First Lutheran Church of Little Rock

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

B. The Gospel lesson serves as our sermon text for this morning.

C. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our heavenly Father and from our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ.

D. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
709 The King of Love My Shepherd Is
1
The King of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.
Text: Public domain

Introduction

A. There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner
who repents.

4. One of the biggest temptations many pastors and congregations face is
numbers, numbers, numbers.

A. average worship attendance,
B. number of adult converts,
C. average giving per communicant member.
D. We’re tempted to measure success in terms of numbers.
1. So we get puffed up and proud when the numbers increase.
2. “My power and the strength of my hands have done all this.”
3. And we despair when the numbers are decreasing—the pews are empty, the
finances dwindling.
4. We can lose heart.
5. we worry about the future.
6. We go into survival mode.
E. It’s all about numerical growth at all costs.
1. Love of numbers is powerfully intoxicating.
2. Our sinful nature worships at the altar of numerical success.
3. But then we have a new god—a form of idolatry we might call “numerolatry.
F. Of course, numbers can be a good thing.
1. The Book of Acts has a lot of numbers:
A. three thousand,
B. five thousand,
C. “more than ever believers were added.”
D. The Book of Numbers has a lot of numbers as well.
E. In fact, God commanded a census.
F. There were 603,550 men at the beginning of the book, 601,730 men at the
end.
G. Numbers showed how the hand of God was blessing his people.
G. But then, the love of numbers can also be a great temptation.
1. King David, not the Lord this time, ordered a census of his fighting
men.
2. We don’t know his exact motive, but it couldn’t have been good.
3. God didn’t tell him to do it.
4. It says Satan “incited” him (1 Chronicles 21:1).
5. And because of it, the Lord sent a plague.
6. Seventy thousand men fell dead.
7. There are some numbers for all you number-crunchers! We incur God’s
wrath!
3. But Jesus goes on a relentless search for one lost sheep.

A. But that’s what’s so comforting about our text today.
1. Jesus isn’t concerned about filling all the pews.
2. He even leaves the ninety-nine in the open country.
3. He’s concerned about a single sheep.
4. He makes an difficult search for one lost sheep.
5. He is filled with supreme joy when one lost sheep is found.
B. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were muttering, criticizing,
grumbling, complaining, arguing amongst themselves:
1. “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (verse 2).
2. They kept on saying this aloud, kept on openly voicing their displeasure
with Jesus.
3. “This man,” “this fella,” “this guy.”
4. All very derogatory.
5. They didn’t even want to pronounce the name Jesus.
6. What they said was absolutely true.
7. They said a great truth.
8. But they meant it for evil.
9. It’s like when Caiaphas said more than he knew:
A. “It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that
the whole nation should perish” (John 11:50).
C. So, in contrast to the Pharisees, Jesus shows God’s gracious heart in
the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son.
1. His utter delight is to seek and save one lost sinner.
2. God’s Word clearly teaches that God so loved the whole world of sinners.
3. In our individualistic society, it’s good to emphasize the corporate
nature of the Holy Christian Church.
4. But these parables also show us God’s love for the individual sinner.
D. Every single person is important to Jesus.
1. One out of one hundred sheep, one out of ten coins, one out of two sons.
2. One seems rather insignificant to us.
3. But you are more precious in the sight of God than all the gold on
earth.
4. Your soul and body are precious to him.
5. If you had been the only sinner in the world, he would have died for
you.
6. God’s love for you is radical, even absurd to our reason.
E. To leave ninety-nine sheep alone in the wilderness to seek one makes no
sense.
1. Actually, it is quite irresponsible.
2. Nobody who counts the cost would do such a thing.
3. It’s not worth it.
4. We would cut our losses long before we would leave the group in search
of one “sheep”.
5. We’d say, “Well, I still have ninety-nine that haven’t wandered off.”
6. But our Lord is like an irresponsible shepherd.
7. He’s consumed with passion to save the single lost soul.
8. He won’t rest until he’s found that sheep.
9. That ought to be a great comfort to us.
2.And then see how the whole community rejoices when the one is found!

