Ezra 2

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Ezra 2

Ezra 2:1 These are the people of the province who came from those captive exiles King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had deported to Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town.

Ezra 2:2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of Israelite men included

Ezra 2:3 Parosh’s descendants: 2,172.

Ezra 2:4 Shephatiah’s descendants: 372.

Ezra 2:5 Arah’s descendants: 775.

Ezra 2:6 Pahath-moab’s descendants: Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants 2,812.

Ezra 2:7 Elam’s descendants: 1,254.

Ezra 2:8 Zattu’s descendants: 945.

Ezra 2:9 Zaccai’s descendants: 760.

Ezra 2:10 Bani’s descendants: 642.

Ezra 2:11 Bebai’s descendants: 623.

Ezra 2:12 Azgad’s descendants: 1,222.

Ezra 2:13 Adonikam’s descendants: 666.

Ezra 2:14 Bigvai’s descendants: 2,056.

Ezra 2:15 Adin’s descendants: 454.

Ezra 2:16 Ater’s descendants of Hezekiah: 98.

Ezra 2:17 Bezai’s descendants: 323.

Ezra 2:18 Jorah’s descendants: 112.

Ezra 2:19 Hashum’s descendants: 223.

Ezra 2:20 Gibbar’s descendants: 95.

Ezra 2:21 Bethlehem’s people: 123.

Ezra 2:22 Netophah’s men: 56.

Ezra 2:23 Anathoth’s men: 128.

Ezra 2:24 Azmaveth’s people: 42.

Ezra 2:25 Kiriatharim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s people: 743.

Ezra 2:26 Ramah’s and Geba’s people: 621.

Ezra 2:27 Michmas’s men: 122.

Ezra 2:28 Bethel’s and Ai’s men: 223.

Ezra 2:29 Nebo’s people: 52.

Ezra 2:30 Magbish’s people: 156.

Ezra 2:31 the other Elam’s people: 1,254.

Ezra 2:32 Harim’s people: 320.

Ezra 2:33 Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s people: 725.

Ezra 2:34 Jericho’s people: 345.

Ezra 2:35 Senaah’s people: 3,630.

Ezra 2:36 The priests included Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua: 973.

Ezra 2:37 Immer’s descendants: 1,052.

Ezra 2:38 Pashhur’s descendants: 1,247.

Ezra 2:39 and Harim’s descendants: 1,017.

Ezra 2:40 The Levites included Jeshua’s and Kadmiel’s descendants from Hodaviah’s descendants: 74.

Ezra 2:41 The singers included Asaph’s descendants: 128.

Ezra 2:42 The gatekeepers’ descendants included Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants, Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants, Hatita’s descendants, and Shobai’s descendants: in all 139.

Ezra 2:43 The temple servants included Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants, Tabbaoth’s descendants,

Ezra 2:44 Keros’s descendants, Siaha’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

Ezra 2:45 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants,

Ezra 2:46 Hagab’s descendants, Shalmai’s descendants, Hanan’s descendants,

Ezra 2:47 Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants, Reaiah’s descendants,

Ezra 2:48 Rezin’s descendants, Nekoda’s descendants, Gazzam’s descendants,

Ezra 2:49 Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants, Besai’s descendants,

Ezra 2:50 Asnah’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants, Nephusim’s descendants,

Ezra 2:51 Bakbuk’s descendants, Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants,

Ezra 2:52 Bazluth’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants, Harsha’s descendants,

Ezra 2:53 Barkos’s descendants, Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants,

Ezra 2:54 Neziah’s descendants, and Hatipha’s descendants.

Ezra 2:55 The descendants of Solomon’s slaves[1] included Sotai’s descendants, Hassophereth’s descendants, Peruda’s descendants,

Ezra 2:56 Jaalah’s descendants, Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,

Ezra 2:57 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants, Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, and Ami’s descendants.

Ezra 2:58 All the temple slaves and the descendants of Solomon’s slaves: 392.

