Isaiah Lesson 75

I want to say good afternoon, it's officially good afternoon, unless you happen to be in central or mountain time, in which case it's still morning. That's the only relative teaching you're going to get this morning.

Japan is tomorrow, there you go, because of the international date line. Jeff and I, we spend time when we get together Wednesday mornings looking at different verses as we progress through the book of Psalms.

There's some fascinating stuff there. Psalm 115 starts out by giving glory to who God is. To thy name gives the glory. Then it goes into this section and it speaks about the folly of idols. They can't even talk, they can't even walk.

What real good is there in an idol? And then that little section ends with this statement here. Those who make them, the idol makers, become like them. They become worthless, hard hearts, there you go.

As does everyone who trusts in them. So having the lure that basically Satan puts out there to find something other than Yahweh as God lets you rest your faith, your trust, your allegiance to something that is absolutely meaningless.

And eventually that's what you become, absolutely meaningless. Isaiah 58 is going to talk about a very important topic, the topic of worship. When we travel around, whether it's going on vacation and finding a church or being where our children live and going to the church that they have, or before kids, we would go to Annapolis to Sandy's parents' church.

Some churches have a tendency to be a little more emotional. And so playing on the heartstrings of emotion has a value to them. I don't know if you've ever been in a church where the worship service just seems to be a Broadway production.

For me it's distracting. I imagine that God gives us the gift of music, he really does, and it draws us into his very, very presence. I find that personally for me, God has allowed me to have an ability to present musically, whether it's on an instrument or vocally.

A couple of years ago I sang a song on the Good Friday service called Watch the Lamb. And it's a story about a father going into Jerusalem for the Passover with his two young children. And he's giving them instructions, it's going to be a lot going on, of watch the lamb, it's not who's the lamb, watch the lamb.

He turns out to be the man who carries the cross for Christ up to Golgotha. And the dramatic presentation without that song is vivid. And it ends up on Calvary. And it's two little boys taking his hands and saying, Daddy, Daddy, what have we seen here?

And eventually he turns around and he says, watch the lamb. It's a powerful message. I was just about breaking up, if you could sense, just telling you this story. Which is to say that if I get the opportunity to give a vocalization of a song like that in a worship service, if I listen to the words that I'm singing, I can't sing.

So the only way that I can get through that, exactly, to have the words so well memorized that they are a spewing out of things. As a child, I learned how to say an accumulation of words that eventually I could say them without any meaning whatsoever in my heart.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. And I could say those words perfectly, but they meant nothing to me. They should mean nothing to you. Well, that is exactly the question, why should you want to do that?

For me, singing that song, it's not the first time I sang it. I've sung it before. I've come to a peace in my heart that says I may not be specifically worshiping myself when I'm singing those words, because I can't get through it.

But what I'm doing is I'm allowing God to use my voice as an instrument, as a tool, to help the people that are sitting there worship. And I'm okay with that. Because I don't think I'm pretending to be worshiping so much as I'm facilitating others.

Worship in Spirit and Truth

Jesus is taking his followers on a special journey. It starts out in Matthew chapter 5. Now when Jesus saw the crowds, now these are people that were following him because they were interested in him, following in him because they've heard some exciting stuff might be going on.

Or they were following him so that they could attack him and try to trip him up and accuse him. There were various reasons why. So Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Get this, his disciples went up with him.

And he began to teach them, sang them. The Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5, 6, and 7, are not given to those who hated him. And they're not even given to those who are just casually looking for excitement.

Maybe he's going to feed 5 ,000 and I'll get a free lunch again. None of that. It's the disciples. So when we read the words of the Sermon on the Mount, we read the words that are given to people that have a heart that appears to be focused.

Put the word worshiping God and wanting to see that. And so in chapter 6, it breaks into three important didactic pericopes. Isn't that a fun set of words? It talks about when you are giving your gifts, don't let your left hand see what your right hand is doing.

Don't be like the hypocrites who love to parade in front of all to see. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who stand in front for everybody to see. Pray with your heart. When you fast, don't be like the hypocrites who disfigure their faces.

He's taking acts of what we would call acts of worship and just tearing them to shreds from the world's perspective. They're not ritual and they're not for show. He wants them to know what is true. Rich, I want you to get Deuteronomy 6, chapter 5.

You probably don't even need to look it up. 6, 5. Once you see the first word, you won't need it. Bob, if you would get John 5, 23 and 24. I want to put these other verses as introductions, table settings for what we're about to see in Isaiah.

John 4. That's what it should be. What did I say? John 4. Thank you for that. Fortunately, you have grace when I misspeak.

