The BreadCast

(2Tm.4:9-17; Ps.145:10-13,17-18; Lk.10:1-9) "The Lord stood by my side and gave me strength, so that through me the preaching task might be completed and all the nations might hear the Gospel." As I read of Jesus' instruction to the disciples as He "sent them in pairs before Him to every town and place He intended to visit," and particularly His words to them to "eat what they set before you," I am reminded of the command given Peter in his dream to "take and eat" of the unclean animals (Acts 10:13), this just before the first Gentile converts came to him seeking the Word of God. And, of course, similar terminology is present in Jesus' sending his workers as if into a harvest: in this case, the Lord shall eat of the feast the disciples are sent forth to prepare. We know our work is our food, that the labor the Lord imparts to us serves as our daily bread. And we know that the wheat that becomes His precious Body and the Word that is cultivated by His apostles, by His preachers and prophets, is the food that sustains us, that strengthens us for our daily tasks. All we do must be blessed by Him and be, as it were, a "discourse of the glory of [His] kingdom," and His kingdom, which is "a kingdom for all ages," and His dominion, which "endures through all generations," shall become known in our midst. It is not easy to eat of this food, to drink of this cup. We see how alone Paul finds himself in our first reading. "Everyone abandoned me," he declares in reference to his trial before the courts of this world. He pleads with Timothy to join him soon, for many have left his side: "I have no one with me but Luke." Indeed, he has nothing but the Word of God. And most apparent in the Lord's instruction to His disciples is the utter reliance on God we must find. Impoverished He sends them forth, dependent only on their preaching and healing to feed themselves. Yes, He sends them forth "as lambs in the midst of wolves." Not a happy prospect. But they have the Word of the Lord to make them strong and protect them from all evil of this world, and nothing could be more sure than this. Into so many homes Luke's gospel has come, bringing its peace to all who abide in the Lord. The proclamation by this great evangelist that "the reign of God is at hand" comes to our hearts even this day. Let us make room for this Word within ourselves and it shall feed us on our journey to the kingdom, and by its grace we shall complete our work on this earth. May the word of the Lord go ever forth. Written, read & chanted by James Kurt; produced by Carie Fortney. Music by Carie Fortney; used by permission. ******* O LORD, send forth your laborers to declare the glory of your kingdom to all nations. YHWH, send forth workers into your harvest, that all might hear your Word preached to their souls and find your peace in their hearts. Your reign be upon us this day. O LORD, your kingdom endures through all generations; to your glory there is no end. O let us share in your holiness, let us share in your glory! and let us share your glory with all souls on the face of this earth. Though we must stand alone as has Paul, though we might be rejected by those to whom we come, yet let us be faithful to your Word and with great strength and confidence accomplish your will. You are our strength, O LORD, and you are our peace; send us forth in your Name to preach and to heal. Let your kingdom come into our midst through your blessed disciples, who speak only of your glory, who find refuge in your might. Nothing do we need if we have you, LORD. Please stand at our side.

O wheat of Christ ground by the teeth of wild beasts and so made His bread, His leaven unto Heaven… by such heroic witness you became one with the Lord, joining Him in death and so in eternal life – pray we shall find the strength and faith to follow in your sacrificial footsteps, that it will also be our sole desire to die in Jesus' name, to be remade in His glory. Teach us the way, for it seems so dimmed by the material things the devil presents to our vision; pray for us, blessed victim, that our thirst for life in Him will overcome any obstacle and so our journey to His kingdom be made straight by His grace. His flesh and blood be our own this day.