Ezra 2:59 The following are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer but were unable to prove that their ancestral houses and their seed[2] were Israelite:

Ezra 2:60 Delaiah’s descendants, Tobiah’s descendants, Nekoda’s descendants: 652

Ezra 2:61 and from the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai– who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name.[3]

Ezra 2:62 These searched for their entries in the genealogical records but could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood.

Ezra 2:63 The governor ordered them not to consume[4] the most sacred[5] things until a priest could consult the Lights[6] and Darks.[7]

Ezra 2:64 The whole combined congregation[8] numbered 42,360,

Ezra 2:65 which did not include their 7,337 male and female slaves[9] and 200 male and female singers.

Ezra 2:66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,

Ezra 2:67 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

Ezra 2:68 After they arrived at Yahveh’s house in Jerusalem, some of the family heads donated money to rebuild the house of God on its original site.

Ezra 2:69 Based on what they could give, they gave 61,000 gold coins, 6,250 pounds of silver, and 100 priestly garments to the treasury for the project.

Ezra 2:70 The priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, and some people settled in their towns, and the rest of Israel settled in their towns.


[1] עֶבֶד = slave. Ezra 2:55, 58, 65; 9:9, 11.

[2] זֶרָע = seed. Ezra 2:59; 9:2.

[3] קָרָא = invite, cry out, convene, name. Ezra 2:61; 8:21.

[4] אָכַל = consume. Ezra 2:63; 6:21; 9:12; 10:6.

[5] קֹדֶשׁ = sacred. Ezra 2:63; 8:28; 9:2, 8.

[6] אוּרִים = lights. Ezra 2:63.

[7] תֻּמִּים = darks. Ezra 2:63.

[8] קָהָל = congregation. Ezra 2:64; 10:1, 8, 12, 14.

[9] אָמָה = female slave. Ezra 2:65.

links:

significant times
unmistakably significant

The EZRA shelf in Jeff’s library

Ezra 1

Ezra 1

Ezra 1:1 In the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, to fulfill the word of Yahveh[1] by Jeremiah’s mouth, Yahveh[2] stirred up the breath[3] of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:

Ezra 1:2 King Cyrus of Persia says: ” Yahveh, the god of the sky[4], has given me all the kingdoms of the land[5] and has appointed me to build him a house[6] at Jerusalem in Judah.

Ezra 1:3 If any of his people are among you, let his god be with him, and let him go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of Yahveh, the god of Israel, who is in Jerusalem.

Ezra 1:4 Let every survivor, wherever he resides,[7] be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and animals,[8] along with a spontaneous voluntary[9] donation for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

Ezra 1:5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose breath God had stirred up —prepared to rebuild Yahveh’s house in Jerusalem.

Ezra 1:6 All their neighbors strengthened[10] their hands with silver articles, gold, goods, animals, valuables, and all that was given as a donation.[11]

Ezra 1:7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of Yahveh’s house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his gods.

Ezra 1:8 King Cyrus of Persia had them brought out under Mithredath’s treasurer’s hand, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the leader[12] of Judah.

Ezra 1:9 This was their number: 30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins, 29 silver knives,

Ezra 1:10 30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles.

Ezra 1:11 The gold and silver articles totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.


[1] יָהְוֶה = Yahveh. Ezra 1:1, 2, 3, 5, 7; 2:68; 3:3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11; 4:1, 3; 6:21, 22; 7:6, 10, 11, 27, 28; 8:28, 29, 35; 9:5, 8, 15; 10:11.

[2] יָהְוֶה = Yahveh (God’s name). Ezra 1:1, 2, 3, 5, 7; 2:68; 3:3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11; 4:1, 3; 6:21, 22; 7:6, 10, 11, 27, 28; 8:28, 29, 35; 9:5, 8, 15; 10:11.

[3] רוּחַ= breath. Ezra 1:1, 5.

[4] שָׁמַיִם = sky. Ezra 1:2; 9:6.

[5] אֶרֶץ = land. Ezra 1:2; 3:3; 4:4; 6:21; 9:1, 2, 7, 11, 12; 10:2, 11.