We're going to open in prayer because we haven't prayed yet. Alright, we can do that. I was going to finish mine. Oh, my bad. I thought you were leaving. This is the lead-in. This is the lead-in. Got you.

Continue on. Continue on. Thank you. He forgot to reverse it. Yeah.

Go ahead, please. You shall love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

That is God's desire throughout the New Testament, throughout all of his revealed plan. Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, and your strength. In fact, Jesus quotes this. He said, the second is like it.

Love your neighbor as yourself. These hang all the laws and the commandments. John 4. Bob, 23 and 24. Yes.

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. For they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

Now, could you give us a prayer?

Alright. So, Father, that is our prayer, Lord. That we would worship you in spirit and in truth. Not going through the motions. No empty ritual, Lord. But that we would worship from the heart. That we would love you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Now, help us to learn from Isaiah 58 to do just that. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Amen. You're going to be my Isaiah 58 person. Joshua 3. Sue, I'm going to ask you to get that. I will talk to Joshua 8. Nehemiah 8. Lisa, if you could pull out Nehemiah 8. Give me just verse 1, if you would.

Alright. Cry aloud, do not hold back. Lift up your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their transgression. To the house of Jacob, their sins. There is a call here.

And it's even actually a form of worship. To be crying truth aloud. And it says here to do it aloud. This is not a timid. This is not an embarrassment. The reason we should cry out loud is because it's God's word.

And the world needs to hear it. And then it goes on and it says. And declare to my people their transgression. Does not sound like a real loving, feel good, worship service. But if God's word is proclaimed.

The word of God is living and active. And kind of soft and gushy and doesn't really. No. It says sharper than any two-edged sword. Piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit of both joints and marrow.

Get this. Able to judge thoughts. Thoughts and intentions of the heart. And so when Jeff stands up on Sunday. And he opens up the word of God. This is a living and active word. That not only proclaims truth.

But according to what is written by the author of Hebrews. It judges the thoughts and intentions of your heart. And so to stand up front and make everybody feel like they're okay. I'm okay. That sounds very 60's.

Peace. Thank you. No. No you're not. If you are not a child of God. You are definitely not okay. And if you are a child of God. But you're letting sin abide in your life. You have a problem that should be resolved.

We should be confessing and repenting. That sin was already taken to the cross. But if we allow sin to manifest itself. We're putting up a barrier to where we're not listening. To the instructions of God.

And we don't want a pastor who's a motivational speaker. Go with that. You know somebody that's always proclaiming. You know you can achieve goodness. You can have health, wealth and be wise. You should be happy all the time.

Instead of encountering the fact that God is a holy God. And you'll be judged if you violate his commands.

I'm going to challenge the second thing that you said. Is actually true motivation. Yes. It should be. I think our pastor should be a motivational speaker. Motivating us down the path of sanctification.

Absolutely. I hope you're a motivational speaker. Now in the world's perspective. Motivating so that everybody walks out with a smile on their face. And wants to come back next Sunday because they feel so good.

That's not. I don't think that's true motivation. I don't think that's love.

I don't think that's love. It brings us back to that thing that has been said in this very class. That there's a big difference between joy and happiness. Because we should have joy all the time in our hearts.

Because Jesus died for us. However. There are many things. I just lost my dear, dear friend back on Long Island. I'm not happy today. I'm not happy. But I still have joy.

Amen. Praise God. Thank you for sharing that. Scripture has many, many examples. I've asked a couple to be read. We can talk to many of them. Joshua 3. The nation is getting ready to go after the promised land.

They haven't yet reached Jericho. And God encourages Joshua to proclaim the word of the law. That's motivational speaking. Do you have that too?

So Joshua said to the children of Israel. Come here and hear the words of the Lord your God. And Joshua said. By this sheet you shall know that the living God is among you. And that he will without fail drive out from before you.

The Canaanites. And the Hittites. And the Nebuchadnezzarites. And the Thessalonians. And the Amorites. And the Jebusites. Behold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth.

What a way to motivate somebody to cry out loud. And by the way, they're going to lose focus on that after Jericho. They're going to lose focus on that. Because they're going to think really good about themselves in this little town.

AI. But they do need to be getting back to the word of God. And proclaiming it. Because we do know that God is with you. Those are the words of encouragement. After many, many battles and victories. Other than AI.

Joshua takes them to Mount Ebel and Mount Gerizim. Next to each other. There's a valley in between. And the ark of the covenant is situated at the ark. And what they do is they go to Deuteronomy 28. And one side proclaims the blessings.

