The BreadCast

(Is.6:1-2a,3-8; Ps.138:1-5,7-8; 1Cor.15:1-11; Lk.5:1-11) "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" "the voice of the Lord" asks in the presence of the angels and Isaiah. "Here I am… send me!" is the prophet's response. And so this "man of unclean lips" having been purged of his uncleanness by an ember from the altar of God is ready to speak for "the King, the Lord of hosts!" Grace come through the seraphim prepares his soul to do the will of the Lord. "By the grace of God I am what I am," Paul, "the least of the apostles," declares, having been saved from his persecution of the Church of God and made the great Apostle to the nations, he knows, only by the favor of the Lord Most High. And now the Gospel he preaches with a mouth anointed by the blood of Christ, the word of God which he speaks, brings salvation to all who "hold fast" to it. And Peter, too, the first of apostles, we find coming to faith and power in the Lord by His grace-filled call. A catch of fish is what touches his soul and makes him fall to his knees, "a sinful man." And as He has deemed to stoop to the level of Isaiah and Paul, so the Lord reaches out his hand to Peter, lifting him to his feet and speaking to his ear his call of "catching men." And so the Rock of the Church is born. King David sings in truth when he says: "All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth." And having heard these words speak clearly to their hearts, so are our prophet and apostles set to proclaim with David "the glory of the Lord" to all who likewise hear. And certainly the grace given them "has not been ineffective," for even now a multitude is drawn into "the presence of the angels," where they "worship at [the Lord's] holy temple and give thanks to [His] name." Alleluia! Join His call. Let your nets to the depths descend, to draw up souls redeemed by the Gospel of God, that many might sing "Holy, holy, holy" to our heavenly King. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Calling" from Loving Spirit, third album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, help us to love our enemies even as your Son has done for all of us sinners. YHWH, you are gracious and merciful, but we are weak and sinful. How shall we be like you? How shall we bear the image of your Son? How shall we move from being earthly to heavenly men? Indeed, it is only by your mercy. O LORD, we must reflect your great mercy if we are to find the mercy we so desperately need for our own souls. And sharing in this mercy of yours is mercy itself, is your greatest gift to us, your poor creatures. What more could we hope for than to be like you? For what more could we ask than to be of your love? You it is who pardon all our iniquities, who spare sinful man. Though our deeds against you deserve death, though for our crimes we merit destruction – though we should be nailed to the ground with one thrust of your spear, we are freed from such a fate by your Son's sacrifice on the Cross… and we are called to join Him there. Forgive all who sin against us, LORD, that we might be saved.

(Heb.13:15-17,20-21; Ps.23:1-6; Mk.6:30-34) "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." All things are cared for by the Lord; our work and our rest are in His hands. Nothing need we fear. No good desire goes unfulfilled – His sheep He loves. Brothers and sisters, "through Christ may [the God of peace] carry out in you all that is pleasing to Him." Let Him guide you "in right paths" for the accomplishment of His will. In "good deeds and generosity," in obedience to superiors, in every intention of the heart, "continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which acknowledge His name," for this thanksgiving He desires before all deeds and in all deeds; such praise will ensure His blessing, and lead to greater praise, and so greater blessing! Have every confidence that the Lord "will furnish you with all that is good, that you may do His will," and rejoice always in all you accomplish by His grace. See in our gospel that when "the apostles returned to Jesus and reported to Him all that they had done and what they had taught," "He said to them, 'Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest a little.'" They have done His work faithfully, and now He would give them rest; now He would refresh and renew their souls. "Beside restful waters He leads me": in a "boat by themselves" He takes them. "In verdant pastures He gives me repose": "to a deserted place" the boat goes. And though upon arrival at their destination the people wait "like sheep without a shepherd" and so their work must resume, this does not distract from the promised rest which awaits the finishing of our work in this world, and indeed but emphasizes that our rest shall be complete only in heaven. For now the Lord watches over. Now He cares for us like needful sheep. Now He takes upon Himself all our fears and burdens, and calls us to do the same for all. What should we want? What do we need when we do the Lord's will? In this laying down of our lives all is provided; in our work we take our rest, we eat our bread. For He is with us with His "goodness and kindness"; He remains at our side even in darkness… We become one with our Shepherd, and no further grace we desire. ******* O LORD, in you alone we take our rest, through the blood of your only Son. YHWH, through Jesus may we carry out your will; washed in His blood may we be raised from the dead. In Him let us take our refuge, and nothing shall be wanting to us. In your Son all our needs are met, and this to overflowing. For He has pity on all our weakness – O LORD, let us be obedient to our Shepherd! LORD our God, let us praise you in all things, your NAME ever on our lips. In all our work may we be blessed and brought into your heavenly presence. You would give us rest, dear God; you call us to an out-of-the-way place to be with you. May we find repose in your eternal kingdom after these days of toil are passed. But even here you are with us, LORD, even in this dark place. Your Son is the Shepherd who walks amongst His sheep, leading us ever to your side.