A. So in this little parable, what do we have? We see:
1. a great loss,
2. an intense search,
3. and finally a joyful finding.
B. What a happy day it was when the lost sheep was found!
1. The shepherd didn’t give it a beating.
2. He was compassionate.
3. He didn’t even compel the sheep to walk.
4. He carried it on his shoulders.
C. Like Isaiah 40 says:
1. “He will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom
[that is, close to his heart], and gently lead those that are with young”
(verse 11).
D. And then we see how the whole community rejoiced.
E. The shepherd calls his friends and neighbors together and says,
1. “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost” (verse 6).
2. What great joy there is when a sinner repents.
3. What joy God and all the holy angels know when a lost sinner is found.
4. Heaven resounds with joy over the repentance of one.
F. “This Man welcomes sinners.”
1. Thanks be to God the Pharisees were right!
2. Jesus is constantly welcoming and eating with sinners.
3. He continues to do this in our midst, feeding us with his own body and
blood.
4. Instead of just going through the motions, think of that the next time
you kneel at the railing.
5. He’s got you on his shoulders.
6. He’s carrying you with joy.
7. He just can’t wait for the party.
8. You are that one lost sheep.
9. He has found you.
10. He has worked repentance and faith in you.
11. There is rejoicing over you today, rejoicing in the presence of the
angels of God.
G. So instead of getting all wrapped up in the love of numbers, we are
content with the preaching of God’s Word in all its truth and purity, as
the people of God living holy lives according to it, and leaving the
results to God.
1. And rejoicing when one sinner repents.
2. To God, One Sinner Is Valuable beyond Measure.
3. You are valuable beyond measure.
4. You’re not a number.

1. So you are much more than a number.

A. Illustration: the series of books titled All Creatures Great and Small
by James Herriot, declares “you are more than a number” very well.
B. The books center around a trio of veterinary surgeons working in the
Yorkshire Dales beginning in 1937.
1. Siegfried Farnon (described as an “eccentric”) hires James Herriot into
his veterinary practice at Skeldale House.
2. Besides Siegfried and James, there is Siegfried’s younger brother,
Tristan, and Mrs. Hall, their housekeeper.
C. In one story, James was lamenting about the disappearance of the small
family farm.
1. He went out on a call to a huge dairy operation.
2. Nobody had time for him.
3. They were all rushing around; the milk truck was coming soon.
4. The cows were just “milk production units,” known only by numbers on
their ear-tags.
5. In contrast, his next call was to a small farmer.
6. He was hospitable, friendly.
7. He offered a bit of lunch before they went to the barn.
8. And the few animals were all known by name.
D. So your Good Shepherd knows you by name; you are his.
1. You’re not just a number.
2. Many other passages in Scripture convince you of that as well:
A. “You are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:7b).
B. “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7a).
C. He has engraved you on the palms of his hands; you are his (cf Isaiah
49:16).
Conclusion