And the other side proclaims the curses. These are both truths. Just forming, foundationing, establishing themselves to here. I love that he thought of crying that out loud. It was an antiphonal. Nehemiah ate.

The people had been in captivity for 70 years. Under Ezra, they're able to return. And they start rebuilding the temple. And then Nehemiah is let known that there is irrepairable walls. And it distresses him.

And he mourns. And he weeps. And he fasts. And eventually he's bold enough to go in front of the king. And then as they're heading now to the people back in Jerusalem, to get their attention and get them going, what does he start out with?

The word of the Lord. 8 -1 -3. Who's got that? Lisa? No, I have Nehemiah. Yes, Nehemiah ate 1 -3. Oh. I thought you were on Joshua's show. That's all right.

I'm sorry. I was following. That's okay. So Joshua ate something that was supposed to be next. That's fine.

As she's getting that, we can fast forward to the New Testament. Oh, here we go. Okay, you got it? Go ahead.

And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate. And they spake to Ezra, the scribe, to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord commanded to Israel.

That's actually good enough. I love it because the people are even motivated. They get a hold of Ezra the priest. They say, give us the word. Give us the word. And that's how they get protected from some of the subtle attacks from Satan.

But give us the word. Give us the word. That prepares them. In Acts 2, as Peter is preparing to launch the church, what does he do? He has all these people gathered from all around in Jerusalem, and he proclaims the word of the Lord.

Proclaiming the word of the Lord. If you want to start out in worship, if you want to start out, love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and your mind, start out with a foundation of truth, not traditions, cultural isms, or anything else like that.

Start there. Unfortunately, Israel has lost the formula. Verses 2 to 5. Isaiah 1. Bob, if you would get Isaiah 1. And we'll shift over there to Barb. If you would get Malachi. Otherwise known as Malachi.

The only Israeli prophet.

Malachi what? 1, verses 6 to 8. It's on the sheet there. Isaiah 58, 2 through 5. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God.

They ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.

Okay, stop right there. This actually sounds halfway decent, except for two words stuck in the middle of it. As if. As if.

As if. Now go on. Why have we fasted and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves and you take no knowledge of it? Behold, in the day of your fast, you seek your own pleasure and impress all your workers.

Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose a day for a person to humble himself?

Is it to bow down his head like a reed and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?

The imagery of the external versus the internal is on display right now. As if. As if. So the people have been taught and perhaps they believe that by following these prescriptions they're going to satisfy God.

And so it says they seek me daily and they delight to know my ways. When we go into the book of Hebrews there are five woes in the book of Hebrews?

Yeah, the five warning passages, yeah. Yeah.

And they could be totally misconstrued to say that a believer, a true believer in Christ can fall under the indictment of one of these warning passages and lose their salvation. That is not what it says.

What it says is that you can have somebody part of your congregation, part of your fellowship who does all of the prescriptions, externally has all of the evidence, but never had the heart. They're the ones that are in danger.

They're the ones, yes. Does that mean that you can have the heart and not the outward self?

No, no, no, that is a great question. That is a great question. I mean, look at that in the reverse. Is it possible for someone to have the heart and have nothing outward?

That is the book of James. James, right. Well, James says that you're bad if you don't have any outward.

James says you have faith. Show me your faith by my works. I have faith by my works. Faith without works is dead. So, now, that being said, that does not say that every believer at all times has outward expressions of their faith.

There are those who get cold and dull. But that doesn't mean that they lost their salvation. That means that they need to be, their fire needs to be relit. That's what that means. But, if your life never shows work, my personal testimony, after receiving Christ, no discipleship, I attempted to go back to my old way of life.

And it distressed me. It totally depressed me. I believe that was the Holy Spirit's working in my life. Because I was grieving the Holy Spirit, and he wasn't happy. And so, that was the work. The things that I used to do, I used to be the life of the party, I couldn't do it anymore.

I changed. Faith without works, faith without works is dead. But let's go back to this here. We have people that they do all the things they seek God, and they even have the head knowledge. They can recite the verses, and they can probably even apply the verses.

But they can't understand it, because it says the things of God cannot be understood by man, only by the Spirit can you understand the things of God. And then it says, it's as if, as if they were a nation that did righteous, that didn't forsake the judgment.

They're acting. Everything they're doing looks like, it's as if that's who they really, really were. And they even ask God, but what does it say in the beginning of Isaiah? Did I give Isaiah 1? Yeah. It says 10 through 10.

Excuse me, Isaiah 1, start at 10 and I'll stop, do that. Yeah, it goes at least till 14, I think. Okay. Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. Listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah.