(Rm.4:1-8; Ps.32:1-2,5,7,11; Lk.12:1-7) "Happy is the man to whom the Lord imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile." All our sins shall be taken away by the Lord who watches over us and loves us, if we but believe. We must lay bare our souls, brothers and sisters. We cannot hide from the eternal, piercing light of God. His hand is upon us at all times; His heart is open always for our entering in. It cannot be otherwise with the Lord of the universe, in whose sight "even the hairs of [our] head are counted." And He who surrounds us desires but our love, desires but our faith, desires but that we come into His presence confessing our sins, and He will take them away. And we shall not be "cast into Gehenna" but drawn into His kingdom. His kingdom is coming. Jesus sees it as He gazes out at the dense "crowd of thousands" gathering before Him. He sees the kingdom coming as men's hearts turn to Him. And so He warns His disciples, who shall be the laborers to reap His harvest, "Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy," for if they should take pride in their mission, if they should find in their deeds "grounds for boasting" and so forget the favor of God by which all are justified, they shall indeed tempt the fires of Gehenna. "Everything you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight," for the Lord hears "what you have whispered in locked rooms." So, keep your hearts set on Him and His goodness, and the truth of the Gospel will be proclaimed to the world, and you shall save your immortal soul. Jesus knows, too, that the faith of His disciples and their declaration of His Word to the world will bring persecution. He sees in this scene, too, the cross set before Him, and He knows those who follow Him shall share in it as well. And so He reassures His children that the Father is with them, that He treasures them even as He treasures His Son, and so the powers of this age will hold no reign over them, and that they should "not be afraid of those who kill the body and can do no more." Yes, our soul is in His hands. He has power to forgive and to protect, if we but come to Him as children, if we but come to Him in faith. ******* O LORD, all is known to you – let us confess our sins, and we will be saved. YHWH, of what can we boast, we who cannot forgive our own sins? Truly, we are in your hands, and so should fear you. But in your kindness you readily forgive our transgressions; if we turn to you, our sins are wiped away. And so, there is nothing we need fear, LORD, as long as our desire is for you. Help us to confess our faults that you might remove all our guilt. Inspire us to call upon your NAME, O LORD, and we shall rejoice in your blessings. If we but have faith in you, your justice will be upon us. There is nothing of consequence we can accomplish on our own, nothing but sin. All the good that we do comes from you, and so, what cause have we to be proud? Let us not be false in our love for you, LORD, but even in the deep recesses of our hearts proclaim your glory continually. O may all men come to faith and be saved!

(Rm.3:21-30; Ps.130:1-7; Lk.11:47-54) "This generation will have to account for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world." And so shall it be with Christ's own blood, the fulfillment of all the martyrs' sacrifice; for these same scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus proclaims guilty of the prophets' murders will indeed devise the murder of the Son of God. And they prove the truth of His words immediately by their manifestation of "fierce hostility to Him" and their thus giving birth to the plot to crucify Him. Perhaps most appropriate for today, with regard to Paul's epistle to the Romans, is the Lord's admonishment of the lawyers: "You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves have not gained access, yet you have stopped those who wish to enter!" It is essentially the same message the Apostle teaches: "The justice of God has been manifested apart from the law… that justice of God which works through faith in Jesus Christ." It is not through "observance of the law" that justification comes; the works of the law – circumcision, animal sacrifice, dietary rules – which address the body, are useless in this regard. God is Spirit and it is spiritual means He uses to redeem us – we must come in faith to Him. And those who would restrict faith by the imposition of these laws serve only to impede the working of the Spirit and His grace. Paul states the question succinctly: "Does God belong to the Jews alone? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles?" If He is God of all nations, it is not meet to impose Jewish religious practice upon those apart from Jewish tradition. But these protectors, or rather "possessors" and defilers of the law – defiling it by their greed in seizing it, their pride in assuming it as their own and not God's – cannot accept that "it is the same God," that the Gentiles are equal in grace with the Jews… and so to them this teaching is blasphemy. At the root of the problem is the fact that these leaders are not as the psalmist in our readings today, who sings: "My soul waits for the Lord more than sentinels wait for the dawn." Nor do they cry "in supplication" "out of the depths" of their iniquity for God's forgiveness. If they had been so disposed, they would have seen who stood before them, they would have recognized His coming, and they would have fallen to their knees and found His grace. Let us not be so hardhearted, for indeed the blood of Jesus is upon the hands of all who sin, just as His salvation is upon all who repent and believe in Him. Water alone will not wash us clean; we must recognize the lack of love we have, and find His Spirit working in us. ******* O LORD, your justice is shown in your mercy, which you offer to every faithful soul. YHWH, we have all sinned and fallen short of your glory, and cannot by our own strength find our way back to you. We cannot justify ourselves but need the grace that comes to us through the blood of your Son to justify our souls, to set us right with you. But what of those who fail to see they need your forgiveness, who fail to recognize that they, too, are sinners, that they have the blood of Jesus upon their hands? O LORD, how can these be justified? How can they come to faith in you if they do not listen to the One you have sent to draw us back to your presence? They shall but continue in the way of sinning, mounting up the blood of the prophets for judgment day. Your Son offers His life for our sakes; freely He sacrifices Himself upon the Cross that we might be saved. Help us to turn to Him, O LORD, to see what we have done, repent, and be redeemed. You are the God of us all, and to all souls Jesus' blood does call.

