Baptism Is A Game Changer

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A sermon by Adam Barcott

January 12, 2019

Welcome! Let’s pray, Dear heavenly father, we thank you. We come before you in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you for the mercy and the compassion and the steadfast and bounding love that you’ve shown us this week. We ask that you would settle our hearts and our minds now in the Lord Jesus Christ. We ask that as we engage in worship, we would be continually being reformed and remade. Understanding that we are part of a much bigger community that extends from earth all the way to heaven. We worship you with the angels and with the saints who have gone before us and, and so we worship you and thank you and praise your name, God the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in Jesus name. Amen.

Let’s, let’s begin with our confession and absolution. It’s on page D. In the last year, going into this year, recognizing that as you’re going to pray and talk to God, even privately, just working through a confession and letting this be your guide and being the first thing you can hear from God. So every day I do this every day because the first thing I can hear from God calibrates my mind. Like I want to hear from God. And so the easiest way to hear from him is to confess and hear him say, I’ve given you my son to die for you. You are forgiven. You know, that’s how you know you can set your ears to hear. Oh yeah, that’s God. Oh, that’s good news. So let’s engage that as we begin praying together.

Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against you in thought word and deed by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart or loved our neighbor as ourselves. We justly deserve your present and eternal judgment. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ have mercy on us, forgive us, renew us and lead us to delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your Holy name. Amen. Almighty God has given his son to die for you and it is for His sake that I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. You May be seated.

And we are in the season of Christmas. It’s the last week of Christmas and the beginning of a new season of epiphany where it just means God with us, God among us. So we have Christmas where God comes as a baby and there’s an army of angels singing, praise God. And then you have last week where you see the child, Jesus growing and maturing in wisdom and stature. And then this week is the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Where he’s baptized, set apart and commissioned and begins bringing the kingdom of God right in that moment and all the way up through this moment. So let’s read the quintessential passages of Jesus’ baptism. We’ll begin with Isaiah chapter 42:1-9. Jana will read that for us, but give everyone a chance. It’s on page 349 if you’re following along. And this will be the passage where I’ll come back and speak from. So if you keep your finger there, but again, it’s Isaiah 42:1-9.

Isaiah 42:1-9Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged[a] till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. 5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 “I am the Lord; I have called you[b] in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

This is the reading of God’s word. Thanks be to God. From the old Testament. Now we’ll move to the new Testament.and we’ll be hearing from Matthew 3:13-17. This records the baptism of Jesus and will be read by Jana’s lovely husband Byron.

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,[a] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son,[b] with whom I am well pleased.”

This is the reading of God’s word. Thanks be to God. And then we’ll read from the epistle of Romans written by Paul, Romans 6:1-11 And all these work together, all these scriptures, references and we’ll have, my one and only son Lowery, read for us today. Romans 6:1-11 found on page 549.

Romans 6:1-111 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This is the reading of God’s word, thanks be to God. Quick prayer. Lord bless us as we consider your word. We’ve heard from the old and the new, from the gospels. We ask Holy spirit, you pastor us, you bring things to mind. You forgive, you heal, you redeem, you reset us. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

So Paul says, you are alive to God. Sin no more reigns in your body. And he equates this to the baptism of Jesus Christ and to your baptism into Jesus Christ. So today I want to start with this idea. What do you need to break out of in 2020 what needs to be broken off of you? What? What dungeon? What part of your life is in a dungeon or in darkness or hopeless with no hope of justice? What part of your life? I know it’s not your whole life, but there are parts of us that are wrapped up with fear, which paralyzes us and keeps us from walking into something we want to. There’s some sin that mocks us or there’s hope that we’ve lost. Like, what is it today? And the message to you is let’s break it, Jesus Christ has broken the chains. He’s broken off whatever’s holding you back.

It’s been changed and it all started at the baptism of Jesus. The baptism of Jesus is the game changer. It changes the whole game for your life because you now are alive to God. You’re dead to sin. You were buried with Christ. And if you go back, you can go back and look at the Romans passage, but Paul says you died with Christ in his baptism and now your’e made a live with him, which means the rules of this world no longer apply to you, which means you can break out. I want to break off this year.. I’m feeling this year, this year let’s, let’s break through the constant sickness or the constant fear. Let’s choose one thing, like right now, today during this service, ask the Holy spirit what is the one thing in 2020 that I want to be alive to God. And then let’s tenaciously begin on our baptism, claim it, say this is fact. This is something objective that God has done to me. He’s given me a new birth and let’s walk alive to God and see what happens and see how he changes things, because he sets us free. He turns on the lights, he breaks off the chains of fear and sadness and whatever are keeping you, whatever are plaguing you. That’s what the word of God is constantly saying. So it’s either true or it’s not true.