(Heb.13:1-8; Ps.27:1,3,5,8-9; Mk.6:14-29) "I will never desert you, nor will I forsake you." A series of parallels we have today between our first reading and our gospel. Paul instructs us in his letter to the Hebrews not to "neglect to show hospitality" to our "fellow Christians," since we may be "entertain[ing] angels" thereby; but it is not angels Herod entertains at his birthday banquet, and a false sense of hospitality leads him to grave sin, as when Herodias' daughter requests the Baptist's head on a platter, "because of his oath and the presence of his guests," he "dispatch[es] an executioner." Paul also tells us to "be mindful of prisoners as if [we] were sharing their imprisonment"; and it seems almost against himself Herod indeed sympathizes with John. We are told, "When he heard him speak he was very much disturbed; yet he felt the attraction of his words." He knows John is the angel he should better entertain, but denies the voice speaking to his heart. And so Paul's warning, "You may yet suffer as they do," proves true with Herod, who is clearly imprisoned by his own fear that John has been raised from the dead to haunt his soul. Of course, the central cause of all Herod's problems is his breaking the command Paul expresses distinctly: "Let marriage be honored in every way and the marriage bed be kept undefiled," for it is "on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married," that John chastises Herod, that the king has the prophet imprisoned, and that he is cornered into murdering him. And so now he knows very deeply the extent to which "God will judge fornicators and adulterers." Indeed, his adulterous relationship and his niece/daughter's dance of lust stand as examples comparable to the profligate lands of Sodom and Gomorrah for their immorality, for their opposition to the Father's love. It is the Father's love and our trust therein which rises above the immorality and violence so present in our gospel. At the heart of Paul's letter is his paraphrase of today's psalm: "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?" Indeed the faith in God David sings of so confidently – "Though an army encamp against me… though war be waged upon me, even then will I trust" – is what the Baptist holds in his own spirit, even as he extends his neck for the executioner's blade. He knows well that the Lord "will hide [him] in His abode in the day of trouble," and so no trouble does his death cause him: the Lord will certainly "set [him] high upon a rock," keeping him untouched by the lust and destruction which surround him in Herod's dank prison. It is Herod upon whom darkness shall fall. "Your presence, O Lord, I seek. Hide not your face from me." Through all things let me remain in your light. And as John's life ended, this greatest of "leaders who spoke the word of God" to us, so let my own, in faith in you, O Lord, who are with us forever. ******* O LORD, though thrown in prison or put to death, still you protect us; in purity in your presence let us dwell. YHWH, O what fate awaits those who feed their lust, who wallow in the wickedness of this world! Theirs is a punishment far worse than death, for never will their fear come to an end. But those who love you and their brothers, LORD, those who have pity on souls most in need, these are shielded by you in the day of trouble and shall rise to be with you in the end. Your children are persecuted on this earth, O LORD our God. They walk in the footsteps of your Son. But despite the war that is waged upon them, despite the threat of death itself, those who trust in you are not shaken. But those who sit upon the thrones of sin, those who give free reign to their passion and greed – these do but fat themselves for the day of slaughter, when the dance of lust shall be long past. Let us serve you in our brothers, LORD. Let us share in the pains of those oppressed and keep ever to your way, and you will keep us from all harm to sit with John and Jesus on the last day.