Okay, now stop right there. He's actually reading this up to the Jews. And he's calling them Sodom and Gomorrah. That's how despicable they are. Go ahead. Continue. The multitude of your sacrifices, what are they to me, says the Lord?

I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals. I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts?

Stop bringing meaningless offerings. Your incense is detestable to me. New moons, sabbaths and convocations, I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, my soul hates.

They have become a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you. Even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood.

Wash and make yourselves clean. That's good there. There are a couple of verses in Scripture that are frightening to me, and that's one of them. Even when you pray, I will not listen. The ritualistic prayers, Hail Mary, full of grace, Lord, that is not prayer.

That is not prayer. That's a ritualistic... It's just recitation.

It's just recitation, is all that it is. Well, then there's that too. Is that Isaiah 10? Isaiah 1. Isaiah 1.

Starting in verse 10. Isaiah 1, 10 to 14. That was my first official typo. Listen to the utilization of first person versus a third person in this. Why have we fasted? And you don't hear it. That's second.

Why have we humbled ourselves? But you don't take any pleasure in it. And then he says, Behold, the day of your fast, you're seeking your own pleasure. He's going like he does on the Sermon on the Mount, beyond the external, into the internal.

He says you fast only to quarrel. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice heard on high. It doesn't work is what he's saying. He's indicting them against what they do. Is such the fast that I choose?

Is it even meaningful if you humble yourself? It's like, don't be like the hypocrites who disfigure their faces to show people they're fasting. When you fast, wash your face, pour oil on your head, so that it won't be obvious to anybody that you're fasting, but to your Father who is in heaven.

That's his teaching on that. It's not going to make your, is it following your head like a reed in some sort of humble, no it's not. Will you call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord? That's almost a rhetorical question.

It really is. Malachi 1, 6 to 8.

A son honors his father and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me? Says the Almighty Lord. It is you, O priest, who show contempt for my name.

But you ask, how have we shown contempt for your name? You place the file food on the altar, but you ask, how have we defiled you? By saying that the Lord's table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong?

When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor. Would you be pleased with you? Would he be pleased with you?

Would he accept you? That's good there. You know how to show honor to your father, hopefully, your earthly father, hopefully. He says, I am your heavenly father, how much more should you be honoring me?

And what you're doing is, you're playing games, even with your sacrifices. You know that what I want is the best, the pure, the undefiled. But you're actually, you're actually giving me the lame of the crop and pretending like this should be an acceptable sacrifice.

Would you do that to your governor? You wouldn't get away with it. What makes you think that it would be acceptable to the Lord, your God?

Yeah. One of the key phrases I'll use with fellow Christians with regard to evangelism, there's one or two of them, is Matthew 5 .16. Let your light shine so others may see your good works and worship your father as an angel.

The other is 2 Corinthians, to always be prepared, to give the reason for the hope when you're asked. This is pure 5 .16. All you have to do is be there for people. If you want to witness people, do this.

And they'll know.

They'll ask, what is it with you? The power of Matthew 5 .16, it is that when you've done these things with a heart that seeks after God, people will see it and they will acknowledge it. And give glory to your father who is in heaven.

That's where now we get into. What does the Lord your God require of all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind? Not me. It's not worship to me. That's a spiritual change of attitude.

Open people wide open if they're genuine with their desire to know.

If you bring a person into church who is open to hearing, maybe you've got something that I don't have, and you take them into a church where it's just more country club, empty worship. It's a sense. What's the sense?

Why am I wasting my time here? I had a good country club down there in Bedford Lakes. I don't need this one. This needs to be a house of worship.

Absolutely, very, very well said. That's why we're here, John. That's why we're here. Amen to that. All right, give me,.

Let's get some good news. Okay. In verses 6 -12. Is not this the fast that I choose? To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house when you see the naked to cover him and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn and your healing shall spring up speedily.

Your righteousness shall go before you. The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call and the Lord will answer. You shall cry and he will say, Here I am. If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness.

Keep going? Yeah, all the way to 12. All the way to 12. Okay. If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noon day.

And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong. And you shall be like a water garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt.

And you shall raise up the foundations of many generations. You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.

He starts out by giving an encouragement of a hard attitude that I believe is part and parcel to having a surrender of yourself to God. He said, isn't this the fast that I really want? Not the lame, not even the bloodshed.

This is the fast that I want. I want you to show pure agape love to your brothers. Now, you're never going to show pure agape love to your brothers unless you have agape love to God. I put that out as a...

I think it's... I think I can't find it in scripture.

That you can't have agape love to your brother without agape love to God.

Well, we agape him because he agaped us first. That's true. And all that is very true. He pours out his love when you are hungry.