And as we live we just start to go, well, it’s not happening. So it must not. It’s like it’s true but not true for me. And that’s the lie maybe we need to break off. That’s the baptism. Let’s remember our baptism and be washed again with the reality of the situation. That’s okay. She’s feeling it. The reality of the situation is this.

Well, it’s the beginning of the year and you know we talk about new year’s resolutions and I want you to start thinking about baptism like this. God made a new life resolution way back in the old Testament and then at Jesus’ baptism it was his, he was resolving to save, to cleanse, to bring back, to live, not under the reality of death and separation and fear and powerlessness, but in the light of his son who gives you life. This is true. I’ve seen it and I want to see more of it in myself and in you, and here’s how we know it’s true.

He says it over and he’s, he’s revealing it to us over and over again, and he’s given us his son, Jesus Christ. To set us free. Look at Isaiah chapter 42 this is an interesting passage. Again, I’m trying to show you Jesus in the old Testament so that it’s not always the old Testament isn’t always just a proof text, but the story of God’s heart is there and it always has been. And in this passage, it’s like these prophetic binoculars to Jesus’ baptism. He says, behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen and who my soul delights. I’ve put my spirit upon him. He will bring forth justice to the nations.

Just that verse. You start to see the Holy spirit. You see the Son, you see God, and you see the Trinity. Even in Isaiah here, and as God writes to Israel previously, they were, they were the servant of God. So my son asked me, how do, how is it that Jewish people don’t? Why don’t they believe in Jesus like you see Jesus and the old Testament, but what do they see? And the answer is right before this chapter, chapter 41 the term servant was for God’s people and God’s people had continually failed. God’s people had always acted out of fear and always created idols and always resulted in violence against God and against one another. That’s what God’s people had always done. They were the failed servant of God. They did not serve what God was cooking. They ruined it. They destroyed it. Every time.

That’s what Isaiah is saying. Then we get to this passage and God says, I’m going to boil all of Israel down into one, to my servant and my servant you’ll see is going to be Jesus. Jesus Is going to be boiled down to one and he’s going to be our representative. Now we are in voting season, right? We have an election this year, so here’s where you can start to understand the importance of Jesus becoming the one representative for God’s people because in our current culture, the only hope, at least famous people have when they win an award and they have a platform and they tell you everything that’s wrong. They can identify how everything is being destroyed and what’s their solution. Every time you guys, we got to vote! And by that they mean vote for the person they think will change global warming. Well, there’s a person who can save the earth. There’s a person who can pay for all your medical bills. There’s a person who can give you education. There’s a person who can give you affordable housing. There’s a person who will make your life happy. Wipe away your debts. Does anyone believe that? Does anyone believe that? I just want to know if they really believe it because I want to say your faith is greater than any Jesus has ever seen. If that’s all they have, vote. Whoa. That devastates me. [inaudible]

Vote, for a representative who promises to save you. Yet no one can understand what Jesus is doing at his baptism. No one can understand the story of Jesus, which is the representation of all mankind chosen by God saying, I save, I give health, I give wealth, and I give it freely. And by the way, I control global warming. I can burn this place up tomorrow or I can rescue it or I can flood it, I can do it. I made it. Yet no one ever says, maybe we should pray to our gods… Because we want a man representative. And all man can do is result in violence and oppression and failure and someone will win and someone will lose. That’s the best a representative can do, because we all want justice. But we very rarely see it. It is so shocking to me that we think anybody can deliver it.

Yeah, we have this hope and we have this faith because God’s put it in us. We desperately want someone to say this, and here is the servant and check him out. Here’s the legit servant representative of you and listen to who he is. First of all, God delights in him. God loves him, puts a spirit on him and he says, I will bring forth justice. You want justice? All we can talk about is inequality, right? Because we don’t have a good servant leader. We don’t have anybody to lead us. Jesus brings actual justice. Look how he does it. Verse two he will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street. He doesn’t say, vote for me. I’m going to do it. He comes quietly, humbly on a little donkey, born in a manger. He’s not going woo vote for me.