(Rm.2:1-11; Ps.62:2-3,6-7,9,13; Lk.11:42-46) "Your hard and impenitent heart is storing up retribution for that day of wrath when the just judgment of God will be revealed." "He will repay every man for what he has done… Yes, affliction and anguish will come upon every man who has done evil… But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who has done good." This is the just judgment, and it comes only from God, not from sinful man. And so we are chastised in preparation for that day, that of His wrath we may be spared. We should all wish to be "insult"ed by Jesus as are the Pharisees and lawyers in today's gospel, here, today, while there is still time. We should all desire His difficult words of instruction which would serve, if heeded humbly, to separate us from the sins of the world, the attachments of this life that cling to our soul and prevent our coming into His presence. Under His mighty hand we should all subject ourselves, that He might lighten our "impossible burdens," that He might take from us all that is not holy, all that is not true – that we might be freed from the judgment upon our souls and walk with Him in immortality. We must be ready for His day. But as it is the darkness is with us. "Only in God is my soul at rest." With David we must sing this truth from our hearts. The emptiness of the flesh and its imagination must not possess us; vain pride must take no place in our lives… All our lusts must be set aside and we must know with certainty that only in God do we find our peace: He is our refuge and our strength. "He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold," we must cry, and "trust in Him at all times," or wandering from the truth we will find ourselves in the way of destruction. "God's kindness is an invitation to you to repent." In His patience He gives you time to turn from sin and find His grace and mercy. Pray He will convict you of your sin in this time and you will not convict yourself by your judgment of others. Seek His redeeming hand at work in your life and do the good before Him. Then you "shall not be disturbed," when His Word has taken root in your soul, when you have left behind all the vanity of this world. Then the glory of God will be your own, and nothing shall remove it from you. Soften your heart to His blessed chastisement; it shall work for you against the day of judgment. ******* O LORD, we will be judged by what we do, and by what we fail to do – let us set our hearts on you alone. YHWH, let us not fall into judgment of others but treasure rather your Son's chastisement of our souls, that we might find freedom from our sins and take our refuge in you alone. Soon your just judgment will be revealed; let us benefit from your kindness and take this time to repent, lest we be condemned on your day of wrath. Your love, O God, is shown in the call to repentance you make to all your children, the Jew first, then the Gentile. You indeed chastise every son whom you love. And so Jesus proclaims great woe upon the Pharisees, hoping to turn them from their wicked ways; and so St. Paul makes known to us our hard and impenitent hearts, that from the punishment they invite we might be spared. While there is time, O LORD, while your grace and mercy are yet being offered forth, let us place our trust in you alone, and so find rest for our souls in your eternal glory.

