Well, good evening, everybody. It's good to be with you once again tonight. You can turn with me in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 22. I know you guys are going through Genesis on Wednesday night, but I figured I'm far enough away that you'll forget everything I said and just remember everything Pastor Butler says when you get there on Wednesday night.
But we'll see some important things in Genesis 22. We're actually gonna look at verses 20, and we're gonna look at chapter 23 of Genesis as well. So not the sacrifice of Isaac. We're going to look at the death of Sarah tonight.
Genesis 22, we'll read beginning at verse 20 and all the way through chapter 3. So Genesis 22, verse 20, this is the word of the living and true God. Now, it came to pass after these things that it was told to Abraham, saying, Indeed, Milcah has also born children to your brother Nahor, Huz, his firstborn, Buz, his brother, Kemuel, the father of Aram, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaf, and Bethuel. And Bethiel begot Rebekah.
These eight milk abhorred to Nahar, Abraham's brother. His concubine, whose name was Rumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maakah. Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years, and these were the years of the life of Sarah. So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba, that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Then Abraham stood up from before his dead and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, Hear us, my lord.
You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choices of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.' Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. And he spoke with them, saying, If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron, the son of Zohar, for me, that he may give to me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is at the end of his field.
Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you. Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying, Know my lord, hear me. I give you the field and the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people.
I give it to you, bury your dead. Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land, and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.
And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, My lord, listen to me. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.
And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron, which he had named, in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants. So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. And after this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.
Amen. Let us pray.
Opening Prayer
O great God, we know that we are wanderers on this earth. We know, O God, that we are pilgrims in this land and we do long for home. We're thankful, O Lord God, that we can come out of the world to learn the language of heaven, to learn more about you, to learn more about our God. We're thankful, O God, that you have prepared a place for us.
Christ has prepared a place for us. And we know that when we pass on, we will be with you forever and ever. We know that in the intermediate state our body and soul is separated, but we know that our souls will be with you, but we still long, O God, for the reunion of body and soul and that transformation, that body that's conformed to the image of Christ Jesus, knowing that we have eternal bliss dwelling with you forever. We know, God, sometimes we still mourn and we still lament the losses that we face in this life, and we lose many people.
We're thankful that you are with us and guide us through those difficult times. You comfort us and aid us and strengthen us during those difficult times. And for those that die in the Lord, we know that we will see them again. So God, we do pray that tonight that you would comfort us by your words, comfort us by what your word says, help us to trust in your faithfulness, even in the mundane and ordinary things.
We're thankful, O God, that you are with us and you do protect us, O God. And we're thankful that you keep your covenant and your promises to Abraham. And we know that we see it fulfilled in the Lord Christ. So God, help us tonight by your spirit, we pray.
Give us strength from on high by your spirit to understand the things found in your word. We're thankful that we have your word and we pray that you'd help us now. In the name of Christ, amen.
Introduction
Well, in the life of Abraham, the climax of the story comes at Genesis 22. We see in Genesis 22 that testing of Abraham, the testing of Abraham's faith with respect to his son, his only son Isaac. And God says to Abraham, go offer up your son, your only son, at the place that I will choose for you. And Abraham obeys God.
He does what he says he would do. And that's the climax of the story. But then as we begin to transition towards the next patriarch, namely Isaac, there are still some loose ends to tie up as we transition, namely the death of Sarah, finding a wife for Isaac, and then the death of Abraham. Tonight we're looking at the death of Sarah as we transition from one matriarch to the next matriarch.
And you see, the problem that we see here in this section is something that we all face. Death and wandering. Even for God's people, we still face death. And even God's people, before we die, we wander on this planet, on this life, in this present evil age, until we die and pass on.
And we see that problem here as well. God's people do pass. And so really what Moses is trying to show forth for us here in this section is that God keeps his promises in the midst of death by securing property in the promised land. And what we'll see is something quite different than what we've seen throughout the life of Abraham.
Namely, God does it in an ordinary way. And so we'll look at this under three headings tonight. When God's people pass, chapter 22, verse 20 to 23, verse 2. Then when God's people wander, chapter 23, verses 3 through 6.
Then lastly, when God's people dwell, chapter 23, verse 7 to verse 20. So God's people pass, God's people wander, and then God's people dwell. So
When God's People Pass
let's first look at when God's people pass, beginning at chapter 22, verse 20. And
Genealogy and the Coming Matriarch
notice we see the passing of the torch in verses 20 through 24. Genealogies are found in the book of Genesis to set forth the next major character or major player in the story. And in this case, it's going to be Rebekah. We could spend time looking at all the names, Huz, and Buzz, and Kenuel, and the father of Aram, Hesed, Hazo, Pildesh, but the focus really of this genealogy is to set forth the matriarch, set forth the coming matriarch name, namely Rebecca. who will be the one that Abraham sends the servant to find for Isaac in chapter 24.