[6] בַּיִת = house, (family, home, temple) inside. Ezra 1:2, 3, 4, 5, 7; 2:36, 59, 68; 3:8, 9, 11, 12; 4:3; 6:22; 7:27; 8:17, 25, 29, 30, 33, 36; 9:9; 10:1, 6, 9, 16.

[7] גּוּר = reside as a guest. Ezra 1:4.

[8] בְּהֵמָה = animal. Ezra 1:4, 6.

[9]  נְדָבָה = spontaneous voluntary. Ezra 1:4; 3:5; 8:28.

[10]  חָזָק = be strong, strongly, catch. Ezra 1:6; 6:22; 7:28; 9:12; 10:4.

[11] נָדָב = donation. Ezra 1:6; 2:68; 3:5.

[12] נָשִׂיא = leader, general. Ezra 1:8.

links:

ACST 2 The Promise
getting it done
he will get it done

The EZRA shelf in Jeff’s library

2 Chronicles 36

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2 Chronicles 36

2 Chronicles 36:1 Then the familiar people took Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

2 Chronicles 36:2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:3 The king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and fined the land seventy-five hundred pounds of silver and seventy-five pounds of gold.

2 Chronicles 36:4 Then King Neco of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took his brother Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt.

2 Chronicles 36:5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of Yahvehhis God.

2 Chronicles 36:6 Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked him and bound him in bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.

2 Chronicles 36:7 Also, Nebuchadnezzar took some of the articles of Yahveh’s house to Babylon and put them in his temple there.

2 Chronicles 36:8 Notice, the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim, the repulsive actions he committed, and what was found against him, are written in the Book of Israel’s Kings. His son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

2 Chronicles 36:9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight.

2 Chronicles 36:10 In the spring, Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon along with the valuable articles of Yahveh’s house. Then he made Jehoiachin’s brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:12 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahveh his God and did not humble himself before the prophet Jeremiah at Yahveh’s command.

2 Chronicles 36:13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear allegiance by God. He stiffened his neck and toughened his heart against returning to Yahveh, the God of Israel.

2 Chronicles 36:14 All the captains of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, imitating all the repulsive practices of the nations, and they defiled Yahveh’s house that he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:15 But Yahveh, the God of their ancestors, sent word against them by the hand of his agents, sending them time and time again, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.

2 Chronicles 36:16 But they kept ridiculing God’s agents, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until Yahveh’s wrath was so stirred up against his people that there was no remedy.

2 Chronicles 36:17 So he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their fit young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. He did not pity young men or young women, elderly or aged; he handed them all over to him.

2 Chronicles 36:18 He took everything to Babylon– all the articles of God’s house, large and small, the treasures of Yahveh’s house, and the treasures of the king and his captains.

2 Chronicles 36:19 Then the Chaldeans burned God’s house. They tore down Jerusalem’s wall, burned all its palaces, and spoiled all its valuable articles.

2 Chronicles 36:20 He deported those who escaped from the sword to Babylon, and they became slaves to him and his sons until the rise of the Persian kingdom.

2 Chronicles 36:21 This fulfilled the word of Yahveh through Jeremiah, and the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation until seventy years were fulfilled.

2 Chronicles 36:22 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of Yahveh spoken through Jeremiah, Yahveh roused the breath of King Cyrus of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and also to put it in writing:

2 Chronicles 36:23 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: Yahveh, the God of the sky, has given me all the kingdoms of the land and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up and may Yahveh his God be with him.

links:

right choices
the right choices
until there was no remedy

The 2 Chronicles shelf in Jeff’s library

2 Chronicles 35

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2 Chronicles 35

2 Chronicles 35:1 Josiah observed Yahveh’s Passover and slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2 Chronicles 35:2 He appointed the priests to their responsibilities and made them strong to serve in Yahveh’s house.

2 Chronicles 35:3 He said to the Levites who taught all Israel the sacred things of Yahveh, “Put the sacred ark in the house built by Solomon, son of David, king of Israel. Since you do not have to carry it on your shoulders, now work for Yahveh your God and his people Israel.

