Embracing the Good and the Bad (Lent 2B)

 

Embracing the Good and the Bad
Second Sunday of Lent (Year B)
28 February 2021; 10 am Live-Streamed Said Ante-communion 
Homily Delivered at the Parish Church of Trinity Ashland (Oregon)

   The Rev. Dr. Anthony Hutchinson, homilist  

 

Gen. 17:1-7, 15-16; Psa. 22:23-30; Rom. 4:13-25; Mark 8:31-38

 

 God, take away our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh.  Amen.

 

Today’s reading from Mark’s Gospel tells the story of what happens just after Peter first says that he believes Jesus is the Messiah.   Jesus tells him that what he has been taught about this hoped-for figure is wrong. Contrary to common expectations, the Messiah has to undergo great suffering, be rejected by the religious and social leaders of his people, and be killed.  Peter can’t accept this, and tells Jesus off, and says he is out of line.  Jesus replies by rebuking Peter, saying that he is his adversary and not his disciple, using the graphic Aramaic word Satana, or Satan.   Then comes the saying that disciples must learn to pick up their cross and follow Jesus. 

 

Those of you who are familiar with the Jesus Seminar’s work in reconstructing the sayings of the historical Jesus will recognize a problem in the passage:  it has all the shape of being the product of the later faith of the Church.  In fact, most careful biblical scholars note that it has typical signs of the editing and narrative style of the first Gospel writer, Mark.  The Jesus Seminar fellows marked the sayings in the passage as almost certainly not coming from the historical Jesus.  In the phrasing of Marcus Borg, these words come from the post-Easter Jesus, not the pre-Easter one. 

 

But interestingly, there are some reasons for seeing the elements of the story as coming from the historical life of Jesus.  More thorough-going scholars like John P. Meier admit that the story is Mark’s, but that at least some of the details behind the story probably go back to Jesus’ life.  It is hard to conceive of post-Easter Christians making the story up of Jesus calling Peter a Satan, especially right after Peter confesses Jesus as Messiah.   The problem of course is identifying what context these sayings would have had on the lips of the historical Jesus. 

 

At the most, it would be that Jesus could see that he was probably headed to no good end, that his teaching was going to get him in deadly trouble with the Roman authorities, that he still embraced his calling, and that he believed that his followers similarly had to embrace such risk.  Again, at the most, the historical Jesus might be alluding the "son of Man" as a reference to the Messiah, but this is unlikely. 

 

“Son of man” is a phrase that has a long and complex history in scripture.  But the most basic point is this:  in Jesus’ native language, Aramaic, it simply meant a “human being,” and was a way of referring to oneself in a humble, self-deprecatory way.   On the lips of the historical Jesus, “son of man” means something like “this humble person you see before you,” or “this average schmo, me.”    Only later, after Good Friday and Easter, did the Church see this quirky way Jesus had of referring to himself as a claim to be the Messiah:  they linked Jesus’ use of it to a passage in the Book of Daniel that refers to a coming future saving figure as looking “something like a human being,” literally, “a son of man.”     It took Easter to make them see the phrase with new eyes, just as it made them see Jesus’ references to God as “Abba” or Papa not a teaching of the intimacy of each and every person with God, but rather a claim to Jesus’ unique divine sonship. 

 

At the least, the saying would mean something like “this humble human being before you is going to get himself killed.”   And the following saying about disciples taking up their cross would be “and you too must embrace such a lot.” 

 

If indeed these sayings go back to the historical Jesus, then, they must mean something like, “Human beings, if they live how they’re supposed to, are bound to suffer.  And you must embrace this fact or you’re not really understanding my teaching, not really following me.” 

 

Embracing the bad that goes along with the good God gives us, then, would be the point of this teaching by Jesus. 

 

The idea is very close to what we find in the Book of Job.  When Job’s wife tells him to curse God and die because God has been so unfair to him, Job replies, “You are talking like a foolish woman. If we are willing to accept good things from God and bless him, shouldn’t we be willing to accept hard times from him as well?”  The narrator adds, “ In all this, Job did not sin in what he said” (Job 2:0). 

