Evolution
Art and the Gospel
Greater Love
The Right to Die
Freedom
in Christ (Evolution).
Reading: Colossians 2:6-12
The title of today’s reading is “Freedom From Human
Regulations Through Life With Christ” and I should like to start by repeating
one of the passages in it.
“See
to it that no-one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophies,
which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather
than on Christ.”
What, exactly are we to make of this statement? Here
is a very stark warning from St Paul to the Christians of his time about false
ideas and traditions, which although appearing on the surface to be right and
good, actually lead us away from the teachings of Jesus and therefore damage
our faith.
Now it may be that some of the ideas that he was
warning about only applied to his time, for example whether or not men still
needed to be circumcised to fully become Christians. So maybe we do not need to
take too much notice of some of the specifics in what he says, because they are
not relevant now.
However there may well be other traditions of thought
or philosophies that have developed over the centuries since that do apply to
us. If this is the case, then we need to be equally vigilant in our awareness
of and commitment to avoiding taking them on board.
Mark Copeland (who is a respected independent Gospel
preacher and Bible teacher) has written a guide to Colossians and in it he lists
a number of these philosophies which he claims are false and deceptive. Amongst
them is the theory of evolution.
Is that a surprise to us? Surely most “right thinking”
people who now have the great benefit of scientific research and knowledge now
believe that evolution is true, or at least partly true, and that includes many
Christians.
So I should like to focus on this particular issue
today to try to explore it a little further and see what it throws up. Now
clearly this is a massive subject and I cannot begin to pretend that I have
read up or thoroughly studied it from a scientific point of view. My thoughts
are largely concerned with the effects of this theory on the Christian faith if
it is true.
It seems
to me the whole argument boils down to two main issues:
§ Is there
a God and did he create the universe and if so – how?
§ If there
is no God then how did the universe come about?
So let’s
examine the first issue. Basically there are two schools of thought in relation
to God creating the universe and all that is in it. One is whether the so called “Big Bang” and
the ongoing growth of life leading up to the development of the ape and then
man is true.
Or
whether the more traditional view is, namely that God created the heavens and
the earth, with plants and different species of animals, birds and reptiles in
their own right. And then finally one man and one woman, who then procreated
and began the entire human race.
Some
Christians believe, of course, that God himself instituted the “Big Bang” and
all the life that developed from it and therefore see little problem with the
idea of evolution in that sense.
The Bible
tells us in Genesis that Eve, followed by Adam ate of the apple of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil and thereby became corrupt. This also
automatically meant that all of their offspring, the whole of humanity, were also
corrupt and in need of redemption. This is entirely logical.
The
evolutionary version, however presents Christians with a problem. For if the
first couple, according to Genesis, were created with a conscience at the time
of their creation, then we have to ask ourselves at what point did God instil
in the ape-person a sense of right and wrong? And how did he or she break these
laws and fall from Grace? Or indeed did humanity fall from grace at all?
Does any
of this matter? I believe this issue is critical, for if humanity did not fall
from grace, then he or she has no need of redemption. If this were to be the
case then Jesus, in my view, is reduced simply to a very good man. He may still
have been the Son of God, but his only real value and purpose would be to teach
us how to lead our lives in a more wholesome way here on earth.
There can
be no possibility of his bringing about salvation in this scenario, for what
are we being saved from?
So let’s
now look at the second question, which is: If there is no God then how did the
universe come about? This may seem an odd question to pose to Christians, who
clearly believe that there is a God, but it does have a relevance as we shall
see in a minute.
I don’t
know about you, but I find it hard to believe that a universe can simply start
all by itself from nothing, for if there was a “big bang”, who created the
ingredients for that to happen in the first place? It seems to me far more
logical that some sort of intelligent super being or force, which we may call
God, would have initiated the process.
Whether
that process then went on to produce primitive life which developed over
millions of years into the birth of humanity, is mere speculation. And this
whole idea has been questioned by far better and more scientific minds than my
own.
I would offer, though, one simple example of what I consider to be the
absurdity of evolutionary thought and it is this. The humble Edelweiss apparently has some extraordinary properties.
Growing high up in the Alps it is bombarded with intense ultra violet or UV
radiation, but is immune to any of the potentially damaging effects on it
cells.
