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Please be seated.

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Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and from our Lord and

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Savior Jesus Christ.

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Amen.

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The text for our meditation

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this morning is first Samuel chapter 21.

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This text is part of the lectio continuous series through the chief

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narratives in first Samuel.

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The Lord had appointed for himself, a king from among the sons of

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Jesse. The Lord elected

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David King over his people, Israel.

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David was the Lord's anointed one.

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And at his anointing, the prophet Samuel tells us that the spirit of

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the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.

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The Lord was with David.

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He delivered the shepherd, David from the paw of the lion and from the

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paw of the bear. The Lord delivered

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David from the hand of Goliath.

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David killed him and the Israelites won a great victory over the

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Philistines.

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David was best friends with Jonathan

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the son of King, Saul, David even married Michal

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the daughter of King Saul.

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And yet Saul grew jealous of David.

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The Lord's anointed one, the king of Israel, grew, jealous growing

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ever more, envious and angry, and hateful until King

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Saul tried to kill David. Saul with his men

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went after David hunting him down.

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David was fearful and fled running for his life.

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In first Samuel chapter 21, David is in full flight from Saul. He goes

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to a Ahimelech the high priest at, nope, seeking help, David is hungry

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with nothing to eat.

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He asks for food.

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He resorts to lying to the high priest, Ahimelech, to save his own

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life. Ahimelech gives him the showbread, the holy bread of the

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Lord's presence left in the Holy place as a thank offering.

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Taking it is unlawful.

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But the situation is desperate and David has no weapon to defend

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himself.

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Ahimelech has the sword of Goliath in the Holy place.

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A token of God's victory over the Philistines at the hand of David.

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David grabs, the sword and leaves, time is urgent.

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Continuing his flight from Saul David goes to Achish,

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the king of Gath, one of the Phillistine Kings David seeks refuge

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among the enemies

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of Israel. Who seemed to be a lesser threat than Saul the king of

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Israel.

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But even among these enemies, David is fearful and ops for a strategy

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a deception to keep the Philistines guessing.

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He pretends to be insane, carrying on like a madman, making these

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strange marks on the doors of the city's gates, with drool running

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down his beard.

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Well, clearly crazy

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David doesn't seem to be a threat.

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But just to be on the safe side, King Achish keeps him at a

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distance.

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This is our story.

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The first Samuel 21 gives us

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little indication of what David is thinking in the course of his

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flight from Saul.

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His behavior is very unusual

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if not unlawful, but then, David is under a lot of stress.

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His life is hanging in the balance.

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There's no safe place for him to go.

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His future seems uncertain if he ever got a moment to catch his

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breath.

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David may have wondered how everything came down to this point,

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 this place to this day.

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Later in life, David composed, several Psalms recalling the events

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of his flight from Saul. And among these Psalm fifty two in particular

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relates to the events of our first Psalm or first Samuel, 21 text. And

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perhaps a Psalm 52 can help us understand what David sees what he

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believes at this point in his life at this time and

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place. And help us understand how David sees himself and his life with

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God.

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Hear these words from Psalm 52 the words of David when he was

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fleeing Saul.

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Like a green olive tree in the house of God

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I trust in the steadfast love of God, forever,

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and ever.

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I thank you forever for what you have done.

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I will hope in your name for it is good in the presence of your

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faithful ones.

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This is David's prayer to God when he was fleeing the hand of Saul who

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was trying to kill him.

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David calls out to God recalling, God's promises of faithfulness,

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confident of God's justice trusting in God for his love.

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David seeks refuge in the Living

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God who loves him with kessen with his steadfast unfailing

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enduring love. God's love for David is gracious.

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It is faithful, it never fails.

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And with this prayer, with this kind of faith, David trusts that God

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will see him through anything, any threat, any danger, every place,

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and every time. With this hope David can rest with assurance.

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He can wait for God in his steadfast

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love to fulfill

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all of his

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promises. In God's name

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David will see God's mercy.

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He will see God's salvation.

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Many of God's promises to David in the Old Testament are unique to

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David himself.

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He is God's chosen

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King of Israel.

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He is the Lord's anointed one.

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The Spirit of God was upon David and God looks at David's heart and

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sees that David trusts in him.

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And David loved God and honored him.

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But when David sinned against God and against men, the Word of God

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worked in his heart and turned him from his sin turning to God seeking

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forgiveness.

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And God saw and he loved David.

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And he took his sin away from him.

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But David is also unique because he is God's chosen King.

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God's anointed one whom himself bears

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the promise of the anointed, one to come. His own offspring

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the son of David, the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ himself, King of

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the Jews.

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Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Lord of lords, gracious savior who opens

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the kingdom of Grace

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to all people. Who reigns on high with the Father, and the Spirit who

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continues to seek to speak his word of Grace, and forgiveness, and

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salvation, even to us in this place

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and on this day.

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This day is a special day.

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This is a day that many of us have been looking forward to for years.

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It is a day of anticipation filled with hope for the future.

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It is a day for remembering.

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For this very day,

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today, is the 175th anniversary of the founding of our church body, the

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Lutheran Church

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Missouri Synod.

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On April 26 1847, 12 pastors representing 15, German Lutheran

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congregations from Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan

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gathered

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at First St.

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Paul's Lutheran Church in Chicago and formally founded a new church

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body.

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They gave it a German name which translates the German Evangelical

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Lutheran

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Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other states and CFW Walther was elected

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the first president.

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God has been faithful to his people.

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And Christ has been present in his saving Word and in his sacraments,

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among the people of this church since 1847. And for his steadfast love,

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and for these faithful people,

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we give God our thanks. This year

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also marks the 175th anniversary of the first candidate call from

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Concordia

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Seminary. The first Call Day at the Log Cabin. One candidate one

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Call. In 1847

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Johan, Andreas Friedrich Miller, was called to serve two congregations

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in St.

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Louis County, Missouri.

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We know those congregations

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today as St.

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Paul De Pere and a Immanuel Olivet.

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Since 1847

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the Holy Spirit has called more than 13 thousand graduates from

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Concordia Seminary to serve in the church as pastors, deaconesses,

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missionaries, teachers and those in other areas of service.

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God has been faithful to his people.

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And Christ has been present in his saving Word and sacraments

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 among these Servants of the church since 1847. And for his

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steadfast love

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and for these faithful ones

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we give God our thanks on this day.

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On this day, we pray remembering God's promises of faithfulness,

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confident of God's justice and trusting in God's love

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for us.

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We seek refuge in the Living

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God who loves us with his Hesed, his steadfast enduring unfailing love.

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For all of God's promises have been

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fulfilled in his own Son, his anointed one, Jesus Christ for us.

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God's love for us in Christ

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like his love for his servant

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David is gracious.

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It is faithful.

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It is never failing. And with this prayer with this kind of faith

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let us trust

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that God will see us through anything any threat any danger every time

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in every place

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wherever we go. With this

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hope we can rest with assurance.

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We can wait for God in his steadfast love.

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For in God's name, we have had God's mercy and we have seen God's

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salvation through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

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Amen.

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The peace of God

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which passes all understanding.

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Keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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Amen.