So it's already setting the stage for the covenant romance in Genesis 24. And so, Abraham, it comes to pass, after these things, it was told to Abraham, Indeed, Milcah has borne children to your brother Nahor. And then we list all of them there for us, because Isaac needs a wife. How in the world is Genesis 20 to 18 going to come about?
In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. In order to continue the seed and continue the tradition or continue the covenant people, Isaac needs a wife. And so we see Rebecca here introduced for us before we see the death of Sarah. So that's why verses 20 through 24 are there to set forth Rebecca.
And then in chapter 23, verses 1 and 2, we actually see the death of Sarah and mourning over the death of our mother. Notice it says in verse 1,
The Death and Mourning of Sarah
Sarah lived 127 years. These were the years of Sarah. This is significant in the life of the people of Israel, because she is the mother of the people of Israel. And not only that, she is treated like a queen in the biblical record.
What's interesting is commentators point out that Sarah is the only woman whose age is mentioned in the scriptures. She has a significant place in the scriptures as the mother of the covenant people, the only woman whose age is mentioned to show that the Queen has passed on. Sarah lived 127 years. These were the years of the life of Sarah.
And then, verse 2, so Sarah died in Kirjath Arba, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. So she dies. But notice we see as well where she dies. Kirjath Arba, that is in Hebron.
You see throughout this section names and places are important because she dies in the land of Canaan. And even with the language here that is Hebron, Moses wants us to draw our attention back to Genesis 13, when Abraham actually inherits, not fully, but he actually inherits the land and dwells in the land at Mamre. And he stays there for quite some time until Genesis chapter 20. Because remember, God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldeans to a land that he would show to him.
And he showed him the land of Canaan. And God appeared to him in the land of Canaan and showed him that this was the place that his descendants would inherit. And so Abraham only sees glimpses of that. He sees glimpses and foretaste of that land through Genesis 13 through 19.
But she dies in the place in which they dwelt. She died in Kirjath Arba, that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. So she dies in the promised land and notice Abraham comes to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Isn't this something a husband should do over a lost wife?
Mourning, lamenting, perhaps the idea of wailings involved here? He's his wife of many, many years, and many, many difficult hardships. They would have had a deep love that they shared with one another. Remember, when they came into the land of Cain, they had famine, they had to go into Egypt, and then they concocted that plan, or Abraham did, say, you're my sister.
That doesn't go so well. Then Genesis 13 comes around, there's battles with Lot. Then Genesis 14, there's a World War I that begins. Then Genesis 15, okay, then God says, it's in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed, or it's specifically with your seed in which they will be as numerous as the stars of the heavens.
And then Genesis 16, they take matters into their own hands, or Sarah does anyway. They grab Hagar. That doesn't work out so well. Fast forward 24 years and Genesis 17, and God says, it's Sarah.
She is the one in whom your seed shall come. And then finally, Genesis 21, that comes about. So they've gone through a lot together. He's lamenting and wailing over the loss of his wife, But what's interesting as well, not just when we think about pastorally, when we think about it theologically, Sarah is the mother of the promise, yet she dies.
Abraham's the father of the promise, yet he dies. He won't see the promise because death is in the way. They won't see the fulfillment in its fullness because death is in the way. And see, what's interesting, what we see here is when even for God's people, God's people still face death and still face mourning.
We have the promises and they are sure. Should we die before Christ comes back, we will be raised with him because of the Lord Jesus Christ. But sometimes death is still difficult, isn't it? Sometimes we have those rah-rah moments.
Where, oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting? But sometimes it doesn't always feel like that, does it? because we're subjected to sad deaths like the pagans. Christians still mourn and we're not robots, especially the death of loved ones.
Listen to Dale Ralph Davis. So Abraham here reminds us that God's covenant people are not sticks and stones, impervious to grief and sadness. You may say, well, yes, but we face them with triumph and victory. Well, maybe.
Often that is the case. But
Christians Still Mourn
sometimes our losses are so sad, so distressing, so lonely, that even as Christians, we can't feel much of the victorious element. Sometimes there are difficult things that God's people go through. I think of one example of a prominent missionary in the 1800s, Adoniram Judson, an important missionary, an important Baptist missionary. He sets the stage for what we see today when we look at language training and cultural immersion.