Scientists have discovered that this is
because the plant is actually covered in millions of little filaments and these
are further covered in small fibres that are exactly the same size as the
wavelength of UV light. This means that they absorb almost all the damaging
rays before they get to the plants cells.
Is that a co-incidence or what?
Now this is how evolution works, it would seem.
First we must try to remember that this plant has no brain, no use of computers
or calculators and can therefore have no possible understanding of the
existence of UV rays and what they can do to its cells. Despite this, however,
it apparently managed to grow these intricate defences over millions of years –
what a clever plant!
So, here is a question.
How come it even managed to survive millions
of years against the UV rays in the first place, before it miraculously
developed its defences? I would suggest that the odds against this happening by
accident, as against being pre-designed, are so astronomically high, that no
rational person would ever place a bet on it.
So all of
this raises yet another very important issue from the spiritual angle and it is
this. If, as some evolutionists would claim, fully fledged evolution and the
“big bang” prove that there is no God at all, then it also does away with any
kind of absolute moral code in human behaviour.
It stands
to reason that if we were not given our laws from God through Moses, then we
must have actually made them up ourselves somewhere along the line. As such,
humanity does not really need to apply them as a duty, but merely take on board
those we might see as being sensible or that suit us for any particular reason
at the time. Indeed, this gives credence to the whole notion of “DIY morality”.
It seems
to me, therefore, that we may never fully know the absolute truth of this issue
in all its detail, in this life. So we have to approach the problem by looking
at probabilities.
I believe
that the likelihood of creationism being true is far greater and more logical
than the purely evolutionary view of life. This is for the reasons that I have
outlined and is fundamentally so in Christian terms.
So as
long as some aspects of the theory of evolution remain unproven, which I
believe is the case, then we, as Christians, would be unwise to base our views
or beliefs on that particular school of thought.
Surely,
therefore, we would do well to consider very carefully the words of St Paul when
he states that false ideologies lead us away from Christ. Amen.
Art
and the Gospel.
There cannot be many people who do not appreciate
the beauty of nature. A walk in the country or a beautiful garden is not only a
source of peace and joy, but a wonder in terms of the variety of shapes, sizes
and colours of the plants. On a far grander scale to look at vast landscapes
spread out before us such as the Lake District or a mountainous region is truly
awe inspiring.
However, there is also much beauty and incredible design
in things that are not visible to the naked eye. A snowflake under the
microscope is patterned in a very beautiful way and a speck of pollen when
magnified many, many times is made up of rich geometric patterns of varying
colours. How amazing to think that this pollen is also functional; indeed that
is actually its main purpose.
Then think of the design of the human body, which is
quite staggering in terms of its beauty, complexity and incredible
functionality.
These are just a few examples of the intricate
design and balance of our world, with everything interacting perfectly to
provide life and growth and reproduction.
Now as we Christians are well aware, all of this
world and everything in it as well as the entire, infinite universe was
designed and created by our wondrous God, through his Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore,
to say that we have a God who is creative is a gross understatement. He is
astonishingly and dramatically creative not only in his practical design but by
the sheer wonder and beauty he invests in it and us too.
So I think it is safe to conclude from all this that
we have a God who is not only amazingly inventive, but makes his inventiveness
richly enjoyable too. God loves artistry in its many forms. Painting superb
landscapes is one example, but he clearly loves making music too. Think of bird
song, the sound of the sea or babbling streams of water. What a variety!
But he does not stop there. God loves drama. His
paintings are dramatic. The stars in the sky are dramatic. And the stories told
by his Son Jesus, to illustrate the Gospel are dramas in story form. All of
this is so fabulous that I feel that the graffiti artists should be scrawling
on walls everywhere the words: “GOD LOVES ART”!
To add to all this is the fact that in his bounteous
generosity, he has passed on some of his gifts of creativity to us too. We can
paint. We can write stories and act out human dramas on stage and we can
compose and play music. And you know what? I think he has so richly blessed us
in the area of music, that he has enabled us to create better music than he has,
in this world at least. For beautiful as bird song and the sound of water is,
does it compare to a symphony by Beethoven or the gentle piano music of Chopin
or Schubert?
So how generous is that? What is more, he even gave
us the capacity to design the instruments to play it on!
Music, of course, can also be drama. Think of operas
and musicals, all of which tell us stories too.