A. Maybe you’ve heard of a band called Lost And Found.
1. They’re a couple of Lutheran guys named Michael Bridges and George Baum,
and they’re a lot of fun.
2. Their concerts involve lots of banter and jokes with the audience, but
also always a clear witness to Christ.
3. Some of their best stuff is beautiful renditions of hymns.
B. The band is sometimes asked:
1. “Which one of you two is Lost, and which one of you is Found?”
2. And everybody laughs.
3. No answer, really.
4. It doesn’t work that way.
5. It’s not an either/or.
C. In Luke 15, Jesus tells three magnificent parables about things that are
lost:
1. a lost sheep,
2. a lost coin,
3. and a lost son
4. The wonderful result is that all three that were lost were found.
5. Happy endings!
6. Rejoicing in heaven!
D. But no rejoicing—at least that we hear about—from Jesus’ primary
audience.
1. Jesus told the parables to Pharisees and scribes who were grumbling
because Jesus was eating with tax collectors and other notorious sinners.
2. Why didn’t they rejoice when they heard about lost being found?
3. The reason is that they couldn’t see themselves in the stories.
4. They certainly understood that Jesus was talking about the bad folks—the
really bad sinners—when he talked about the lost, but they weren’t pleased
when Jesus’ parables had happy endings for such sinful people.
5. They wanted them to be punished, shamed from polite society.
E. What the Pharisees and scribes failed to understand was that Jesus’
parables were also about them!
1. They were lost!
2. All the evidence you need for proof is that they had no love or
compassion for fellow sinners.
3. When the shepherd went out looking for the lost sheep, when the woman
searched for her missing coin, when the father scanned the horizon every
day hoping to see his prodigal son again, Jesus was reaching out to them!
4. Jesus wanted the scribes and Pharisees to be found.
5. He wanted to have a party in heaven celebrating them.
6. But, see, they couldn’t be found if they didn’t realize that they were
also lost.
7. And they refused to admit that.
F. It’s not this one is lost, this one is found.
1. None of us is either/or.
2. We’re all lost—every bit as wicked as the tax collectors and notorious
sinners, every bit as wicked as the unloving Pharisees and scribes—but
Jesus died on the cross to find us all.
3. By the way, it’s worth noticing, not insignificant, that the band Lost
And Found capitalizes the A in And.
4. You’re lost and found!
G. With Jesus, you’re not just a number.
1. You’re a precious lamb.
2. He loves you.
3. He died for you.
4. He redeemed you.
5. He searched for you.
6. He found you.
7. He is full of joy over you.
8. May you be convinced of that, for Jesus’ sake.
9. Amen.
H. Let us pray:
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me
And on His shoulder gently laid
And home rejoicing brought me. (LSB 709:3)
I. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus.
J. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.
B. The Old Testament lesson serves as our sermon text for this morning.
C. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our heavenly Father and from our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ.
D. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
707 Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways
1
Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways
To keep His statutes still!
Oh, that my God would grant me grace
To know and do His will!

2
Order my footsteps by Thy Word
And make my heart sincere;
Let sin have no dominion, Lord,
But keep my conscience clear.

*Introduction*
A. Here are some words that make some Lutherans nervous:
1. Works.
2. Obedience.
3. Choose.
4. Choice.
B. This shouldn’t be so.
1. The Father in heaven has laid a beautiful choice in front of his people
and this fallen world: life or death, blessing or curse.
2. If you are for death and destruction, you walk that road alone.
3. If you are for life, the Holy Trinity blesses this path in abundance.
C. May he, in his Spirit, bless us this day to Choose Well—That Life May
Abound in, through, and around Us, that our heritage, too, could richly
prosper in and because of him.

*I. Through Moses, God called Israel and us to choose well, to choose
life.*
A. The children of Israel, about to enter the Promised Land, view life and
death, blessing and curses.
1. Moses spoke to Israel these words of life and death to be fulfilled
after his own death.
2. Joshua brought Israel into the Promised Land, where the words became a
reality.
B. Practically speaking, in terms of Law and Gospel and life in Christian
homes, we see the connection between:
1. hearing and not hearing,
2. obeying and not obeying,
3. loving God and not loving God,
4. living life bountifully and dying horribly, especially outside of the
faith.
5. These directly correspond to life and death.

*II. Choosing foolishly—to disobey God—brings curses and death, while
choosing well brings blessing and life.*