He sets the stage for translation, really the pioneer worker in that. But he went through a very difficult grief period. In the span of like six months, he loses his two-year-old son, he loses his wife, he loses his newborn baby girl, and he loses his father as well, not to mention he's in Burma, away from his normal place that he grew up. And he went into an immense period of grief and sadness.
He spent four years in this grief and sadness period, two of which he spent in a jungle infested or in a tiger infested jungle because he was so sad. He did some weird things too. He dug a grave and just looked at it day in and day out as he pondered what death was. Why?
Because he's grieving. You see, it's not in those moments that we say to him, hey, listen, Adoniram, you know, your theology is a little off right now. No, you just wait, and you're patient with him, and you love him. Certainly, he's wrong in what he's doing, but God, you know, protected him and helped him through that difficult time.
And thankfully, eventually, he snaps out of it, and God uses him in many different ways, but it wouldn't have been good for people to say, you know, you're being an idiot. You need to have better theology. You should do what his friend did. You know what his friend did when he was in the jungle?
He built a hut and watched over him. That's what he did. Sometimes, even when we talked about this morning, when it comes to things like wisdom, sometimes we could say certain things, even if they're true, but that doesn't mean it's going to help someone out. Sometimes when someone is grieving and going through a difficulty, sometimes it's just best for us to say, I'm praying for you.
How can I help in other ways, rather than trying to explain certain things that are going on in their life? Sometimes we need to have wisdom in those areas as well. because God's people still mourn, and sometimes that mourning creeps up upon us. So God's people do pass, and there's mourning tied to that. So let's then look,
When God's People Wander
secondly, at when God's people wander, verses 3 through 6. So Abraham looked a lot of dead language. Then Abraham stood up before his dead, and he speaks to the sons of Heth. And he says, I am a foreigner and visitor among you.
Give me property for a burial place among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight. You see, Abraham had been a wanderer in the land of Canaan, and he recognized that. He's an alien and a sojourner. He had no land of his own in that place.
Yes, he dwelt in certain parts through Genesis 3 through 19, but it was like rented land. He dwelt in a tent. And certainly there's blessed language throughout there about him inheriting the land, but it is a temporal idea. Even at Mamre, he dwells in those tents.
And so he comes and he makes this request to these sons of Heth. The sons of Heth are actually the sons of Canaan. They're in Genesis 10, 15. And he says to them, I want to buy some land.
I want to buy a proper burial place, because I wish to bury my dead in the land of promise. And so these men then say and respond in verses five and six, and the sons of Heth answered Abraham saying to him, hear us, my Lord, you are a mighty prince among us, bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place that you may bury your dead. You see,
Abraham's Standing Among the Nations
Abraham is recognized as a prince among the Canaanites. They've recognized that God was with him, even throughout Genesis 13 or 12 through 22. Chapter 14, he goes against Keter Lamer, the giant king, and destroys him. And then we see in Genesis chapter 20, when he engages in a covenant, or Genesis 20 and 21, when he engages in a covenant with Abimelech, Abimelech, actually, there's actually fear in the land, because you see, they recognized who he is, and they recognize that God is with him, and they want to be with him.
That doesn't mean necessarily that they're actual Christians, but they recognized who the powerful God is, and that is Abraham's God. And whatever Abraham does, God is with him. So they recognize this. They recognize who he is.
They recognize that he is a prince among them. And so they say, take whatever you want. Any land you want, you pick it. It's yours.
You can bury your dead. in that place. You see, sometimes pagans can be civil, right? They can actually be kind and we can actually engage in proper conversation and trade with them. We should always be weary when someone says, stay away from pagans entirely.
That's called not good. I can't think of what it was. It didn't go very well in that moment. But it's not a good thing.
You see, we're supposed to be in the world, not of the world. And sometimes because of God's common operation or the common operations of the Spirit throughout the world, pagans sometimes actually engage and act more justly than Christians do. You want a good example of that? Look at Lot in Genesis 19 and Abimelech in Genesis chapter 20.
We know that Lot is a believer because of the New Testament, but Abimelech is not. But who acts more justly in a civil sense? Abimelech does. And I asked this question when I preached at Surrey Reform.
If two guys were running for office, who would you vote for, Lott or Abimelech? Because you see, a Bimelech would be a better person in office because of the way in which he knows that the law is written on his heart. He knows some semblance of justice, not because of his own goodness, but because of the image of God there. So sometimes pagans actually act better than Christians.
Sometimes pagans are better workers than Christians. It shouldn't be the case, but it is sometimes the case, because God's common operations are still operative, namely the Noahic Covenant. The Noahic Covenant is still in operation, and that is something we need to remember, not for salvation, but for justice and preservation. So, they're still civil.