2 Chronicles 35:4 “Organize your ancestral houses by your divisions according to the written instruction of King David of Israel and that of his son Solomon.

2 Chronicles 35:5 Serve in the sacred place by the groupings of the ancestral houses for your brothers, the lay people, and according to the division of the Levites by house.

2 Chronicles 35:6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your brothers to carry out the word of Yahveh through Moses.”

2 Chronicles 35:7 Then Josiah donated thirty thousand sheep, lambs, and young goats, plus three thousand cattle from his possessions, for the Passover sacrifices for all the lay people who were present.

2 Chronicles 35:8 His captains also willingly gave spontaneous voluntary gifts to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, chief officials of God’s house, gave twenty-six hundred Passover sacrifices and three hundred cattle for the priests.

2 Chronicles 35:9 Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, captains of the Levites, donated five thousand Passover sacrifices for the Levites, plus five hundred cattle.

2 Chronicles 35:10 So the service was established; the priests stood at their posts and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command.

2 Chronicles 35:11 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs, and while the Levites were skinning the animals, the priests splattered the blood they had been given.

2 Chronicles 35:12 They removed the ascending offerings so that they might be given to the groupings of the ancestral houses of the lay people to offer to Yahveh, according to what is written in the book of Moses; they did the same with the cattle.

2 Chronicles 35:13 They roasted the Passover lambs with fire according to the judgment. They boiled the sacred sacrifices in pots, kettles, and bowls, and they quickly brought them to the laypeople.

2 Chronicles 35:14 Afterward, they made preparations for themselves and the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were busy offering up ascending offerings and fat until night. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

2 Chronicles 35:15 The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. Also, the gatekeepers were at each temple gate. None of them left their tasks because their Levite brothers had prepared for them.

2 Chronicles 35:16 So all the service of Yahveh was established that day for observing the Passover and for offering ascending offerings on the altar of Yahveh, according to the command of King Josiah.

2 Chronicles 35:17 The Israelites who were present in Judah at that time also observed the Passover and the Festival of Matzah for seven days.

2 Chronicles 35:18 No Passover had been observed like it in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah followed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present in Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 35:19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed.

2 Chronicles 35:20 After all this that Josiah had prepared for the house, King Neco of Egypt marched up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to conface him.

2 Chronicles 35:21 But Neco sent agents to him, saying, “What is the issue between you and me, king of Judah? I have not come against you today, but I am fighting another house. God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God who is with me; don’t make him put an end to you!”

2 Chronicles 35:22 But Josiah did not turn away from him; instead, to fight with him, he disguised himself. He did not listen to Neco’s words from the mouth of God but went to the Valley of Megiddo to fight.

2 Chronicles 35:23 The archers shot King Josiah, and he said to his slaves, “Take me away, for I am severely wounded!”

2 Chronicles 35:24 So his slaves took him out of the war chariot, carried him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem. Then he died, and they buried him in the tomb of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

2 Chronicles 35:25 Jeremiah chanted a dirge over Josiah, and all the male and female singers still speak of Josiah in their dirges today. They established them as a prescribed task for Israel, and notice, they are written in the Dirges. 2 Chronicles 35:26 The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign, along with his deeds of covenant faithfulness according to what is written in the instruction of Yahveh,

2 Chronicles 35:27 and notice his words, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

links:

an unexpected mouth
keep listening
looking back, looking forward
the feast, the past and the future

The 2 Chronicles shelf in Jeff’s library

DRAWING NEAR

DRAWING NEAR

 Hebrews 10:19–25 NET

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy. 24 And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, 25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.


Introduction

Every Christian knows what it feels like to drift — not in a dramatic way, but quietly, slowly, subtly. A little less prayer. A little less confidence. A little less gathering with God’s people. A little more fear. A little more guilt. A little more distance.

The writer of Hebrews understands this. He is writing to believers who are tired, discouraged, and tempted to pull back. They are wondering if following Jesus is worth it. They are tempted to shrink away from worship, from fellowship, and from hope.

So, before he gives them any commands, he reminds them of what Christ has already done. He does not begin with “Do better.” He begins with “You have access.”
He begins with privilege, not pressure.
He begins with grace, not guilt.