He’s saying, I’m humble and I’m here to serve you. I’ll wash your feet. A bruised Reed he will not break, a faintly burning wick He will not quench. A bruised Reed for pens, they would use reeds if they were broken, they’re useless. Throw them out. The wick for light anyway, the idea is, he’s not going to throw out the broken, fearful in debt, sad, overwhelmed, helpless people. He’s not. Jesus the servant never says you’re of no use to me and my campaign, he stops and he loves and he revives those of us who have been broken and not useful to anybody else. This is who are serving is. He will not grow faint or be discouraged. So even on the cross, as his friends runaway, as he’s being mocked by the people he came to save and he’s dying, he is not discouraged. He doesn’t grow faint. He keeps going. So he has established justice in the earth and the coastlands wait for his law.

So we have a leader that though we fail, he reduces us to him. He does not fail. He serves quietly and humbly and all the way to the end, and He has the power and the love to do it. This is who our servant is. And the game changer here is because of this servant. We live forever. So when Jesus is baptized, we read in Matthew [inaudible] the first idea of Jesus going into the water. Did you hear where John says, what are you doing? I don’t want to baptize you. It’s because John had a baptism of repentance. So to go to John’s baptism, you had sin and you need to be cleansed. Jesus had no sin [inaudible] so why is Jesus going to be baptized? What would be the point of that?

That’s a good question. The answer is because Jesus is reducing all of God’s people to one and he is the only human who will walk into the curse of death without deserving it. So he takes the place of all sinners in his baptism by him saying, John, you must do this to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus says, I will be baptized. I will walk into that. I will be drowned for my people. And so at Jesus’ baptism, we recognize Jesus dies for us and then he’s going to raise from that, which means we’re going to live forever. His resurrection from the drowning is now ours. This is the first game changer. We have a servant who gives his life for us. He doesn’t just want our vote. He doesn’t just want us to give him power for that, but he dies for you. So this should start to effect the way we look at life.

We don’t have to be scared of dying. So break it off. Call out on the God who gives his son with whom he has delight and he’s given for you. But then wait, there’s more… [Inaudible] The complete justice has been paid for us because justice would condemn us. True justice. No one’s perfect, but Jesus lifts that for us. But then he’s the servant of God. He brings the services of God which are in verse five. “Thus says, God, the Lord who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it. Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it. This is our God. He possesses heaven and earth.”

That’s a big deal because we need the earth. We take care of the earth. We love the earth. All the fear about it, how it’s going to die. Our God created it. He knows the end of it. We always look to him. He’s all powerful. And the God who gives breath and gives the spirit to all people. I am the Lord. I’ve called him to righteousness. He says, here’s what a, here’s what Jesus baptism is going to do for you and set you free. I will take you by the hand and keep you. I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison, those who sit in darkness. So what Jesus does at his baptism, what happens after he comes out of the water?

Well, He comes out of the water and just like at his birth where there’s an army of angels saying glory to God in the highest. This is amazing. At his baptism, father, son and Holy show up, Holy spirit show up and they’re like, this is amazing. And the Holy spirit descends on Jesus like a dove, which as we were reading in Noah’s Ark, remember when they wanted to know if, if the land, if there was land, they sent out a dove and if it didn’t return, they knew there was land. I love when Jesus is baptized. Here’s that dove again. Saying Oh, here’s the land where we’re all safe. It’s safe to come out of the Ark. Our representative is here. The Holy spirit lands on him. The Holy breath and life of God is put on Jesus.

And this Holy spirit does some things. This Holy spirit will first of all open the eyes that are blind. So the Holy spirit, as we are baptized into Jesus, we’re baptized into father, son, Holy spirit. This baptism of Jesus changes the baptism of John. John’s was for repentance. We aren’t baptized into John’s. We’re baptized into Jesus. What happens to his? And so this Holy spirit that lands on Jesus as were baptized into father, son and Holy spirit, we receive his mark. We get the Holy spirit, the same Holy spirit we get and the Holy spirit will open the eyes of the blind. Where are we blind? He’s already opened our eyes. Everyone in this room, I know he’s already opened your eyes to I trust Jesus. Jesus is God, praise God for that is a healing. You should thank God for every day you believe and you have faith because God has opened your eyes. But there’s still areas that maybe your eyes are closed to.

the Holy spirit will open your eyes, give you clarity.