A. We see the curses and death that come when Israel is unfaithful to the
Lord.
1. The Promised Land was also full of devastation and curse:
a. defeat after Achan’s sin (Joshua 7),
b. Israel subject to other nations for their idolatry in the days of the
judges (Judges 2:11–23),
c. conquest by Assyria of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 17:1–18),
d. exile to Babylon of the Southern Kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 25:1–11).
2. Moses’ warning and Joshua’s leadership couldn’t prevent Israel’s deathly
choices.
B. Sadly, we also see around us such deathly choices in our own
congregations, in our families, and in the lives of others we love.
1. Choices such as:
a. Having an abortion (whether for the sake of convenience or not),
b. Suicide (someone has lost all hope and the will to live),
c. Young people being lured away from faith into sexual sins,
d. Money becoming a god
e. Deserting one’s faith at the moment of death.
2. When God’s Word is not followed, the consequences of sin often result in
pain.
C. But we also see blessing and life when Israel is faithful.
1. The Promised Land was full of life:
a. huge grapes,
b. milk and honey.
c. It was the Lord’s doing, and it was marvelous in their sight.
2. These were temporal blessings even while Israel reached for eternal
blessings too.
D. All this we observe in our lives as well, as we consider the blessings
God has given to each of us.
1. Loving God results in blessing for the Christian.
a. God’s blessings come to us:
1. in the Gospel,
2. gifts he gives absolutely freely, apart from our work
a. forgiveness,
b. his daily care,
c. eternal life.
b. God’s blessings also come to us:
1. as he grants us to keep his Law
a. avoiding dangerous choices,
b. remaining sexually pure and faithful to our spouses,
c. obeying our parents.
2. We see the Father and his love in our heritage and in these temporal
blessings.
a. The Church knows the blessing:
1. of heritage,
2. of children,
3. of those gifts fathers and mothers in the faith give to us.
b. We see blessing that comes when life is pursued according to the gift of
God, that which he lays before us.

*III. We choose well—choose life—because God has loved us with life.*
A. Christ chose to give us eternal life.
1. He is the Joshua who brings us into the heavenly promised land.
A. Joshua is Hebrew for “Yahweh saves” or “The Lord is salvation.”
B. Jesus is Greek for “Yahweh saves” or “The Lord is salvation.”
2. He brings us into this promised land by choosing death in our place.
A. This is the only death that blesses.
B. This death even undoes so much horrible choosing on our part.
B. The Father therefore gives us the eternal gifts according to his promise.
1. He loves his children.
2. He blesses those who love him.
C. The Spirit helps us choose well, choose life.
1. He works in and on and through us by his Word and the Sacraments.
2. He moves us to choose well because in the Gos­pel he turns our hearts to
know how much we’ve been loved.
3. This is why we Lutherans need not be uncomfortable heeding God’s
invitation to choose life;
A. he chose us, so now, yes, we choose to obey him.
B. Not because we have to (Law)
C. But because we want to (Gospel)

*Conclusion*
A. When considering our lives and the many choices placed before us day to
day, we should consider that they come from the God who loves us.
1. He would have his Church always stand on the side of life, knowing he
will deal with death!
B. In him:
1. we choose life,
2. We want to defend it,
3. We proclaim it,
4. We praise it.
5. “Choose Life!”
6. Some wear that on their shirts and sleeves.
7. All the more important that we wear it on our hearts!
C. The Father has given life and laid it before you.
1. The Son has redeemed it and breathed new life into the world.
2. The Spirit has chosen you for his own and filled you with good works,
that Christian life might extend to others—including your heritage.
D. Blessing the Christian is God being who God is.
1. His nature is to bless.
2. This was a promise he made to Israel’s fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob.
3. To be gracious to his Church, to fill it with life, to protect it from
death, is his promise to all of us, as now in these last days he has spoken
to us in his Son.
4. As Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were Israel’s fathers and Israel their
heritage, so we are Christ’s brothers and sisters; we are his heritage
(Mark 3:34–35).
5. He has chosen life, and we are blessed for it.
6. As we choose life in his Spirit, so our heritage will be blessed for it.
7. In Christ, countless promises are made to the Church.
8. As Joshua and the people of God came into the Promised Land filled with
life and blessing, all the more shall the Church come through this
wilderness of danger to the heavenly promised land.
9. Amen.
E. Let us pray:

3
Assist my soul, too apt to stray,
A stricter watch to keep;
And should I e’er forget Thy way,
Restore Thy wand’ring sheep.

4
Make me to walk in Thy commands—
’Tis a delightful road—
Nor let my head or heart or hands
Offend against my God.
Text: Public domain
F. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

G. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

Text: Luke 13:22–30
Theme: The Open Door
Other Lessons: Isaiah 66:18–23; Psalm 50:1–15; Hebrews 12:4–24 (25–29)

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.
B. The Gospel lesson serves as our sermon text for this morning.
C. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our heavenly Father and from our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ.
D. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
526 You Are the Way; through You Alone
1
You are the way; through You alone
Can we the Father find;
In You, O Christ, has God revealed
His heart and will and mind.