He says, they say these things anywhere you want to go. And what this teaches us is that
Contented Detachment in This Life
God's people still wander this earth. We are wanderers, we long for home, we are nomads. The Christian life is actually one of exile, isn't it? Isn't this how the New Testament describes these things?
And even Abraham and Sarah don't actually dwell in the land, but especially in 1 Peter 2, verse 11. He drives these points home. with respect to proper living. You see, we're supposed to live in a way that is becoming of where we're from. Usually when we go to another country, we wanna actually act in such a way that makes our country look good.
How much more so our heavenly country? 1 Peter 2 verse 11, if I can get there. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of his visitation. But it's verse 11, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from these things. And as he addresses them in 1 Peter 1, 1, to the pilgrims or the exiles of the dispersion.
Because this place is not our home. And you know what drives that home? Death. drives that home. Listen to Davis again.
You must never forget who you are, how fragile and rootless and utterly dependent on God, and sitting loosely to this age and all that it holds and offers. There is a certain and proper detachment that should mark us, but sometimes grief or loss or reversals can bring this mindset home with fresh force. You see, brethren, we are supposed to live a contented detachment in this life. Not saying we can't work hard, buy houses, that sort of thing, but those things are going to pass.
And that's okay, because it's far greater to know those things are going to pass because we're with God in heaven, dwelling with Him forever. A contented detachment should be becoming of God's people in this life. So that's when God's people wander. Let's then look
When God's People Dwell
thirdly and finally at when God's people dwell in verses 7 through 20. Abraham wants to be in the land, and so
Abraham's Request for Machpelah
he makes a specific request in verses 7 through 9. He stands up, he bows himself. He's got proper manners. He bows in gratitude.
And he says to them, to the people of the land, the sons of Heth, and he spoke with them saying, if it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me. There's this guy named Ephron, the son of Zohar, for me. And I wish that he would give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price as property for a burial among you.
You see, he desires this specific cave, and the reason he asked them to do it, and he asked them to ask, is so that they would be witnesses of the transaction. You see, they didn't necessarily have video cameras. They probably didn't necessarily have parchment to sign papers at that time. So you need a bunch of witnesses in order to have the deal go through.
So he says, sons of Heth, be my witnesses. That's why I'm asking you these things. And so he says, I wish to purchase this among you. I wish to bury my dead.
I want this cave of Machpelah, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price as property for a burial place among you. So he wants his body to rest in the promised land, not in her. He wants to be in the place that God showed him.
He wants to be in the promised land. He wants a place to bury his dead. So he makes this request. And in verses 10 through 16,
The Transaction with Ephron
we see the deal with Ephron. So they gather. Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth.
So we'll see a lot of the sons of Heth. That's just highlighting that they're the witnesses. All who entered at the gate of his city. They typically did transactions at the gate of the city.
You'll see this with Lot as well. Lot's waiting at the gate. That's where the civil, that's where town hall was, where city hall is. And so they entered the gate of his city saying, and this is what his response is.
Know my Lord, hear me. I give you the field and the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you, bury your dead.
Seems like a nice gift. Hey, look, I recognize who you are. Here it is. I want you to have it.
So Abraham responds in verse 12. He bows himself again, in gratitude. He recognizes the civility and the kindness from Ephron. Before the people of the land he bows.
But notice in verse 13. And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, if you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.
Why won't he just take the land and run with it? You see, he wants the actual possession of that land. And perhaps in the future, the sons of Ephron might say to the sons of Abraham, look, this is our land. You did not purchase it.
It was a gift given to you. We want it back now. So Abraham, rather than receiving the gift, wants to say, I want to buy the land so that I actually own something in this land and it cannot be revoked. So he says, I will give you coin for it.
I insist on giving you money for this. I wish to own some land in the land of Canaan, the land of promise. And so Ephron answers in verse 14 and 15, saying to him, my lord, listen to me. The land is worth 400 shekels of silver.
What is that between you and me? So bury your dead. Now, Ephron's colors come out. Pagans aren't all good.
This is probably a stiff price for that land. It's not fair market value. And Ephron's just blowing smoke. He's just saying, oh, you know what?
It's just 400 shekels, no biggie. He's like that person who wants to capitalize on someone's grief, and he does so. This is a nice, shiny coffin for you and your family to be buried or your loved one to be buried in as they pass on. That's kind of his demeanor when he realizes what Abraham is willing to do.
So he says, 400 shekels. Abraham doesn't care. He wants to own land, and so it's weighed out in verse 16. Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron, which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth. 400 shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.