 

Accept the good and bad that God gives you.  Do not struggle against God’s way of bestowing good things.  The idea is implicit in sayings almost universally attributed to the historical Jesus:  “Love both your neighbor and enemies alike.  Act as the children of your father in heaven, who gives his blessing of rain and sunshine equally to the righteous and the wicked” (Matt 5:45).  “Do not worry about what tomorrow will bring. God cares for the sparrows and wildflowers.  God will care for you” (Matt 6:25-34).  “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” 

 

This isn’t to say we need to reject feelings of hurt and pain when we suffer.  Feelings will come, and that’s O.K.  That’s one of the great lessons from the Book of Psalms, that has about every emotion under the sun.   Accept feelings; but make sure you act on them rightly. 

 

But trusting in a gracious and good God, a loving Abba or Papa, means trusting.  That means we need to have equanimity and patience.  It means acceptance.

 

Acceptance is not gritting your teeth, holding your nose, and putting up with the intolerable.  Acceptance is embracing what is, good and bad, and letting that embrace be part of our love for God and God’s love for us.  Acceptance is not judging, but watching and being present. 

 

There is a traditional Chinese story that tells of accepting the way things are, the Tao:  A farmer had only one horse.  One day the horse ran away. The neighbors came to commiserate over what they saw as his terrible loss. The farmer said, "What makes you think it is so terrible?"  Later, the horse came home--this time bringing with her two beautiful wild horses. The neighbors became excited at the farmer's good fortune. Such lovely strong horses! The farmer said, "What makes you think this is good fortune?"  The farmer's son was thrown from one of the wild horses and broke his leg. All the neighbors were very distressed. Such bad luck! The farmer said, "What makes you think it is bad?"  A war came, and every able-bodied man was conscripted and sent into battle. Only the farmer's son, because he had a broken leg, remained. The neighbors congratulated the farmer. "What makes you think this is good?" said the farmer.

 

When Jesus says he will suffer terrible things and we must be willing to suffer terribly too, I think he is calling us to acceptance.  And this is because our Father in heaven is ultimately good and kind, despite what may appear before our eyes.  Trusting God, having faith, means acceptance. 

 

Thanks be to God.  Amen.

 

Lengthen your Stride (mid-week message)

 

Lengthen Your Stride

Fr. Tony’s Midweek Message

February 24, 2021

 

Lent is the time when we prepare for Easter by making a special effort to become more like God wants us to be. God created each one of us, and when God finishes creation, God always declares it to be “very good” (Gen 1:31).  God has an intention, God has a plan in mind for each and every one of us.

But look at us. Even though there are lots of good things in us, and lots of good points, there are also a lot of places where we fall short, where we are not what God intends us to be, and where we even act like spoiled children toward each other and toward God. Sometimes we just can’t help but say the unkind thing about an associate or coworker behind their back because it makes us look smarter and more in line with the “in crowd.”  Sometimes we just can’t be bothered with putting in a little extra effort to help someone who needs it because we are tired, feel frustrated, or annoyed. We fall short of what God wants because of lots of different things: our fears, thoughtlessness, laziness, weakness, or our own deliberate choice.

What that means is that God is not yet finished creating us. That moment when God can look at us and say, “Very Good” is still in the future. But we have to learn to let God do this. That’s why we pray, why we go to Church, why we take communion, learn what Jesus taught and how he behaved. It is also why we keep Lent.

The word Lent comes from an Old English word that means lengthen, or get longer. In the Northern Hemisphere where this practice of Christianity grew, February through April are springtime, when warmth and light returns after the cold and dark of winter. The days of winter are very short and the days of summer very long. Where I grew up in Moses Lake, Washington, in the middle of winter, the sun came up at about 8:00 in the morning and went down at about 4:00 in the afternoon. But in the summer, the sky started to get light at 4:30 in the morning and finally got dark in the evening about 10:00 pm. So in the springtime, the days gradually grew longer until they were almost twice as long as they had been in the winter.