And then with that clarity he says, bring out the prisoners. Cause a lot of times when you open your eyes, you realize I’m chained up by a lot of things. I’m in a dungeon. I forgot. Why did I close my eyes again? Oh cause I didn’t want to know that I was trapped here. But the good news is the Holy spirit and his services open up your eyes, give you light, and then break the chains. Break off the shackles and say, come with me out of this prison into life to be alive to God. This is the work of the Holy spirit. He applies the resurrection power. The Holy spirit is who brought Jesus back to life out of a tomb. That Holy spirit is in you as you are baptized into father, son, and Holy spirit. That Jesus gives us his body that will live again, but then he gives us the power of God and the Holy spirit so that you can see, that you can call upon him. Do you believe me.. I hope! It’s true. Jesus gives this to you at his Baptism, you know why? Because he loves you. Look, look at that. That first part in verse six [inaudible] I’ve called you in righteousness. I will take you by the hand and keep you.

There’s this intimacy when you hold a baby’s hand, hold the child’s hand. Hold the hand of an elderly person that we are brought into the love of God, that God loves his son, loves the spirit. I will. In Isaiah, it’s I will take you by the hand, my servant, that there’s this intimacy and love, but as we are baptized into Jesus, he takes you by the hand. He’s not going to forget about you. He’s going to provide. It’s scary, but he’s going to hold your hand. He loves you.

And that’s why at the end of Jesus’ baptism, the dove descends and then what happens? The love is spoken where God, the father says, this is my son with whom I’m well pleased. So that as we are baptized into father, son and Holy spirit, we get the life of Jesus. We get the power of the Holy spirit and we get the affirmation and included into the love of father, son, Holy spirit. This intense love, you are included. You’re not excluded from it. It’s yours where God says to you, you are my child with whom I’m well pleased. You don’t have to go out and find your meaning and purpose. You don’t have to try and make the pain that you’ve experienced have some value by helping someone else [inaudible]. No, you already have value because you’ve been baptized into father, son and Holy spirit and God gives that to you at the very beginning.

He doesn’t wait for you to earn it. He says, I love you. You’re my son. So at our baptism, at the baptism of Jesus, that’s the moment where Jesus operates out of this great power in love. [inaudible] it reminds me, and you can relate to this, we were at the beach [inaudible]. I was on the shore. My sister-in-law, Pat was out with Luke. Luke was kind of playing around. He was only seven or eight. They got separated. I hear Pat screaming, help, help, help. I looked and it didn’t look too bad, but then I saw Luke was kind of too deep and getting pulled out, and I had this moment of kind of fear and is this really happening? So what did I do? Okay, you know what I did?

What’s that? Right? The story is not going to end. I don’t know what happened and I haven’t seen him since, but that was weird, right? I ran in, I grabbed him without thinking. I grabbed him not knowing how bad it was. Pat to this day will thank me for that. Jesus on the banks of the Jordan sees people who are under the judgment of God, who want to be right, want to be included in love, want to see, want to be free from all this and have no hope, and just like any of us who would save [inaudible] one at a time, Jesus jumps into that water. He says, I will give my life, of course, give my life, and in doing that I’ll give my spirit and I’ll give you the love of the father. Why? Because I want Luke to be alive. I want you to be alive and to live unto God. So when God sees us living as though we’re dead under fear and shackling, he’s like, remember your baptism.

You didn’t die. You’re alive. I want you to live. I want you to love and love others and be empowered and walk in the light, which brings us back. What’s shackling you in 2020 let’s remember our baptism and call upon God every day. Call upon him. God, you saved me for a reason. And he’s like, yeah, the reason is I just love you. Well now I need help. Okay. He’s not going to withhold help. It’s like, Oh, I’m always here to help. What do you need? Yeah, well I want, I want vision for what to do at work. I want, I want patience. I want, I need help. I need you to provide for me. Cause I’m always scared about money. I need courage to make some decisions that are big risks.

You know how we do that? We remember our baptism and then we just ask him. Remember he says, ask, I’m your father. You’ve been brought into my family. You’re alive. So just ask. And so this year man, I want to just ask, I want to pray. I want to fast. I want to do whatever the Lord brings to our minds, to experience healing, to experience fertility, to experience safety. Let’s do it. Because that’s what the baptism of Jesus began. And it’s not just looking back. Our baptism is the point of contact between the God of the universe and us and where his word says, I forgive you and I love you and you are alive to God. So let’s be alive to God. And we don’t judge the outcome on if there’s a God or not. For us, we don’t say, well, I prayed, I didn’t get healed. We just keep praying. That’s what we get to do as kids. You keep praying, you keep engaging because you’re alive, you have nothing to lose.