2
You are the truth; Your Word alone
True wisdom can impart;
You only can inform the mind
And purify the heart.

Introduction

A. Every day we enter and exit doors:
1. The door to the bathroom.
2. The door to the house.
3. The door to the car.
4. The door to the store.
5. The door to the office.
6. And today, as you came to worship, the door to the church.
B. But have you ever had one of those experiences where you came up to a
door and it was locked?
1. When I was in junior high school, I was known as a “latch key kid.”
2. That means, I had a key to the house I lived in and would let myself in
after school.
3. One day after school I was to let myself in with my house key.
4. That is kind of hard to do when I forgot to bring my key with me that
morning!
5. Guess what? The door was locked and I couldn’t get in!
6. Therefore I improvised:
A. I went to the backyard.
B. My room had two windows,
C. Thankfully, I was able to take off the outside screen and open the
window which was unlocked.
D. I lifted myself up enough onto the window sill to pull myself in.
E. Lesson I learned that day: don’t forget to bring your keys with you!!
C. Talk about disappointment when that front door to my house was locked
and I had no way to get in!
1. I want you to keep that image of a door in mind today as we look at our
text from Luke 13.
3. Posing Question: “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

A. Our text begins with someone posing a question to Jesus: “Lord, will
those who are saved be few?” (verse 23).
1. This was a common debate at that time amongst the rabbis.
2. Who and how many are going to be saved?
B. And even today, people debate this question.
1. What’s the standard for salvation?
2. What about those who just live a good life?
3. Will they be saved?
4. What if someone never has a chance to hear about Jesus?
5. Do they get a “pass”?
6. Will that person be saved?
C. But Jesus brings it from theoretical to practical.
1. Rather than asking, “Will those who are saved be few?” he essentially
asked, “Will the saved be you?”
2. There’s a shift from the few to you.
3. And that is where we need to focus our conversation.
4. You’re here.
5. You’re listening.
6. And the question is, “Will you be saved?”
2. Open Door, Open Invitation: “Make every effort to enter through the
narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be
able.”

A. And so, Jesus said to them:
1. “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will
seek to enter and will not be able” (verse 24).
2. Now, here with the image of a narrow door, Jesus gives an answer to the
theoretical question:
A. “Yes, only a few will be saved.
B. Many will attempt to enter and will be turned away.”
3. So let’s talk more about the narrow door.
A. It’s possible that this is a reference to a small gate next to the main
city gate where latecomers could enter.
B. However, the door could also be a reference to someone’s estate—hence,
the kingdom of God.
B. Regardless, there is a narrow door.
1. And Jesus says that it will take effort to enter.
2. Perhaps this word needs a little clarification.
3. The word for “effort” in Greek is agonizomai, where we get our word
“agony.”
A. It suggests that there is a level of striving and struggle in the
Christian life.
B. In the first century, the word agon referred to the Greco-Roman games,
where men fought against one another.
C. Paul uses this same word in 1 Timothy 6:12 to refer to our efforts to
“fight the good fight of the faith.”
D. There is effort involved in following Jesus.
C. Do you remember the classic book written by John Bunyan from the
seventeenth century called Pilgrim’s Progress?
1. It follows the story of a man named Christian, who is tormented by
spiritual anguish.
2. A spiritual guide named Evangelist visits Christian and urges him to
leave the City of Destruction and tells him that salvation can only be
found in the Celestial City, known as Mount Zion.
3. Along the way, he is tempted by distractions and shortcuts.
4. However, he perseveres.
5. There’s even one point in the book where he is directed by the
gatekeeper Goodwill to go to the “Wicket Gate,” which is the beginning of
the “straight and narrow” King’s Highway.
6. Later in the book, we see that Goodwill is Jesus himself.
D. The parallels to what Jesus is referring to here in Luke 13 and to our
Christian lives are as plain as day as what we read in Pilgrim’s Progress.
1. We struggle with the same temptations:
A. to take the easy way out,
B. to take shortcuts,
C. to get distracted,
D. to give up,
E. and even to despair of life itself.
2. And yet, Jesus invites us to persevere, to make every agonizing effort
to enter the narrow door.
3. And here’s the Gospel contained in this:
A. Jesus is the one who has fought off the forces of evil already for us,
opening the narrow door to us.
B. In Luke 22, the word “anguish,” agonia, is used as Jesus prays in the
Garden of Gethsemane just hours prior to his arrest and agonizing death on
the cross (verse 44).
C. That agony, his perseverance, enables the door to be open to us.
1. Closed Door: The door is now open, but the door is closing.
Therefore Don’t Ignore the Open Door.