(Rm.1:16-25; Ps.19:2-5; Lk.11:37-41) "They stultified themselves through speculating to no purpose, and their senseless hearts were darkened." If these words do not refer to modern man most poignantly, then I imagine nothing can be said of anything. In ancient times, "they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images representing mortal man, birds, beasts, and snakes" and bowed down to statues as if they were gods. The images man worships today are also the creations of his own hands, sometimes as physical as the idols worshiped before the time of Christ – who does not long to see his own image on one of our television sets, and who is held in greater esteem than those movie stars whom we have never met but know only of their image on a screen? – but perhaps most particularly they are the vain ideas, which reveal their utter absurdity to any mind with a modicum of common sense, but which are propounded as sacred by the elite thinkers of our day. Their numbers seem endless, and one wonders if man will rationalize himself out of existence, as perhaps he already has philosophically in the declaration that God is dead, and so often done in reality through movements such as Communism and Nazism. Indeed, how relevant are all Paul's words today: "They certainly had knowledge of God, yet they did not glorify Him as God or give Him thanks"; "they claimed to be wise, but turned into fools instead"; "they engaged in the mutual degradation of their bodies." But "the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against the irreligious and perverse spirit of men who… hinder the truth." "These men who exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator" cannot but come to naught, for "day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts knowledge" – the Gospel goes forth "to the ends of the world" and Truth overwhelms all lies. As Jesus overturned the Pharisees who "cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but within… are filled with rapaciousness," so shall the mind of modern man be shown for all its absurdity in the clear light of day. Time. There is but time to wait. Time for the Word to go forth and to pray for the conversion of the nations, of all peoples. And there is hope, hope that men shall turn from their absurdity and their perversity to embrace the light of the Gospel and the true teaching of love it brings. We pray the senseless will find faith and be led thereby to salvation. ******* O LORD, openly your Word speaks to all men's hearts, calling them to salvation. YHWH, how shall the senseless mind of man be redeemed? If it turns from you, the Creator of all, to give praise to senseless creatures, will it not be ever as blind as they? Trapped in its own contrivances, it shall never see the light of day or hear the Word of Truth. And so, to these faithless souls the Gospel will be so much foolishness, as in foolishness they die. Your Word goes forth to the ends of the earth and is revealed in all Creation. But men who cannot see beyond the flesh quench the Spirit even as they engage in the destruction of their bodies. For the purity of your Creation they pervert, and so fail to stand in your holy light. O LORD, let us cleanse the inside of our cup that we might come to your glory! Your eternal power and divinity help us to recognize, that filled with knowledge of you, O God, we may keep our hearts from being darkened by the false worship of this corrupted age.

(Rm.1:1-7; Ps.98:1-4; Lk.11:29-32) "You have a greater than Jonah here." Greater than any prophet is He. Wiser than Solomon is the Lord who is the source of all wisdom. For it is He of whom the prophets speak; it is His promised coming "the Holy Scriptures record." The fulfillment of prophets and kings is in our midst. Our high priest is with us offering the sacrifice of Himself. Let us thirst for Him as the Ninevites did for Jonah's preaching and seek Him as the queen of the South for Solomon's wisdom. Let us listen to His servant and apostle Paul as he proclaims the Gospel of God and come to "obedient faith" with all the Gentiles "who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ." Salvation is upon us as it is all nations. If Jonah's preaching was great, the Lord's is the greater. If he converted thousands, Jesus turns millions to the love of God. If Solomon was wise, our Lord is so much the wiser. For though this great king spoke well of all things of the earth by the grace of God, the Christ comes now with the wisdom of the richness of heaven. And so now we are all "called to holiness, grace and peace." It is these gifts which are imparted to us "from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." And by these blessings we become His children, greater indeed than any prophet or king of old. Yes, the fulfillment has come. "The Lord has made His salvation known." "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God." His Word is brought forth even now, even this day to our hearts in the preaching of the Gospel that is Christ Jesus – "His resurrection from the dead" signals the redemption of all mankind. And so we celebrate. And so we "sing to the Lord a new song" as we, too, participate in His death and resurrection with the beloved apostle Paul, even as we come to the table set before us by His grace and holiness. May that same "Spirit of holiness" which made Jesus "Son of God in power" now touch our souls and separate us from all that is unholy. May we respond in kind with the Ninevites to Jonah's preaching, that they might not condemn us on the last day for our lack of faith. May the wisdom which comes to us now by the grace poured forth from His lips sink into our hearts and find a place in our lives. For no greater than He shall we find; let us not be blind to this sign. ******* O LORD, how blessed are we to hear the Gospel! – let us repent and reform our lives. YHWH, you have made your salvation known in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, your Son. He indeed is our salvation, the very life of those who follow Him, who listen to His preaching and reform their lives – who join themselves to Him and to His Church. May we not be condemned for our deafness to His call but set our hearts on the wisdom that comes to us through Him and through His apostles, that indeed we might be saved and rejoice in your presence on the day of judgment. With Him let us be raised from the dead. May the Name of Jesus be proclaimed to the ends of the earth that His Gospel might be the source of salvation for all souls. Let peoples come from the furthest corners of the world to hear that your promise has been fulfilled in your Son and the Spirit of holiness is now upon all who are obedient to His call. For this grace let us sing your praise, O LORD!

