can’t betray Jesus until He is ready.

It isn’t until sometime on Thursday that Jesus sends only two disciples, Peter and John, to find a certain man carrying a water jar, follow him into the house he enters, and tell the master of the house that Jesus would like to eat the Passover there (Lk. 22:7-13). So, until they get to that upper room, only Jesus, Peter, and John know where they will be that Thursday night. Again, Jesus orchestrates all of this so that Judas can’t betray Him secretly. Judas only betrays Jesus when Christ dismisses him to do it.

And Jesus times His betrayal so that He can give His Church a new commandment or ‘mandate’ (which is why tonight is called ‘Maundy Thursday’) and a meal.

The very same night Jesus was betrayed, our Lord washed His disciples’ feet. This foot washing isn’t a Sacrament. There is no word or promise of forgiveness attached to washing feet. This washing was, in a sense, a parable acted out. By serving His disciples in this way, Jesus is showing how He wants them and us to serve and love one another.

Foot washing was a common thing in those days. Anyone who was going to be a guest at a banquet would have their feet washed even if they had just bathed. The walk from one house to another would make a person’s feet dirty and dusty enough to need another washing. But the task of foot washing was always reserved for the lowest servants. A disciple would do many different chores for the rabbi he was following, but foot washing was never one of them. But here, in a beautiful reversal, Jesus, the Rabbi, the Teacher sent from God, and in fact God Himself in the flesh, humbles Himself to do the lowest of tasks for His disciples.

At this point in the supper, all twelve disciples were still there. Judas had not yet left to betray Jesus. So, yes, our Lord washed the feet of Judas and served His betrayer in this way. This foot washing was an act of vulnerability and intimacy. In this washing, Jesus takes their faith and, in return, gives them His righteousness and cleansing.

Judas does not benefit from this, but Jesus still does it for him. Judas rejected the righteousness of Jesus in place of the thirty pieces of silver. Later, Judas will reject forgiveness too. After the crucifixion, Judas seeks atonement in remorse and self-judgment, but he didn’t find it there.

With this foot washing of all the disciples including Judas, Jesus gives us an example that teaches us a very important lesson, and that lesson is this: Love isn’t always easy or clean. Love can often be one-sided and unanswered. Just because you love someone and do selfless acts for them does not mean they will love you in return. And know that you aren’t greater than Jesus. If His love was rejected and repaid with betrayal, yours will be too.

Yet, still Jesus would have you, His disciples, His Christians, love your enemies as you have been loved by Him. Bear one another’s burdens. Forgive and serve one another. That is this new commandment, this new mandate, that Jesus gives. Which, again, is why today is called Maundy Thursday.

But because you do and will fail in this mandate that Jesus gives, Maundy Thursday is more than that. It is the night that Jesus mandates and gives you a meal. Tonight is the night in which Jesus was betrayed, and Judas isn’t the only culprit. Even the disciples who do love Jesus fail Him, but He does not fail them. That is why Jesus gives the disciples more than a mandate. He also leaves them the enduring, continual gift and meal of His living Body and Blood.

We have considered Baptism the past several weeks in our Lenten services, and Baptism is who we are as Christians. In Baptism, we are given God’s name (Mt. 28:19), we are begotten as His children (Jn. 3:3-8), and we are clothed in Christ (Gal 3:27). Baptism defines who we are.

And the Lord’s Supper is what we do because it is what Jesus has given us to do. We are to eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus (1 Cor. 11:23-25) and whenever we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, according to Scripture, we proclaim His death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:26). In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus promises that we receive the forgiveness of sins. Is there anything more Christian than receiving Christ’s forgiveness?

When Jesus calls us to eat and drink in remembrance of Him, He doesn’t mean, “Do this while you think fondly about Me and what I did for you a long time ago.” Instead, this remembrance is about faith. Faith recalls and clings to what Jesus did and still does with this bread and cup. According to what Jesus says, this bread is His Body which was broken upon the cross for you, and this cup is His Blood which was shed for you. In faith, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper believing that all of this pertains to us and to our salvation.

Jesus’ death happened nearly 2,000 years ago on a cross outside Jerusalem, but the fruits of that redeeming death are given both before and after. Jesus gives His disciples His Body and Blood even before He makes the sacrifice. And He continues to give the same gifts in every congregation where two or three are gathered. His gift is not bound by time or place.

Both of these things go together – the mandate and the meal, the washing of feet and the Lord’s Supper. They are faith and love in action. With the sacrifice of His body and blood, Jesus loved them. And when He washed their feet, Christ showed them how to love each other as they place their trust in Him.

So, dear saints, follow Christ’s example and do as He has done to and for you (Jn. 13:15). Your Savior became your servant.

And know that when you come to this altar, to this table, you are, in fact, serving the world. The world benefits from you coming here to receive the true Body and Blood of Jesus. This Sacrament drives back the forces of darkness because in this meal, Jesus’ death in the place of sinners is proclaimed (1 Cor. 11:26). Here, Jesus comes to you as a Man, alive and out of the grave. He puts His Body and Blood into you to crucify you to the world and the world to you (Gal. 6:14). As you receive this meal and do this in remembrance of Him, you celebrate His victory over sin, death, and the devil. And those around you will benefit from this. As you are fed and strengthened in your faith, you will go back into the world knowing that God has forgiven you for the sake of Christ.

And, then, when you fail to be the servant Jesus calls you to be, when you fail to love as you have been loved, run back to Jesus. He is always ready to give you another washing and another serving.

Dear saint, you are declared by Jesus to be clean. Your Lord and Savior is here to be your Servant and clean you again. Come and receive what He gives you for your cleaning, for your comfort, for your strengthening. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.