So not only does God love art. He loves us to enjoy
and create it too. The power to create it is a source of joy, a means of
heightening our senses and spirits and a magical form of communication. What a
gift. What a God.
The arts then are an excellent form of enhancing and
enriching our enjoyment of life and something for which we should often give
thanks to God. However, as with much of God’s creativity, as we have already
touched on, it can also be of great practical use. And what better use of the
arts than to use them for his glory and his supreme purpose.
In my view there can be no better way to do this
than by sharing the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with as many people as
possible through art. This need not be heavy-handed and can be done in a variety
of ways. The staging of an art show in Church can be a way of engaging with members
of our community in a sociable and fun way. And maybe some folk who come along,
may not enter a Church building otherwise.
A concert can do the same and also tells people that
Christians are not just about “religion” and “spirituality”, but partake in and
enjoy all aspects of life, spiritual, emotional, mental and physical. Just like
our Lord Jesus did when he came to earth and still does through us today.
Then we have the written word in the form of stories
and poetry. All of these can communicate very effectively the Christian point
of view and our beliefs. In the case of poetry, this can be done in a very
succinct and potent form, which in this busy society in which we live is a
massive blessing, because sometimes moments is all people can spare.
So if we can touch people’s minds or engage their
emotions in those few precious minutes with new concepts or ways of thinking,
then we will have made a remarkable breakthrough, which may not be achievable
in any other way. What a brilliant use of the arts that would be.
This is not the last of it though, because if we
spark off something within them, it just might trigger a desire to find out
more. They might then find the time to explore such ideas or notions through
articles, books, or even by attending a Church service. Who knows?
But even that is not the end, because we have at our
disposal the finest mechanism of all for conveying ideas and human situations,
which is in the form of stage plays. For drama, I believe, whether it is a full
length play, a short playlet or a monologue can stir the human emotions and
convey some of the complexities of humanity and relationships in a readily
digestible form. And best of all, it can present the Gospel in a relevant,
powerful and modern way that people in our sophisticated age can relate to.
Let us not forget that we who are Christians are the
most privileged, richly blessed people in the world. We have a truly glorious
inheritance that awaits us when we die. This is an incalculable gift from God
and is not only wonderfully reassuring, but enables us through the
awe-inspiring power of the Holy Spirit, to live better lives now for our benefit
and the benefit of others. Indeed, we have a duty to pass on this good news of
the Gospel to as many people as we can and this is not merely a request of
Jesus, but a very clear command.
We should all try to live better lives and be of
service to others through acts of kindness, practical help and prayer support
too. This is not only right, but a very powerful way in which to demonstrate
the love of Jesus. But we also need to tell people the good news of salvation too,
in order for them to clearly understand their need to make their own personal
commitment to Jesus. This is done extremely well here in Christ Church and we
are so blessed with our clergy who lay the truth, in its many forms, before us
in engaging ways.
But surely that
can only work for people who come to Church services? Many people in this day
and age know little or nothing of Church life or even basic Christianity and probably
care less. So we constantly need to find new ways of not just reaching out to
secular people, but of imparting that very truth in ways that they can relate
to. It is my firm belief that this is where the arts can step in to fulfil that
vital role.
Painting can reach people through visual beauty. Music
can touch their senses and spirits and open them to an area of life that may
not have been a part of their experience and that in itself can only be a
blessing.
And finally we have the written word and drama. I myself
have been profoundly moved on occasions by plays or even musicals that show
aspects of the human condition. Sometimes they seem to by-pass any
pre-conceived ideas one has or even lack of interest. I can name one now, which
is the brilliant musical called “West Side Story”.
This was a musical which showed the evils of gang
culture and racism amid the social deprivation of inner city living in 1950’s
New York. It highlighted the despair and cynicism involved. But is also showed,
albeit through tragedy, the power of human love to cross those divides, however
briefly and demonstrate the futility of mindless violence.
This was done at times with humour and sometimes
with great pathos. I cannot believe that this did not at least alert in some
the desire to find ways to deal with the prevailing culture in a way that may not
have been possible without a drama of this kind to illustrate it.
Charles Dickens and others made this very impact
through their incredible books too and one such book of his, Nicholas Nickleby,
utterly shocked polite Victorian society by showing the cruelty in some of their
institutions of education. So much so that action swiftly followed. An act of
parliament was passed within 2 years to abolish some of these awful places.