(2Kgs.5:14-17; Ps.98:1-4; 2Tm.2:8-13; Lk.17:11-19) "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God." "The word of God is not chained." It cannot be imprisoned. It is free. And it cannot be limited by national boundaries; it is for everyone. The universal call of salvation is made most clear in our readings today: in our first reading, Naaman the Syrian is healed of his leprosy, and in our gospel a Samaritan is healed of the same. Both are foreigners and essentially enemies to Israel, but it is these two we hear of today to make clear that the Word of God and His power are unbounded. And when these foreigners are healed, they return praising God; they make clear their faith in the Holy One, much to the shame of those who are native to His House, who may often lack such recognition of the Lord and His work in their lives. This is perhaps the greatest message of today's readings, that we must be as the Samaritan who, "realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice, and… fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him." For this is what the Lord desires of us, thanksgiving, a sacrifice of praise. How clearly this is shown in Naaman as well, whose offerings of gifts are repelled by Elisha, the man of God, "despite Naaman's urging," but who will not leave without earth from the land of Israel, declaring, "I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except the Lord." The Lord desires of us our praise and worship of Him only, and when we come bearing this gift of ourselves, He says to us, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." And it is unto the end we must remain faithful, praising God for the graces He gives, if we hope to "obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory." We should hear in Paul's teaching in our second reading of the means to salvation and the means to condemnation. The Lord "remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself." He is God; He holds salvation and glory. If we persevere with Him, dying with Him, giving all our selves always to His service, "we shall also reign with Him." It cannot be otherwise because the Lord indeed blesses those who come to Him. But "if we deny Him, He will deny us," and this cannot but be, too, for He cannot dwell with untruth. The Lord's Truth extends to the ends of the earth now; His Word goes forth to all, and in all salvation may be known through Jesus Christ. But who will trust in Him and fall at His feet in praise of Him as they find healing for their sin? Let it be so with us all. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "The Numeric Truth" from All One, sixth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, let us give you thanks and praise you for your healing mercy. YHWH, it is by faith alone we are saved, and all souls are called to faith in you; and any soul with faith you will accept into your fold. To all the ends of the earth your salvation is revealed – may men come from every land and every tongue to worship you alone. O LORD, let us not be weak in faith; let us not be put to shame by the great devotion shown to you by those who have been foreigners to your Word. Let us join them at the feet of your Son and give thanks for the grace and healing you shower upon us by His presence. There is so much of which we need to be healed. How shall we lose our blindness to your glory shining all around us? When will we cease taking you for granted, and so hardening our hearts in a vain pride? Your wondrous deeds are upon us, LORD; your Word is preached to all mankind. O let us respond in faith and humbly worship you!