A. And here’s the reason why effort is needed:
1. While the door is open, the door is closing.
2. And if we don’t agonize, if we don’t make the effort, the door will be
closed.
3. Jesus says in verses 25–26:
A. “Once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin
to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then
he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ ”
B. The point is clear: Don’t Ignore the Open Door.
B. Don’t lollygag around.
1. Don’t spend your life getting distracted by the pleasures of the world.
2. Press on.
3. Make every effort to enter the narrow door.
C. The Good News is that Jesus has opened the door.
1. The cross and open tomb mean this door is open too.
2. But what you need to know at the same time is it’s a limited-time offer.
3. You’re familiar with limited-time offers, right?
A. Some stores offer them on certain items.
B. Or, even just in general, there are store hours.
C. Not every store is open twenty-four hours a day.
D. Maybe you’ve had one of those moments where you realize at the last
minute that you need something from the store, only to show up and realize
that the store is closed.
E. There’s that terrible, sinking feeling in your stomach.
F. You missed it.
G. Perhaps you even got there just a few minutes after it closed, and the
employees are still in the store.
H. So you knock, and you say, “Can I still get in?
I. I just need a gallon of milk.”
J. But they shake their heads and say, “Sorry, we’re closed.”
K. And so you go home disappointed.
D. We look at these words of Jesus in Luke 13, and there are going to be
some people who, when the end of the world comes, are going to be
disappointed.
1. And they will plead with Jesus, “Open the door to us.”
2. And they’ll make excuses:
A. “We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets”
(verse 26).
B. “We sat in your pews.
C. We attended your church events.”
D. We said all the right things.
E. We did all the right things.
3. And yet, Jesus will say:
A. “I don’t know you. Away from me.”
B. Rather than open, the door will be closed.
C. And many will be turned away, while only a select few will be included
in the feasting.
Conclusion
A. Let’s go back to the question I asked at the beginning:
1. “Lord, will those who are saved be few?”
2. That’s the wrong question.
3. The correct question is, “Will you be saved?”
4. And if so, how can you be saved?
B. Salvation comes through knowing Jesus.
1. Remember the reason Jesus rejects those who knock?
2. “I never knew you.”
3. And here, this is not just a “know of” someone, like I know the name of
so-and-so.
4. No, this is to know someone intimately, personally, to have that
relationship with the person.
5. Jesus has opened that door to have that relationship with you through
his death on the cross.
6. And in John 10, he’s declared himself to be the door, and that
1. “if anyone enters by [him], he will be saved” (verse 9).
2. He’s laid down his life for you, to know you . . . and to be known by
you.
C. And so, today, the door stands open.
1. The invitation remains:
A. “Strive (agōnizomai) to enter through the narrow door.”
B. While there’s breath in your lungs, there’s hope for your soul.
C. Don’t ignore the open door.
D. Amen.
D. Let us pray:
3
You are the life; the empty tomb
Proclaims Your conqu’ring arm,
And those who put their trust in You
Not death nor hell shall harm.

4
You are the way, the truth, the life;
Grant us that way to know,
That truth to keep, that life to win
Whose joys eternal flow.
Text: Public domain
E. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
F. In the Name of the Father…Amen.