Hebrews 10:19–25 is one of the most beautiful invitations in the New Testament. It tells us what Christ has opened, what we now possess, and how we must respond.


I. The Privileges We Possess in Christ (vv. 19–21)

The writer begins with two breathtaking truths.

We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place (v. 19)

Under the old covenant, no one entered the Most Holy Place except the high priest — and only once a year. The curtain was a barrier, a warning, a reminder that sin separates us from God.

But now, because of Jesus’ blood, the curtain is torn.
The way is open.
Access is granted.
We do not come trembling.
We come confidently.

This is not arrogance.
It is assurance — assurance rooted in Christ’s finished work.

We have a new and living way (v. 20)

The writer says the curtain was opened “through His flesh.”
Christ’s torn body opened the way into God’s presence.
The way is new — not the old system of sacrifices.
The way is living — because Christ Himself is alive.

We have a great High Priest over God’s house (v. 21)

Jesus is not only the sacrifice; He is the priest who brings us to God.
He stands for us.
He intercedes for us.

These privileges are the foundation for everything that follows.
We do not obey to gain access.
We obey because access has already been given.


II. The First Response: Draw Near (v. 22)

Because the way is open, the writer says, “Let us draw near.”

Draw near with a sincere heart

God invites honesty, not performance.
He wants real hearts, not religious masks.

Draw near in full assurance of faith

Our confidence is not in our feelings but in Christ’s work.
We come because He has made us clean.

Draw near as cleansed people

The writer uses priestly language:

  • “hearts sprinkled clean” — inner cleansing from guilt
  • “bodies washed with pure water” — the outward sign of baptism

The point is simple:
You are welcome. You are clean. You are invited.

Worship is not timid.
It is bold — because Christ has opened the way.


III. The Second Response: Hold Fast (v. 23)

The Christian life is not only about drawing near; it is also about holding on.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.”

Hold fast the confession

The gospel is something we cling to.
It is our anchor in a drifting world.

Hold fast without wavering

The pressure to drift is real.
The temptation to compromise is real.
The writer calls for steady, stubborn perseverance.

Hold fast because God is faithful

This is the key.
We do not hold fast because we are strong.
We hold fast because He who promised is faithful.

Our grip may weaken.
His promise never does.


IV. The Third Response: Stir Up One Another (vv. 24–25)

Faith is personal, but it is never private.
The writer now turns from the vertical to the horizontal.

“Let us consider one another…”

Consider one another (v. 24)

This is intentional, thoughtful care.
It means thinking about others’ spiritual needs.
It means noticing who is struggling, who is drifting, who is hurting.

Stir up love and good works

The word “stir up” means to provoke, to spur, to ignite.
The church is a catalyst for obedience.
We help one another grow.

Do not neglect meeting together (v. 25)

Some were already drifting from the assembly.
The writer says: Don’t do that.
Isolation weakens faith.
Community strengthens it.

Gathering is not a habit.
It is a lifeline.

Encourage one another — especially as the Day approaches

The closer we get to Christ’s return, the more we need each other.
Encouragement is not optional; it is essential.

The church is God’s means of sustaining His people until the end.


V. The Message for Today

Hebrews 10:19–25 speaks directly to our moment.

We have access — so draw near

Don’t live at a distance.
Don’t let guilt or fear keep you away.
Christ has opened the way.

We have a confession — so hold fast

The world is shifting.
Truth is contested.
Hope is fragile.
But God is faithful.

We have a family — so stir up one another

We need each other.
We need encouragement.
We need presence.
We need community.

The Christian life cannot be lived alone.


Conclusion

The writer of Hebrews gives us three commands — but they all flow from one great truth:
Christ has opened the way to God.

So, draw near.
Hold fast.
Stir up one another.
And do it all with confidence, because the God who opened the way is the God who will keep you to the end.

So, we pray:

Lord, thank You for opening the way into Your presence.
Give us boldness to draw near, strength to hold fast,
and love to stir up one another as we wait for the Day of Christ.
Amen.