During Lent, we too should stretch and try to get longer and taller. Not in a physical way, but in our hearts and the way we follow Jesus. During Lent, we try to remember and think on the places where we fall short, where we don’t measure up to what God wants for us, and try to set it right. Some of us give up a few things we like—like certain foods or treats—in order help us remember all the time to stretch and think about what Jesus wants us to be. (This year, I am “fasting” from such fasting, because Covid has so constricted our communal life that I find just focusing on the positive is sufficient for me to make that Lenten lengthening.) Some of us make a special effort to say our prayers, to read Bible stories and other good books, and to be especially kind and helpful to others, especially those who really need the help. Some make special efforts to say they’re sorry and make up for bad things they have done to others.

When you run a race, you have your pace and your stride—how fast you move your feet and how far you place them ahead of each other with each step. A coach tells a runner to speed up: quicken your pace, lengthen your stride. That means move your feet faster and make each step count more by making it longer. Because he knew that quickening my pace was beyond me, one of my coaches in Middle School used to yell at me, “Hutchinson, LENGTHEN YOUR STRIDE” to get me to run further faster.  

Lent is a quiet time, so we shouldn’t try to do too much: moving faster isn’t the point. Making each spiritual step count more, lengthening our stride, is essential as we try to listen to God. So just like the lengthening days, our steps get longer, and we stretch ourselves more. We do this together during this special time called Lent, because doing things together and with the help of others usually helps us do them better. It also helps remind us to do it.

Grace and Peace. 

A Lenten Prayer (midweek message)

 

Fr. Tony’s Midweek Message

A Lenten Prayer

February 17, 2021

 

Blessed Ephrem of Edessa, a fourth century deacon, hymn-writer, teacher, poet, orator, and defender of the Faith has been called The Harp of the Holy Spirit for his dozens of poems and hymns, all written in his native Syriac (Late Aramaic).    He wrote this penitential prayer: 

 

 “O Lord and Master of my life, grant me not a spirit of sloth, meddling, love of power, and idle talk, but give to me, your servant, a spirit of sober-mindedness, humility, patience, and love.  Yes, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to judge others, since you are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen.”

 

In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, this prayer is considered to be the most succinct summation of the spirit of Great Lent.  As the Lenten prayer par excellence, it is prayed during all Orthodox Lenten weekday services.

 

Grace and Peace,

Fr. Tony+

 

(thnx to Bro. Finn Coll for sharing this with me)

Refulgent beauty (Last Sunday befroe Lent B)

 

 

Refulgent Beauty

Last Sunday Before Lent (Year B)
14 February 2021; 10 am Live-streamed Ante-communion

Transfiguration Sunday
Homily Delivered at Trinity Episcopal Church

The Rev. Fr. Tony Hutchinson, SCP, Ph.D.

Ashland, Oregon  

2 Kings 2:1-12; Psalm 50:1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9 

God, take away our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh. Amen. 

 

Light and fear: it’s in all the scripture passages today. 

 

The Gospel sees Jesus shining bright before his closest friends.  The light shining from the face of Jesus overwhelms Peter.  “Let’s build three small shelters commemorating this!” he says.   We shouldn’t hold the odd reaction against him, says the narrator—he was, after all scared out of his wits.

 

Paul in the Epistle says that people are blinded from seeing the light of the Gospel, the brightness of Christ, because of their lack of trust.  That what the word translated as “unbelievers” means: they lack trust in God.   Again, fear blinds us to the light. 

 

The Psalm says “Out of Zion, in its beauty, God discloses himself in brilliant light.” Surrounded by a raging storm and a fire devouring everything before it, God’s appearance pulls his people into a courtroom where only God’s Hasidim, can stand.  The word means those devoted to him, the kind ones. Their fear has been overcome by shared trust and commitment:  when the scripture’s shorthand says these gentle ones “have made a covenant with me and sealed it with sacrifice,” this means they have had a relationship of mutual goodness, promises, and care between them and God, one involving serious self-giving.  Here, love and trust casts out the fear that would have blinded them to the light. 