So how I want to do this, this year is maybe sharing some prayer requests and having everyone pray together. I can’t help but think, you know, Matt preached about wanting to have a baby. Then a week later they have a baby. I’m not super smart about all that, but that could be a formula for this year.

What’s that? Yeah, you have to, everyone has to preach. I’m not mature enough to let that happen. No, but I’m thinking this year during the prayer time, like if as we go and if today there’s something you want us all to pray for that it’s not just me and Matt, but it’s all of us. You all have been baptized, you all have this power and we all have different roles in the kingdom of God and that there’s no role greater or lesser. It’s all beautiful and wonderful. But when we pray together and we say, you know what, we refuse to give up hope and just think, Oh well even if we pray for years… In the old Testament we’re reading, it’s like Isaac, just start reading about Isaac in one verse it says, yeah, he couldn’t have a baby and then they had a baby and then later it says, yeah, Isaac had been married for 20 years. [inaudible]

Isaac the promised baby to Abraham just waits 20 years to have a baby. You think that was easy. But then through him is coming the people of God and Jesus and all this stuff. So we don’t know. We’re just the people who pray and ask and are alive to God. And when he sets us free and when he does it, we’re like not surprised cause we’ve been asking and we know he’s the God who does that and we know he has perfect timing. But be praying this year and be thinking, and I want to use our time at church to pray for one another. So I think that just as baptism brought in a whole new kingdom that’s under the reign and rule of Jesus, our baptism into Jesus has started something totally new. So let’s, let’s live. Let me pray and then we’ll have a chance to pray for someone today. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for your service.

Thank you for changing the whole nature of our game. As we engage our lives in our communities, we want to do the best we can, but we put all of our hope in you and we remember that you have cleansed us. You’ve given us your spirit, you’ve given us your life. You’ve included us in your love. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God. We worship you and praise you. Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wisdom and wealth and might and honor and glory and blessing. We worship you and thank you in Jesus name. Amen.

When you’re baptized and we baptize you, now we go through the Apostle’s creed because it’s a confession of what you believe. What’s funny is before I knew about the Apostle’s creed, you know what we did? You’re baptized and you gave your testimony, which is a confession of what you believe. You know, you’re like, I believe in Jesus. And Kevin told me about it and I thought this is great. And I started crying. I felt the more I love Jesus. And so the historic church basically says that through the apostles creed. And it’s where you remember your baptism. And I was even reading where Luther was saying to his people, one of the ways you remember your baptism is you go, you do this thing, (make the symbol of the cross on yourself) father, son, Holy spirit. And he says back in 1530 or whenever he goes to his people, it’s not Roman Catholic, you guys, cause they’re all going, is this just Roman Catholic?

And he’s like, no, no, this is remembering that you are marked by your baptism that God did. It wasn’t just you doing something for God, that’s great, but it’s God did something to you and he marked. And so every time you go like this, you’re just remembering, I’m a child of God in the name of the father, son and Holy spirit. And it’s just something physical that you can do. You don’t have to do it, but I’m just telling you like the history behind it. Cause forever I thought it was just a Catholic thing and I was raised, you can’t, can’t be Roman Catholic. It’s like a very big fear for some reason. I know it’s heartbreaking, but they were growing up going, you can’t be reformed. Cause you know, everybody has their weaknesses. But I’m telling you, um, we mine too, I’m not finishing all the sentences.

Um, it’s just funny to me now because God’s going to do his work regardless of how we try to categorize God’s still faithful. So you’re a Catholic, you’re a baptist. That’s what’s so wonderful is Jesus Christ surpasses on that. But it is nice to be right. Okay. So in the, in the Apostle’s creed, just know you’re confessing God, the father, the creator, the Redeemer and the sustainer, Holy spirit. And so that is a baptismal vow. That is a vow and a confession that you make. And again, I’ll encourage you in 2020 I say it every day to set me in the right Headspace that God has got. And I’m not, I confess it to the spirit world. You start to break off those cobwebs of I’m in control and I got to do everything. I’m telling you this is a great gift to the church if you can engage it.

So just putting that out there for you. And now let’s say it together, page whatever V but we confess together what we believe in. We’ve been baptized into this. So what do you believe Christian? I believe in God, the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord who was conceived by the Holy spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under pontious pilot, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he Rose again from the dead, asscended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the father almighty, and from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in Holy spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Recieve God’s blessing. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord look upon you and be gracious to you. May he turn his face towards you and give you his favor and grant you peace now and forever? Amen.