(Jl.4:12-21; Ps.97:1-2,5-6,11-12; Lk.11:27-28) "Near is the day of the Lord in the valley of decision." And so, "blest are they who hear the word of God and keep it." For though "sun and moon are darkened and the stars withhold their brightness," though "mountains melt like wax before the Lord," "light dawns for the just," and for them "the mountains shall drip new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk." Yes, "the heavens and the earth quake, but the Lord is a refuge to His people." Are we His people? Are our hearts set upon Him? Are we blest as our Mother with keeping the word of God, of putting it into practice, of giving our yes to all His words, and His commands? Are these commands sweet as honey, are they the new wine we drink each day? From Him do we find our daily bread? Though we are in His Church and have the blessed breasts of this great Mother to nurse us, though we are here where the hills of the Lord "flow with [His] milk" – though we have at our hands the Body and Blood of the Lord and the true teaching, the Word of God, in our ears by His grace upon this House of God, do we truly appreciate these gifts He provides: do we eat and drink unto our salvation and keep His word as an ever flowing stream of life in our souls, at the heart of our beings? "The channels of Judah shall flow with water," as now they do. Do we wash ourselves clean in that water that "issue[s] from the house of the Lord"? Are we prepared for the day of decision? Let us rejoice in Him, brothers and sisters. "Be glad in the Lord, you just, and give thanks to His holy name." With the psalmist let us raise our song and proclaim His justice to all the peoples. For what should we have but joy as we take refuge in His promise, as we come to the table of the New Covenant each day and share even now in the life He offers forth through His holy sacrifice. And let us pray to our Mother, Mary, that we shall be as she is, that we shall be so true to the Lord and serve as His handmaidens amongst the world. May she keep us close to the nourishing food the Church holds for all her children; and may our decision be as firm as hers as we give our unfailing yes to the Lord and so know His grace and blessing. ******* O LORD, if we but keep your Word, we shall be blessed on the Day Jesus comes. YHWH, you dwell on Zion, your holy mountain; may we dwell there with our Blessed Mother. The mountains melt like wax before you, O LORD. The heavens and the earth quake, but you are a refuge to your people. Truly blessed are all who make their home in you, who do your will in this world. And so, as sun and moon are darkened, as this world you reduce to dust, may we be gathered into your arms, to the breast of our Mother. Let the heavens proclaim your justice, LORD; let all holy souls give thanks to your NAME. For light dawns through the darkness for the upright of heart, and your children abide forever in your presence even as their enemies are destroyed. Blessed let us be, O Holy LORD, to follow where your Son does lead, for He leads us only unto you. O may we hear and keep your Word! Blessed Mother, pray for us.

(Jl.1:13-15,2:1-2; Ps.9:2-3,6,8-9,16; Lk.11:15-26) "It is near, a day of darkness and of gloom, a day of clouds and somberness!" And we must be prepared. We must rend our hearts and not our garments. We must "spend the night in sackcloth," repentant of our sins. We must "proclaim a fast" and "cry to the Lord," "for near is the day of the Lord." The prophet Joel sounds this alarm several hundred years before Christ, and in truth it proclaims the coming of Christ. For it is His coming that separates the wicked from the just; it is He who "judges the world with justice" – it is by Him the names of the wicked are "blotted out forever and ever" and those who "declare all [His] wondrous deeds" find their salvation. The day is coming and is already here, for the Lord declares in our gospel, "The man who is not with me is against me, and the man who does not gather with me scatters." He makes clear the works of Satan, which do not bring healing but only sickness and death, and the works of "the finger of God," which overpower and "cast out devils." Here the judgment is come; here it begins. In the end it shall be fulfilled and the great divide between evil and good will be set for all eternity, but here and in this time the Word of Truth goes forth, calling all souls to leave behind all sin. But, brothers and sisters, our fasting must be complete; our weeping, our repentance, must be genuine. We must turn entirely from our sins and make place only for the Lord Jesus Christ to live in the houses of our souls. If the Lord lives in us, there is no place for darkness. If the Lord is within us, no devil can dwell there. But if in hypocrisy we pretend a conversion, we expand the space for the devil's dwelling in our homes. For the two are indeed mutually exclusive: the Lord has nothing to do with the devil, and the devil nothing to do with the Lord. And so if we hope to stand on the day when darkness covers the earth, "spreading over the mountains, like a people numerous and mighty"; if we hope to remain when the Lord returns with His myriad of angels to judge the earth and the thoughts of men's hearts… we must enter His grace this day – we must now call upon His Name. There is no other way, my brothers and sisters. You must be with Him or against Him. The choice between life and death is presented before you; for the day of darkness is nigh. Choose His eternal light! ******* O LORD, your Day is at hand – let us make room in our hearts only for you. YHWH, your throne is set up for judgment; near is your Day. Soon you will come to destroy all the wicked, that in your presence the just might shine. Your Son you have sent to redeem the world, to call every soul from its sin, but failing repentance what shall happen to us on the great and terrible Day of His return? Forever you are enthroned on high, O LORD, and who can approach your glory? What hope have we of uniting with you, of looking upon your face, we who have been so sinful? How shall we come into your House and there find eternal rest if we do not wholeheartedly accept the cleansing Word of your Son? If there is any pretense in us, we shall not stand with Him. And so, O LORD, let us fast and pray for all devils to be cast from us that we might forever sing your praise.