 

In the Hebrew scriptures, the great prophet Elijah gets ready for his last trip.  The younger man he has mentored all these years, Elisha, asks to go along for the ride, afraid the old man is going to disappear.  When anyone reminds Elisha that this is after all Elijah’s last trip, Elisha does not want to hear.  He is afraid to face up to his mentor’s passing.  Elisha’s afraid he won’t measure up and be able to fill the old man’s shoes.   When Elijah gets to Jordan, that symbol of endings, new beginnings, death, and new life, Elisha insists on going on with him, and true to form, Elijah performs one last great marvel.  He takes his coat and smacks the water with it, dividing it into two, and the two men walk across on dry ground.   “Now I really am leaving,” says Elijah, “What is it you want?”  Afraid of his own inadequacies, Elisha wants twice as much of whatever it was that made Elijah the prophet he has been.  “Wow! That’s a steep order!  If you face up to reality and actually see what’s coming, you might just get what you ask!”  When the fiery whirlwind comes, Elisha, having to taken to heart his mentor’s encouragement, sees the whole thing and receives Elijah’s cloak: he has indeed grown to fill the shoes left by his legendary mentor. 

 

There is a subtle message in Mark’s telling of the transfiguration story.  Three times in that Gospel, facades are ripped away and the refulgent beauty of God revealed: in each scene, Elijah appears in some form, and a voice declares that Jesus is the Son of God.  In Mark’s story of the baptism, John the Baptist, elsewhere called “Elijah” by Jesus, baptizes him, and the heavens are ripped open, revealing the descent of the Spirit and the voice of God: “This is my son, the beloved.”  In his story of the Transfiguration, the everyday looks of Jesus disappear as he is revealed in blindingly brilliant light.  God’s voice again says, “This is my Son, the beloved.”  Then, at the crucifixion, the crowds mistake Jesus’ call to God, “Eloi,” as a call to Elijah.  The Temple curtain is ripped in two, and the centurion supervising the judicial murder of Jesus, seeing him expire, says, “This was God’s Son.”    The truth of who Jesus is truly is revealed in each scene, but in the crucifixion, it is not about stage props of blinding light or refulgent beauty we see in the baptism and the transfiguration.  Here Jesus is revealed not in shining glory, but dark horror and suffering.   Seeing beyond and behind the ugliness of Jesus’ death, we recognize that the centurion’s words can only be verified for us by God speaking in our own heart.   Refulgent beauty lies behind the horror; we at times cannot see it because of our fear. 

 

Today is the last Sunday after Epiphany before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.  It is called transfiguration Sunday, after the Gospel reading.  But all of these texts talk about transformation and transfiguration:  change that we all must undergo if we are to come to recognized the light, love it, and not be blinded by it. 

 

Sisters and brothers, know that God loves you and accepts you.  If you have fear, it stems from not accepting this essential fact.   Fear blinds us, makes us crazy, and distorts us.  We become twisted and the world becomes broken. But as Leonard Cohen says in his song “Anthem,”     

 

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

 

Loving Jesus is about facing the truth.  It is about losing our fear.  It is about being open to sudden astounding moments of clarity.  It is about seeing the love and refulgent beauty of God even when we are faced with darkness and horror. 

 

As we prepare for Lent, I invite us to look at the areas where we are blind.  The most direct way is to find what deeply upsets our balance and joy, and then ask what it is in us that makes us so vulnerable here.   This is a practice commonly used in counseling and direction.  Jesuits call it an examination of conscience.  Twelve Steppers call it a moral inventory.  It is best done with a friend, a spiritual director, or ideally a "discreet priest." 

 

Ask yourself, “what is it about me that causes me to be so upset or undone by this action of others or situation?’  I think that if you ask yourself that question and observe carefully and honestly, you will find that fear it at the heart of most of our problems.   

 

A simple example might be:  I get upset when my “fairness” button is pushed, when someone, especially someone I’m responsible for, suffers from unjust treatment. What is it about me that upsets me so in this?  I think it is because I am afraid that I do not do enough to uphold fairness.  I am afraid of people thinking ill of me.  I am afraid of thinking of myself as one of the oppressors.  I am afraid for my social- and self-esteem.