So he pays it out. He pays in full. And then we see the deed given in verses 17 and 18. This is deed language here.
Notice, so the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre. That's important. Machpelah in Mamre. That's why he wants the cave of Machpelah so much, because it was the place that they dwelt together, the land that God had given them in Genesis 13.
So he wants to own that. I want the cave of Machpelah, which is in Mamre. And so he says, so it says, Moses shows it was before Mamre, the field and the cave and all that was in it. And all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city." He's got the real estate.
He's got a place to bury his wife. We see the language of deeded given to him. And then we see in verse 19, the actual burial. And after this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah.
Lots of language about place again before Mamre, that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. So Sarah's body's dwelling in the land of Canaan. And verse 20, so the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as a property for a burial place. Abraham, after many years, finally owns a possession in the land of Canaan.
And it came about through the death of his wife, Sarah. And this cave will be important to the rest of the book of Genesis because it's where Abraham and Sarah are buried, it's where Isaac and Rebekah are buried, and it's where Jacob and Leah are buried as well. You see, there are certain places it would be fun to be at on the resurrection day, beside beside your spouse. But this would be one of them, wouldn't it?
When the patriarchs are raised up. Or perhaps I like to think of Bunhill Fields in England, where John Owen and John Bunyan and a bunch of those Puritans were all buried. That would be pretty great, too. I mean, we're being raised up.
It would just be great all around. When you think about certain places where certain men and concentrations of people are buried, those are some of the ones that just come to mind. So Abraham has this land. He has this dwelling.
Because you see,
God's Faithfulness in Ordinary Providence
the purpose and the point of this text is really not about death. It is about dwelling. Abraham finally has a place in the land of Canaan. And what's fascinating and interesting throughout this text, whose name is never mentioned?
God's name is never mentioned throughout this text. And it's an interesting contrast between Genesis 22 and Genesis 23, where God appears to Abraham, speaks audibly to him, calls out from heaven, and affirms the promises once again. But in this text, God's name is never mentioned, but that doesn't mean he's still not in operation, securing and fulfilling the promises that he said he would to Abraham. You see, God is faithful in the big things, but he's also faithful in the little things as well.
And this is God showing forth his promises once again to Abraham, securing land for Abraham, for Sarah, and for the rest of the patriarchs in the land of Canaan. Because you see, God's people will dwell, and we will dwell forever. That's what we long for. That's what we hope for.
We long and hope for home. And the patriarchs longed and hoped for home. But you see, the patriarchs, even though they wandered, they knew even, and even in this instance, Sarah's dead, and finally he's got a place for her to be buried. And Abraham still wanders, and then he's finally buried there as well.
They're still looking for that home in which they would dwell and live forever. You see, even Abraham understood something about the resurrection because Genesis 23 is on the heels of Genesis 22. And according to the writer of the Hebrews, he says that Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead. You see, Abraham believed in the resurrection and he knew it would come and he knew it would come through the seed, the seed, the promised seed, namely the Lord Jesus Christ.
Abraham didn't necessarily know that, but he still believed God and it was counted for him as righteousness. And he believed that Isaac would raise him from the dead and that they would dwell forever. Abraham longed for that, and we as God's people long for that, but we know that it's set and it's sure because God is faithful. And how much more so for us, because we're on the other side of the Lord Jesus Christ coming.
Heaven has been prepared, heaven has been purchased, and we will dwell in heavenly bliss forever and ever because of Abraham's seed, the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you don't know the Lord Jesus today, I would implore you and encourage you to believe on him and you will dwell forever in everlasting bliss with the sons and daughters of Abraham and Sarah. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we are again thankful for your faithfulness. We're thankful, O God, that even in what seems to be ordinary things, you still remain true. And O God, sometimes when we are forgetful of you, you still answer our prayers and you're still merciful to us. We give you praise for these things.
We know, O God, that unless you come back at a certain time, we know that we will all face death. But, O God, help us to know that we can pass through death knowing that Christ has passed through it for us. That doesn't mean it's not going to be difficult and hard when we see loved ones pass on, O God. We pray that you comfort us and aid us during those difficult times.
We're thankful that you do comfort us and aid us during those difficult times. And we know, O God, that you will be true to your promises, for you are a faithful God. So God, if there are any here today who do not know you, we pray that you would change them, work in them, to save them. For any here today who are your people, are part of the people of God, comfort them and aid them tonight, O God.
We're thankful that you are a faithful God. So help us to rest assured that you are a God who does not change, and you are a God who is faithful. So God, we pray that you'd be glorified now in the name of Christ. Amen.
We'll close with a brief time of meditation. When the canoes finish, you are dismissed.