Without his novel, this may well have taken much longer by the conventional means
of campaigning or indeed may never have taken place at all.
Our glorious God invented creativity and the arts.
He did so for his and for our pleasure and he made them serve wonderful
practical purposes too. He has also, in his great generosity, bestowed on us
those same priceless gifts.
I believe that he wants us to use them not just for
enjoyment, but for practical purposes and what better way to do this than by
spreading the literally life saving news of salvation through relationship with
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Greater
love......
Greater
love has no man than this – reading John 15.9-17.
On Remembrance Sunday it is most fitting that we
honour the dead of the two world wars and other more recent conflicts around
the world. But we mustn’t let that blind us to the horrors of war or forbid us
from questioning the motivation behind so many conflicts.
Some wars may be just and honourable and I personally
believe that the second world war was just such an example. Some other wars, in
my opinion, are less so. Often it is things like greed, pride and revenge that
are the reasons behind conflict, and wars, after all, are only the ordinary differences
between human beings but played out on a far bigger and more dangerous scale.
So to some extent we need to examine what is happening
in our own lives in order to begin to see how to deal with conflict on a bigger
scale. How often do we want revenge if someone treats us badly? How often do we
covet what others around us may have, be it a bigger car, house or a more
important job than we may have? We can react in two ways to these things. If
someone hurts us we can strike back or we can try to forgive. If someone has
more material goods than we do we can torment ourselves with jealousy and
perhaps resort to stealing or try to be more content with what we do have and
count our blessings in other areas.
Now imagine if this approach were played out on a
much larger scale, for example, if international grievances could be sorted out
by talks involving true give and take on both sides, rather than resorting to military
action. Even Sir Winston Churchill said that “Jaw-Jaw” is better than “War-War”.
Are we prepared as individuals and as nations to be more reasonable in what we
desire? Are we prepared to allow others
to run their lives or countries in their own way? To what extent do we really
have the right to intervene in others’ lives either personally or nationally
and just how pure are our motives anyway?
If we do decide to intervene, then there is also
the argument of achieving the greater good. Does intervention make possible the
ultimate improvement of that country or leave people and places worse off?
In John Stott’s book “Issues Facing Christians
Today”, written in the eighties, he lists what are generally accepted to be the
criteria for a just war and they are:
Ø That
they should be formally declared.
Ø Be
a last resort after all other efforts to avoid them have been exhausted.
Ø There
should be just cause
Ø A
right intention
Ø The
means of conducting the war should be proportionate.
Ø Immunity
for non-combatants.
Ø Reasonable
expectation in terms of the outcome.
So we should never enter into wars lightly and
without a real and honest examination of our consciences and motives in order
to discern if they are really just or not.
However, we are here today primarily to honour the
dead, so I return to the words of Jesus:
“Greater love has no-one than this, that they
lay down their life for their friends.”
Now it is certainly true that men and women in the
last two world wars and others since gave supremely of themselves, often at
great cost. In the second world war this was in order to prevent the
catastrophic evil that Nazism was perpetrating on such a huge and terrifying
scale. As we well know, people lost their husbands and sons in action and even
wives and daughters in the blitz. People were prepared to pay a huge price not
just to fight destruction, but to maintain for always the freedom and peace that
we enjoy in our country now.
There may be some, however, who would question if
the sacrifice was worth it. Well, maybe for those people who suffered either
directly or indirectly, they may feel that it wasn’t for them. Maybe some of
them feel that the price of the life long deprivation of a loved one, or
permanent, perhaps still painful injury was just too much. But let me tell you from
where I am standing I can only say with an unequivocal yes, that it was most
certainly worth it.
I say this because as a result of what they did I
am now able to practice what religion I choose, I can practice the lifestyle I
choose and vote for whatever political party I choose without fear of
harassment, torture or worse. And I can speak my mind on any issue that I wish
to without fear. To me that is a most precious and wonderful privilege made
possible by their sacrifice.
Freedom is such a priceless gift. Within reason we
all have the power to choose where to live, what job to do, what to eat, what
to wear and so on. We also have the freedom to do good in the world. As a
Christian, I believe that this choice we have is God-given. In the Bible we are
told to use that freedom wisely and that if we do, things will go well for us.