 

Again: what is it about me that lets this situation set me off? Why does it upset me?  What fear is at the heart of it? 

 

Letting the light in through the cracks, being open to sudden epiphanies, recognizing the refulgent beauty of God even in hardship, letting ourselves be changed from glory into glory as we bathe in the light coming from Jesus’ face, all this starts with recognizing our blindness, identifying our fear.  Once we have identified them, it will be time to let Jesus gently overcome them. 

 

In the name of Christ, Amen.

 

The Great Litany in Rite II language, adapted from Anglican Church of Canada's Book of Alternative Services

 

The Great Litany

Anglican Church of Canada Book of Alternative Services, 

adapted for use in the U.S. Pacific Northwest

 

I. Prayer of Approach to God

 

 

Celebrant  God the Father, creator of heaven and earth,

People       Have mercy upon us.

 

Celebrant  God the Son, redeemer of the world,

People       Have mercy upon us.

 

Celebrant  God the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide,

People       Have mercy upon us.

 

Celebrant  Holy, blessed, & glorious Trinity,

                  three persons & one God,  

People       Have mercy upon us.

 

II. Prayers for Deliverance

 

Officiant

 

Celebrant  Lord, remember not our offenses, nor the offenses of our forebears;

spare us, good Lord, spare your people whom you have redeemed

with your precious blood.

People       Spare us, good Lord.

 

 

Celebrant  From all evil and mischief, from sin, from the crafts and assaults of the devil, from wrath, and from everlasting condemnation,

People       Good Lord, deliver us.

 

Celebrant  From all spiritual blindness, from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all want of charity,

People       Good Lord, deliver us.

 

Celebrant  From all deadly sin, and from the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,

People       Good Lord, deliver us.

 

Celebrant  From all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart, and contempt of your word and commandment,

People       Good Lord, deliver us.

 

Celebrant  From earthquake and tempest; from drought, fire, smoke, and flood; from plague and contagion, from civil strife and violence; from war and murder; and from dying suddenly and unprepared,

People       Good Lord, deliver us.

 

III. Prayers Recalling Christ’s Saving Work

 

Celebrant   By the mystery of your holy incarnation,

                   by your baptism, fasting, and temptation;

                   and by your proclamation of the kingdom,

People        Good Lord, deliver us.

 

Celebrant  By your agony and bitter grief, by your cross and passion, by your precious death and burial, by your glorious resurrection and ascension, and by the coming of the Holy Spirit,

People       Good Lord, deliver us.

 

Celebrant  In our times of trouble, in our times of prosperity,

                  in the hour of death, and on the day of judgment,

People       Good Lord, deliver us.

 

IV. Prayers of Intercession

 

 

         

 

Celebrant  Receive now our prayers, Lord God. May it please you to rule and govern your holy Church universal and lead it in your way.

People       Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant   Strengthen our President NN in true worship and holiness of life, give him compassion and wisdom that he may work justice and defend the downtrodden, and endue the leaders of this nation and every nation with understanding and a love of peace.

People       Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant  Bless and defend all who strive for our safety and protection, and shield them in all dangers and adversities.

People       Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant  Grant wisdom and insight to those who govern us, and to judges and magistrates the grace to execute justice with mercy.

People       Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant  Enlighten all bishops, priests, and deacons with true knowledge and understanding of your word, that in their preaching and living they may declare it clearly and show its truth.

People       Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant  Bless all lay ministers in your Church and your servants preparing for ordination. Pour your grace upon them that they may serve others as Christ himself has served us, for the building up of his Body in love.

People       Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant  Encourage and prosper your servants who spread the gospel in all the world, and send out laborers into the harvest.

People       Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant  Bless and keep all your people, that all may find and follow their true vocation and ministry.

People        Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant  Give us a heart to love and have reverence for you, that we may diligently live according to your commandments.

People       Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant  To all your people give growth in grace to listen to your word, to receive it gladly, and to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit.

People       Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant  Strengthen those who stand firm in the faith, encourage the faint hearted, raise up those who fall, and finally beat down Satan under our feet.

People       Hear us, good Lord.