(Heb.12:18-19,21-24; Ps.48:2-4,9-11; Mk.6:7-13) "You have drawn near to MountZion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…" "…to the assembly of the first-born enrolled in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks more eloquently than that of Abel." Alleluia! "Great is the Lord and wholly to be praised in the city of our God." And great is our call to dwell in His blessed City with all His holy ones, and with our Lord. Could there be a greater cause for joy? For "His holy mountain, fairest of heights, is the joy of all the earth," and the joy of heaven. To the New Jerusalem we are drawn, brothers and sisters, to the fairest heights. Holiness in the Lord is our call – to dwell with our Lord forever. But what is the road that leads to such a blessed mountain? How do we who tread the dust of this earth find our way to heaven? Evident the Lord makes the path today in the summoning of His apostles. In their call we find our own. "Do not bring a second tunic," Jesus says to the Twelve as He sends them forth to preach and to heal. For they are to make no provision, to put no stock in the things of the earth… "to take nothing on the journey." Their trust must be entirely in Him and the word with which He anoints them: the power He gives, the grace He provides, is sufficient not only to cast out demons, but to find all we need for our day-to-day lives. The Lord teaches us as He teaches them that our faith must be complete, our spirits wholly set on His will, if we are to make our way across the dust of this earth to His kingdom. Nothing short of the sacrifice He Himself offers first will bring us there. His sprinkled blood must be upon us, and work through us. "O God, we ponder your kindness in your temple"; we marvel at your grace. For no longer by "fearful… spectacle" of "blazing fire" and "gloomy darkness" do you make yourself known to us. No longer are you "untouchable," Lord. But present in our midst, sandals upon your feet, you, O unapproachable glory, draw near to us, and so enable us to draw near to you, to touch you, O wounded Savior. And your sandals you place upon our feet and invite us to walk in the way you have shown. May we do so, Lord, as humbly as thou; and so to our eyes and our hearts make your kingdom known. All the saints in heaven, pray for us. All His holy angels, watch over our way. May our feet stand forever upon the Lord's holy mountain. In His heavenly City let us make our home. (In His Church, in His Mass, He is with us.) ******* O LORD, may we take with us only the Cross of your Son as we journey to your holy mountain. YHWH, how can we express the joy of the gracious gift of your Son in our midst? In Him your Temple comes to us; in Him we dwell in your City, O living God. He is the mountain to whom all holy souls come. His is the blood that washes us clean and prepares our hearts to receive your glory. May we follow in His steps this day that we might live ever in the heavenly Jerusalem. Nothing need we but your Son and His Cross, O LORD. There is nothing in which we should put our trust but His Word. For walking in His sandals all is provided for us – what does any son need but you. O Father in Heaven, in your great love you think of us and draw us into your presence with all the holy ones. Let us be made ready to stand on your mountain by our trust in you today. Let your Son work in us; in Him let us make our home.

(Heb.12:4-7,11-15; Ps.103:1-2,13-14,17-18; Mk.6:1-6) "Whom the Lord loves, He disciplines; He scourges every son He receives." Like His only Son we must be. For without discipline where would we be? Apart from the Lord's chastising hand, into what state would we fall? Without the cross, how could we find the kingdom? If the Lord did not scourge us, we would be blind as His countrymen in our gospel today, who question even what their ears behold and their eyes see – dead to His presence we would remain. Only the dust of His flesh would we look upon, thinking He is no more than our sinful selves; far short of His divinity would we fall. And so a word of chastisement He brings to our hearts, as He does those of "His native place," of "His own house," condemning our failure to honor God in His prophets and in His Son, calling us beyond our eyes of flesh to the breath of the Spirit. Oh how our "lack of faith distress[es] Him"! Oh how He would stir within us "that holiness without which no one can see the Lord"! For "the kindness of the Lord is from eternity to eternity toward those who fear Him," and His kindness He would have all know. But failing of a reverent awe for the Most High Lord, what do we do but grovel in the dust? Our hearts cannot know Him if they are not humble; our souls cannot bless Him if they are not holy… and so we lose "all His benefits" by a stubborn pride. This is not the will of God. Brothers and sisters, the Lord "knows how we are formed; He remembers that we are dust." But from the dust He calls us to join Him on high, to rise above our earthen state. In His compassion the Father would have us be even as He is; and so He sends His only Son to suffer for our sins, to show us the path to holiness we must walk. "So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees"; fear not the cross of Jesus. For by it you will be made strong, you will be made whole; through it "the grace of God" will pour, and make you as His own. Peace soon follows every cord of scourging; the nails in our hands open our souls to the Spirit's movement, to the Lord's love, as by this bleeding our sins are purged. And in His light we shall soon stand, "all [our] being bless[ing] His holy name." Then we shall no longer question His wisdom but in His mercy make our home. ******* O LORD, may we be your sons not just in flesh but in truth; your compassion be upon us in the discipline of your Word. YHWH, thank you for your discipline, for your blessed chastising hand. It is out of love you correct us; in your compassion you desire us to be with you. Let us praise you for your kindness. Forgive us, LORD, all our blindness, all our failure to see your hand at work. Our disobedience hurts us most of all, for by it we separate ourselves from your love. In our lives let your will be done! If you had not compassion on our erring hearts, if you scourged not our sinful souls, where would we be, LORD, where would we be? From your healing and your teaching let us never be apart. Come to your native place this day, O LORD. Those baptized in your NAME please bless. Let us welcome you with open arms into our houses, treasuring every chastising word, and we shall be at peace in your presence.