A big part of using this freedom wisely is, as we
heard in our reading, that of loving one another. Jesus urges us to do this
because it makes the world a better place to live in. The problem is that we are
full of sin and selfishness. As I have said earlier, we want more than we need
and all too often, we try to force others to our point of view.
So how can we avoid this? Well, we can try to
change by using our will power to overcome wrong and unhelpful desires and we
may meet with some degree of success. We can pass all kinds of laws too, but
can we stick to them? I believe the only real answer is change from within.
We need to change our motivations and
understanding of ourselves, radically, to really make any significant
difference. And I also believe that the only way to do this effectively is for
us to rely on the power of almighty God to help us improve as individuals and,
therefore, as a society.
What happens when we don’t? Well unfortunately, it is all too obvious and
we see the results of selfishness all around us – stealing and crimes of violence,
sadly now happening increasingly amongst our young people. Many people living in poverty and
squalor.
Then there is the enslavement of people in the sex trade, including small
children, torture of many kinds, murder and ultimately, of course the terrible
slaughter and butchery of war.
I believe that God made this a beautiful world, with
enough resources for everyone and truly wants us to enjoy it all to the full
and to share it fairly with each other. Life could be so much better for us all
if we did this and it would give a much greater measure of peace and harmony.
But even this entails a cost, a kind of sacrifice in being willing to follow
our conscience, rather than our selfish and unworthy desires. But like all sacrificial
cost it would be well worth it in the end.
But there is another even greater form of
sacrifice that we can each make, if we choose, and it is that of giving up our
lives, body, soul and spirit, to God himself, so that he can use us to build
his perfect kingdom here on earth. Jesus Christ made this possible by giving himself
up to an unbearably humiliating and tortured death on a cross, in order to pay
the price of our wrong-doing and set us free.
So we can make our tribute to the dead of the two
world wars, not just by commemorating it, as we rightly do on Remembrance Sunday,
but by making it a living and lasting legacy for all they gave up for us.
We can learn to love and serve one another and make
the world a much nicer place to live in. We can have a foretaste of the kingdom
of heaven now, if we allow the power of God to work in and through us.
And ultimately we can defy the terrifying spectre
of death itself, through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. For in the end, it
is up to each and every one of us to take up the offer of his free gift of eternal
life, and finally to live with him in perfect peace forever.
Amen.
The
Right to Die? Reading: Matt.27 v 32 –
37.
I don’t know if any of you saw the drama on
television recently called “A Short Stay in Switzerland”. It was a very moving
film, based on a true story, about a woman doctor who had a devastating illness
that was incurable and rendered her more and more immobile. Despite much
opposition, at least to start with, from her grown up children, she decided to
go to Switzerland to a clinic where she (legally) ended her life.
This drama apart from being very sad, was very
thought provoking and brought to mind a friend that I had called Chris, who
contracted bone cancer in his mid-fifties. Now, as you may be aware, bone cancer
is an incredibly painful condition, even when the maximum dose of morphine is
being given, and as with a good many serious illnesses leads eventually to loss
of the ability to look after oneself properly, with the all the resulting loss
of dignity. Chris decided this was not something he was prepared to endure and
arranged to be taken to Switzerland, by private ambulance, to the “Dignitas Clinic”
and there he too ended his life two years ago.
There are, however, some people who live in the most
appalling circumstances who choose to keep going, very often strengthened by
their faith. At the time of writing this homily, I received a video clip on
e-mail about just such a person. This man, I think in his late thirties, was
born with only very short stumps instead of arms and legs.
Apparently at the age of eight, presumably when he
had begun to understand the consequences of what life like that would mean he
experienced an emotional crisis. But having overcome this, with the support of
loving Christian parents he has now not only come to terms with his condition,
but tours around the world giving interviews and performing on stage in schools
and colleges in the most courageous and inspiring way. Think of the encouragement
this man gives to others. Think of how he can express joy in his life despite
his suffering. There are, it seems, two sides to every coin.
But we are still left with an uncomfortable dilemma
- should people have the right to die, if they have an incurable and
devastating illness, or not? Assisted suicide is, of course, illegal in this
country. Would any of us in such circumstances, have the courage to fight on, I
wonder, or would we wish to bring our lives to an early end?