Here's the thing. He wants you to pour yourself out. He wants you to let go of yourself, your own needs, your own everything. He wants you to undo the straps of yoke. He wants you to share your bread with the hungry.

Look to those that are in need and not yourself. And I want now to emphasize a word that shows up. Actually, there's two words that show up. Then and if. Okay? All right, this is how I want you to approach worship.

I want you to pour yourself out. I want you to look to the needs of others. I want you to show pure, pure agape love in all things. Then your light will break forth like the dawn. There's that light again.

There's that... yeah, go ahead. Okay, I can't finish without asking questions.

We went into this first part where they were doing things. They saw him daily. They were delighted to know his works. They didn't forsake the judgment of God. They fasted and all this other kind of stuff to no avail.

And now he says, this is how I want you to do it. I want you to empty yourself. I want you to not be of yourself. Then your light will shine forth. Having this attitude before you ever go into worship, while you're in worship, being instructed while you're in worship of a heart that surrenders to God, empties to self, then your light will shine forth.

You have to empty yourself in order to fill you.

I'm sorry? I said you have to empty yourself in order for it to fill you.

Absolutely. Then your righteousness goes before you. And here's an encouragement to you. The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Whatever you do, wherever you go, you have the Lord. This is the promise that was given to Joshua.

You're going into land. Don't be afraid because I'm going with you. In fact, in that case, I'm going before you. Here he's saying that whatever you do, I am your rear guard. And in Isaiah 1, they had gotten so bad that he said, even when you pray, I will not listen.

I've grown weary. Verse 9, then you shall call and the Lord will answer. Then, it doesn't say it, but I'm putting it there. Then you shall cry and he will say, here I am. This is the impact of true worship.

It's a restoration of... After the fall, it's recorded in Genesis 3, that Adam and Eve, their eyes were opened to their nakedness and guilt overwhelmed them. They made fig leaf coverings of them. And when the Lord is walking in the cool of the day in the afternoon, as was his practice, he said, where are you?

And they said, we were afraid because we were naked. He said, who told you that? Then you will cry and he will say, here I am. We have people in our midst that are struggling, coming out of COVID, who were potentially going to lose their jobs because they refused to take a vaccine.

We had pastors up in Canada who were given a mandate, you must recite this prescribed under penalty of law. And they refused and they got thrown in prison. We have people who have lost dear friends, husbands, wives, loved ones.

And when you cry out to the Lord, his response will be, here I am. This all comes from a heart of true worship. It says, and then I'm adding in the word then. It says, if you pour yourself out to the hungry, and if your satisfier is for the desire of the others, the afflicted, not yourself, then your light will rise in the darkness.

Then the Lord will guide you continuously. The things that we're encountering, we can't even anticipate what they're going to be or how they're going to play out. But somebody knows already. That's our sovereign God.

He's going to be with you all the way and he says he will guide you continuously. And get this next phrase because it ties into the Psalm 115 passage that I wrote to you. What did it say about people who follow idols?

They're going to be like empty springs. There's no satisfaction to be gained. There's no refreshment to be gained from an empty spring. It says, then the Lord will guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places.

When you go somewhere where there is need for that refreshing water, he's going to give it to you. He's the one that's going to take care of you when you're in that desert place. And you will be like a water garden.

Like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. These are the promises that God gives us when our heart is surrendering ourselves and turning to him. Then, if, then if. It's all promises of blessings.

Now he's got one last word to give us and that's in verses 13 and 14.

If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable. If you honor it, not going your own ways or seeking your own pleasure or talking idly, then you shall take delight in the Lord and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth.

I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Oh my goodness. Carol, I want you to get Exodus 20 ready for me. Verses 8 through 11. And Rich, in closing, I want you to have James 4, verse 8 ready and closing. He chooses at this point in time, after speaking about the importance of proclaiming truth as a foundation to worship and not compromising that word of truth.

He then goes on from that and he warns us about ritualistic worship because it's a practice that has crept in and it's a practice that is creeping into our churches today. There are still countries that have state churches and they're not honoring to God.

That, by the way, is how our denomination got started. By individuals not being prescribed on how worship should be and what it has to say and they call themselves free men. Free to honor the Lord and to hear his word and the free church.

Scandinavia and Norway and Danish people. And then they came here and they formed and they came together and formed a free church so that we are honoring God that's proclaimed and we're not being ritualistic about what we're doing.

I really believe it is important when we practice in obedience the Lord's table. We do it once a month. And the danger can even be that we just do that because it's the first Sunday of the month and we don't do it with an intentional form of worship but it's the act that I get to do.