(Heb.12:1-4; Ps.22:26-28,30-32; Mk.5:21-43) "Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith." Like the woman in our gospel who saw Him in the crowd and with great confidence made her way toward Him but to reach out and "touch His clothing," knowing in her heart that by this she "shall get well"; like the official of the synagogue who draws near and falls at His feet begging healing for his daughter, who even after being told, "Your daughter is dead," does "not grow despondent or abandon the struggle" but takes refuge in the Lord's encouragement to trust; like all the "cloud of witnesses" that have sought Him, that have believed in Him, that have never taken their eyes off Him or His love – let us be saints who "lay aside every encumbrance of sin which clings to us and persevere in running the race which lies ahead," and we shall receive our reward even as those who have gone before us have done. By endurance in faith we shall find Jesus. Sin it is, of course, that is the greatest obstacle to sanctity in the Lord, to achieving our goal of eternal life in heaven; death and disease are merely the fruits of this poisonous tree. And so the "fight against sin" is truly our greatest struggle, for once sin is set aside, peace comes to our souls and we are no longer anxious or fearful, despite any workings of the devil – despite the destruction in his hands. The woman's "flow of blood" (for as many years as Jairus' daughter, "a child of twelve," has been alive) is but symptomatic for us of the greater affliction of transgression against God. And even the young girl's death is nothing really, for it is so that "she is [only] asleep," as the Lord says, and not dead at all… and so death and disease mean nothing unless they are accompanied by sin. It is this plague which must be overcome. And for this healing we come to Him. For this grace we must press upon Him, like the crowds who surround Him this day. And like the raised child's parents our "astonishment [will be] complete," for we shall be clean: we shall be alive in the Lord. "To Him alone shall bow down all who sleep in the earth"; by Him alone all shall be raised. So let us keep our eyes and our hearts fixed upon Him, knowing "they who seek the Lord shall praise Him" – in Him our faith is complete. "To Him alone [our] soul shall live"; therefore, let us bleed with Him this day. ******* O LORD, let us be freed of all illness; let us be raised from our graves to walk with you. YHWH, our faith unites us to you and so we find healing for every disease and every sin, for no evil lives in you. And so, help us to endure all, keeping our eyes ever fixed on your Son and the hope He brings to our souls, and we shall be well in your presence. O LORD, you raise us from the sleep of death and sin. Your Son who walks in our midst leads us to your glory. And so, let us bow down before Him, humbling ourselves in faith, and our every prayer shall be answered; and we shall be united to you and your glorious majesty. Why should we be afraid? Why should we fear placing our trust in you? Let no obstacle stand in the way of our coming to you that we might join the band of your holy ones in your eternal kingdom. Though we must shed our blood in the struggle, let us know our salvation is assured.