As I see it, to begin to answer this very painful
and personal moral question we need to be quite clear in our own minds as to
how we view the problem in the first place. I think the argument falls into two
distinct perspectives – that of a believer in God and that of a non-believer.
As far as the believer is concerned, this life is
only a miniscule fraction of the reality of existence, and whilst still
crucial, any suffering, however painful, is temporary and ultimately swallowed
up in unlimited joy and peace forever.
However much we may suffer in this life, and some
people suffer a great deal, Christians believe that God will not only limit that
suffering, sometimes in response to prayer, but will also give us the grace and
means to bear it. God’s love actually transforms pain in a miraculous way and
ultimately gives some kind of meaning to it in the way that the young man I
mentioned has borne witness to.
For the non-believer, however, they presumably perceive
this life as being all there is and therefore once the ability to enjoy it and
live in reasonable dignity is past a certain stage there is little point in
struggling on in a state of torment for nothing. Coupled with this, there is the
inevitable dragging out of anguish for their loved ones, apparently to no
purpose.
So now we come to the legal side of the argument and
the question here is who has the right to frame our laws – believers or
non-believers? Because on a subject such as this, that right, in my view, is paramount.
In practice it will be a mixture, of course, but there is still a very important
principle at stake here.
Maybe in times past when belief in God and a
Christian/religious view of life and morality was more widely accepted, then it
was possible and workable to say that the believers views should prevail in law
making, because they maintained that laws came directly from God, who alone was
capable of making such decisions and our part was merely to carry them out.
But nowadays, non-believers, of which there are
significant numbers, no longer accept this premise, so what are we to do? Do
believers have the right to force their views on non-believers? As a firm believer
myself, I would suggest that we do not. And I say this because everyone has the
free will to do as they wish. This is sacrosanct having been bestowed on the
human race by almighty God in the first place. Do we really have the right to
try and over-rule God’s free gift to humanity in this way? All we can do is to
try and argue our case with kindness and compassion.
This leads us, then, to examine the whole question
of right and wrong, not just on this, but any moral issue. Is this argument in
the final analysis a question of morality or preference? Indeed, is there is
such a thing as right and wrong or not? That may be a matter for individuals to
decide, but we all need to examine both sides of the argument in our hearts
very carefully before coming to a decision.
Is life sacred having been created by God? Or are
we merely accidents of evolution, as some would claim? If the latter is the
case, then “sanctity of life” is hardly a valid argument for keeping people
alive who wish to die. If God did create us in his own image, then we are holy
and belong to him, therefore it cannot be justifiable to bring life to an early
end.
So this brings me to my final point which is the
issue of whether or not it is wrong, or a sin, to take one’s own life and if
so, whether or not there are consequences for doing so. This is clearly a very
sensitive and tricky question to deal with, but we cannot simply leave it out
of the equation because it is uncomfortable.
As a Christian, one way that I would seek to
answer or attempt to answer this is to look at the life of our Lord Jesus
Christ. What would his reaction to this question be? Did he offer any guidance
on it?
In today’s reading we hear that whilst he was in
agony on the Cross, Jesus was offered a sponge with wine and gall on it. I
understand that this was offered by the Roman authorities to all those who were
being crucified, in order to hasten their death in a kind of bizarre act of
mercy, seeing as they themselves had inflicted the terrible pain in the first
place.
What did Jesus do? Well having tried it and found
it to be bitter and presumably having realised that it was poison, he refused any
more. Now why I wonder did he do this? I suspect that to have partaken of this
substance would have brought his life to an earlier end and was, therefore, tantamount
to committing suicide. Jesus in all his immeasurable suffering refused to do
this. Surely this can only be because he knew it was wrong and as the Son of
God, he was incapable of sin.
It is my view, therefore, that suicide is wrong,
however understandable the motive for doing it may be. As for consequences,
that is a matter for God alone and we know that he is a merciful and loving God.
As with so many things, we are simply incapable of making a judgement on it.
Here on earth, we know that our sins can be forgiven. We can only speculate
what happens in the hereafter.
So I would argue that when society frames its laws
on this or any other matter, it would do well to consider very carefully the
result of any actions that we take as human beings, before passing or changing
laws of any kind at all. For if not, we are in danger of over-reaching
ourselves.
Amen.