 

V. For all people

 

Celebrant   To all nations grant unity, peace, and concord,

                   and to all people give dignity, food, and shelter.

People        Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant   Grant us abundant harvests, strength and skill

                   to protect and conserve the resources of the earth,

                   and wisdom to use them well.

People        Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant   Enlighten with your Spirit all who teach

                   and all who learn.

People        Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant   Come to the help of all who are in danger, necessity,

                   and trouble;

                   protect all who travel by land, air, or water;

                   and show your pity on all prisoners and captives.

People        Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant   Strengthen and preserve all women

                   who are in childbirth, and all young children,

                   and comfort the aged and lonely.

People        Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant   Defend and provide for the widowed and the orphaned,

                   refugees and the homeless, the unemployed,

                   and all who are desolate and oppressed.

People        Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant   Heal those who are sick in body or mind,

                   and give skill and compassion to all who care for them.

People        Hear us, good Lord.

 

Celebrant   Grant us true repentance, forgive our sins,

                   and strengthen us by your Holy Spirit

                   to amend our lives according to your holy word.

People        Hear us, good Lord.

 

Concluding Prayers

 

            

         Officiant   Son   of    God,    we   ask   you  to   hear us.

         People      Son   of    God,    we   ask  you  to   hear         

  

            Lamb of God,       you take away the sins of the world:

 

            

                  Grant         us              your           peace.

 

           

            Officiant   Lord,    have     mer-  cy      up-    on   us.

            People      Christ,    have    mer- cy      up-   on    us.

            Officiant   Lord,     have     mer-  cy     up-    on    us.

 

 

 

US BCP 79 p. 153

When the Litany is sung or said immediately before the Eucharist, the Litany

concludes here, and the Eucharist begins with the Salutation and the Collect of the Day. 

 

On all other occasions, the Officiant and People say together

 

Our Father, who art in heaven,

    hallowed be thy Name,

    thy kingdom come,

    thy will be done,

       on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

    as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from evil. Amen.

 

The following Supplication is used in the Litany after the Lord’s Prayer in times of war, or of national anxiety, or of disaster.

 

O Lord, a/rise and \help us;

And deliver us for your \Name’s /sake.

 

O God, we have /heard with \our ears,

and our ancestors have \declared un/to us,

the noble works that you did in /their \days,

and in the old time be\fore /them.

 

O Lord, a/rise and \help us;

And deliver us for your \Name’s /sake.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy

Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

 

O Lord, a/rise and \help us;

And deliver us for your \Name’s /sake

 

V.   From our enemies defend us, O /Christ;

R.    Graciously behold \our /af- /flictions.

V.   With pity behold the sorrows of our /hearts;

R.    Mercifully forgive the sins \of /your /people.

V.   Favorably with mercy hear our /prayers;

R.    O Son of David, have mer- \cy /up- /on us.

V.   Both now and ever vouchsafe to hear us, O /Christ;

R.    Graciously hear us, O Christ; graciously hear \us, /Lord /Christ.

 

The Officiant concludes

 

Let us pray.

 

We humbly beg of you, O Father, mercifully to look upon

our infirmities; and, for the glory of your Name, turn from us

all those evils that we most justly have deserved; and grant

that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and

confidence in your /mer- \cy, and evermore serve you in holiness

and pureness of living, to your hon- \or /and /glory; through our

only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord.  \A- /men.

 

---

 

 

In other times, the following is used instead of the Supplication:

 

V.   O Lord, show us your /mer- \cy;

R.   As we put our \trust /in \you.

 

The Officiant concludes with the following or some other Collect

 

Let us pray.

 

Almighty God, you have promised to hear the petitions of

those who ask in your Son’s Name: We ask you mercifully

to incline your ear to us who have now made our prayers

and supplications unto you; and grant that those things

which we have asked faithfully according to your will, may be

obtained effectual- \ly, /to the relief of our necessity, and to the

setting forth of your /glo- \ry; through Jesus \Christ /our /Lord. \A- /men.

The Officiant may add other Prayers, and end the Litany, saying

 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and

the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore.

Amen.