(Heb.11:32-40; Ps.31:20-25; Mk.5:1-20) "They broke the jaws of lions, put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword…" In each of these descriptions of the powerful deeds of the men of old what is conquered is an instrument of death, and so what is indicated is the power of God – from whom these men derive their strength – to destroy death itself. This is made more obvious in the fact that "women received back their dead through resurrection" by their faith in God, and is apparent even in those who "were tortured and did not receive deliverance"; for they suffered all "in order to obtain a better resurrection," one not simply of the earth and the body, but one which is absolute, one which pertains to spirit and body in heaven… and we can be assured they received such reward. Brothers and sisters, death is the devil's instrument, but life is of God; and the Lord of life holds power over all death and banishes it by His word. That death is the devil's tool, so ready at his hand, is made evident after Jesus "gave the word, and with it the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine": immediately "the herd of about two thousand went rushing down the bluff into the lake, where they began to drown." As the demons had driven the man of Gerasene into the tombs upon taking possession of him, so they drive these swine to their demise. Death is the devil's will; he would see the destruction of all life. And what of those men of old who seem so much like our possessed man today; what about those who "dwelt in caves and in holes of the earth" and "went about garbed in the skins of sheep or goats, needy, afflicted, tormented"? How do these differ from the poor soul of Gerasene? Does the devil not have power over them, too? The answer is no – the two are clearly different. The power the devil had over the ancient prophets, which is witnessed most fully in Christ Himself as well as all His followers, is a power only over the body, over the physical circumstances of life. As with Christ and His followers, the spirit, the soul of these ancients, remained untouched by the devil's claw. The same is not so for the poor soul among the tombs: of him the devil had taken possession body and soul. And, you might say, Is the strength exhibited by the demoniac not like that of Samson when he broke the chains of the Philistines? What of this similarity? My friends, the chains upon the demoniac were meant to help preserve his life, and when he "pulled the chains apart and smashed the fetters" by the strength of the devil, it was only that he could continue "gash[ing] himself with stones"; whereas Samson broke his fetters by the power of God in order to preserve his life from the clutches of the Philistines. (One must always use right judgment and discern well, especially the things of the spirit, avoiding preoccupation with the superficiality of circumstances and jumping to quick decisions.) "Love the Lord, all you His faithful ones!" Keep "constant" in faith and "from the plottings of men" and "the strife of tongues" He will "shelter" you. Whether overcoming or being overcome by death in this life, the life of heaven awaits you and is with you. ******* O LORD, of the least of us you make use, joining all to your Body to proclaim your glory. YHWH, your power is greater even than that of death, and your power you share with all your holy ones, that in your NAME they might overcome death and all its workings. What great deeds are we not capable of if we but put our trust in you? We shall indeed rise from the dead with Jesus your only Son. Death surrounds us in this world; it is as if we dwell in a tomb. For where can we turn where sin does not exist, and so, how can we be free of its clutches? It is like the lion's jaw or a raging fire or the devouring sword. But you give power to conquer sin to those who take refuge in Christ's blood. Even in this dark world, they are screened in your abode. Though we are made to dwell in caves or in holes of the earth, you are yet with us, LORD, we who are to be made perfect in you. O let us sit at your feet in our right mind all the days of our lives! Let us declare your goodness to all.

(Heb.11:1-2,8-19; Lk.1:68-75; Mk.4:35-41) "Why are you so terrified? Why are you lacking in faith?" "Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see," our brother Paul would have us know, and realize. We all hope for something; there is ever something we all long to see. The eyes are set in the front of the human head and always he is looking at what is before him, straining to see what is ahead. And what is it we hope to see further along this road we tread? What is our hope for the future – what is set indelibly in our hearts, calling us forward to tomorrow? Are we as Abraham, who was "looking forward to the city with foundations," to the city of God, and so was able to uproot himself from his city here on earth, "not knowing where he was going," and dwell in tents? Have we the same hope as he? If we have his hope, we should have his faith as well, and more. For what upon this earth is worthy of greater assurance than the coming of the kingdom of God? Is there any firmer promise in which to believe? And if Abraham and all the "men of old" were able to live by faith and so find God's approval and His blessing, how much more should we be ready, how much greater confidence should we have, we upon whom the light which they only "saluted… from afar" has dawned? To our eyes has been brought what they were kept from seeing; and so our faith should go beyond hope – it should be most real, utterly unshakable by the vicissitudes of this world. For He is here, He who was "promised through the mouths of His holy ones, the prophets of ancient times." Brothers and sisters, it is time to "cross over to the farther shore" with our Lord. What Moses could only view from afar is now present to us in the flesh of Christ: heaven is in our midst, and nothing should we fear… no room for doubt should we make. In the words of our gospel we witness the disciples coming gradually to see Him who has entered their boat, who has power over all. And their fear shall leave them soon, even as awe overtakes them. And we must be the same, and more. For upon us the Spirit has already come, completing the Trinity's presence among us. Nothing more is there to look forward to than our life in heaven, and nothing for our crossing do we lack. Sure indeed should we now be. And so, "rid of fear and delivered from the enemy" by Him who is all-powerful, "we should serve Him devoutly, and through all our days, be holy in His sight." Let faith find its fulfillment now in the lives we lead in His name. Cast all fear away, and love. ******* O LORD, you are able to raise us even from the dead – let us put our faith in you. YHWH, will Jesus not lead us to the farther shore, to the kingdom where you dwell? Will not He who holds the wind and the waves in His hands and commands them by a word of His mouth, will He not save us from all that would keep us from you? But are our hearts set on the Promised Land of Heaven as was Abraham's and all the prophets' of old? Are we so willing to give up all the things of this world to find your eternal City? O LORD, have we the faith that you are able to raise from the dead, that even death and sin and all the wiles of the devil and the trappings of this earth are in your power to command? If so, then why should our hope ever be dimmed; why should we be afraid? Save us, LORD, from our faithlessness! Let us serve you in holiness all our days, our hearts set on the land to which Jesus would take us.

O teacher and father of the children in your care, in whose hands they were not abandoned but held in patience by Christ's love – teach us, too, to have that same patience, to have that same love for those the Lord places in our care, that anger shall be banished from our hearts and our minds, that the wisdom of Christ's sacrifice you taught and lived we too might embody, and so serve in raising the kingdom of Heaven among the children of this earth. And pray that we, too, may know the Lord's gentle word and touch upon our own souls and so grow into His likeness.

(Heb.10:32-39; Ps.37:3-6,23-24,39-40; Mk.4:26-34) "You need patience to do God's will and receive what He has promised." Brothers and sisters, "we are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and live." Whatever "great contest[s] of suffering" may be before us or behind us or upon us even now, we do not "surrender [our] confidence" in the Lord but stand strong, enduring all by our "trust in Him" and so coming by these means to the kingdom of God. My friends, we know we have "better and more permanent possessions" in heaven, and so "the confiscation of [our] goods" upon this earth, the "insult and trial" we have to endure, and even the prison into which we may be thrown, hold no sway over our souls and do not deter our resolve to follow the way of Christ – in fact, they but increase our firmness in the Lord. For seeing how "He delivers [us] from the wicked and saves" us when we "take refuge in Him" reveals to our souls the firmness of His hand upon us and the passing nature of any vain temptation or torture. We comprehend hereby that we need but "commit to the Lord [our] way… and He will act"; He is the one who preserves us from all harm and sees that fruit is born in our lives. And so, day by day we come to Him; night after passing night we approach His presence. We grow in His sight even as "the soil produces of itself first the blade, then the ear, [and] finally the ripe wheat in the ear." Even unto the day of judgment we shall grow so gradually, so blessedly, steadily producing fruit in His glorious light, and thus avoid any condemnation. For He has taken possession of our souls; His hand is upon us now, and from such marvelous grace we cannot turn our faces away. "A brief moment, and He who is to come will come; He will not delay," says the Lord; and so, brothers and sisters, let us "live by faith" as the Lord's "just man," knowing full well that "He will make justice dawn for [us] like the light," that on His Day we shall be drawn into the kingdom of God. "Bright as the noonday shall be [our] vindication," so let us endure all patiently and bravely in this world, ever bearing fruit in His name. ******* O LORD, help us to endure all persecutions that we might grow steadily unto your kingdom. YHWH, let us take refuge in you and there find protection and blessing. Let us grow gradually unto your kingdom, enduring all with patience and faith. Your justice will dawn for the man who remains steadfast in your sight. O LORD, what should we care if we must suffer persecution, if our goods are confiscated and we are thrown into prison? For what blessed possessions we have in you, those which last forever. And so, increase our faith day to day as we see your hand continually rescue us from all distress, from every trial; let us ever grow unto your presence and make our home in your branches. If we could but be the man you desire us to be, LORD, for our own sakes! If we could but trust in you and your constant blessings! Then we would forever be sustained, knowing that you will not delay your coming but very soon we will be with you in eternity. Be with us as we wait here.