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Well, good morning. 
Let's try that again. 

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Good morning. 
Thank you. 

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My name is Jacob Rodriguez. 
I used to be on staff here as a 

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priest at Church of the 
Resurrection, now based in. 

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I'm based in the Pittsburgh 
area, teaching at a seminary 

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there. 
But it's my joy this summer to 

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be back with you guys for a few 
Sundays. 

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Before we get started this 
morning, let's go ahead and 

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pray. 
Heavenly Father, let your word 

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be our rule, your Spirit our 
Teacher, and your greater glory 

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our supreme concern through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

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Amen. 
As a church, we've been going 

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through First Corinthians 
tackling 1 thorny issue after 

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another. 
Well done for persevering with 

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us through this text. 
It's always worth it to meditate

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on difficult passages of 
Scripture because even in them 

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we find the words of eternal, 
flourishing life. 

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Last week we covered the first 
section of First Corinthians 

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Chapter 7, verses one through 
16, where Paul discussions 

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discusses the vocation of 
marriage. 

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Today we'll be looking at verses
17 through 40. 

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So go ahead and turn in your Pew
Bibles if you have one page 898.

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In your ESP Pew Bibles, we're 
looking at verses 17 through 40,

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which addresses the topic of 
singleness. 

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In First Corinthians Chapter 7. 
Paul has already introduced this

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topic in verses 7 through 9, but
he begins his discussion in 

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earnest in verse 25 with the 
phrase now concerning those who 

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have not yet married. 
The ESV you might notice in 

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verse 25 unhelpfully translates 
the phrase the betrothed. 

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But betrothed or engaged is just
one subset of the unmarried that

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Paul talks about in all of 
Chapter 7, verses 25 to the end.

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So I would, for the sake of of 
discussion today, I'll refer to 

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all of those states as 
singleness. 

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Paul will talk about the 
unmarried and about the widows, 

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but more broadly in this 
section, he's talking about 

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singleness. 
Paul is beginning his full 

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discussion on being unmarried in
this section. 

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I realized that this topic is 
very personal to many of you, 

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and for some, not for all. 
For some, the situation of 

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singleness has caused years of 
unfulfilled desires, perhaps 

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many nights of pleading with God
to satisfy the ache of 

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loneliness. 
We as pastors are keenly aware 

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of this, and we pray for you 
regularly. 

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And please feel free to come to 
us for prayer, for counsel, and 

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for encouragement. 
Also, there are many single 

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people who live very fulfilled 
lives and don't experience that 

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day-to-day ache of loneliness. 
And so when we discuss 

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loneliness from a passage or we 
discuss singleness, sorry, from 

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a passage like First Corinthians
7, it's important to remember 

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that the experience of 
singleness is not monolithic. 

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So some things will apply in a 
very particular way to a set of 

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single people in our church 
today and others will not. 

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However, the call for for all of
us to be faithful to Christ in 

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discipleship, that applies to 
each and every one of us. 

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Also, we have already been 
talking for several weeks about 

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the goods of marriage. 
I mean, we've had four wedding 

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wedding sermons here in the 
month of June. 

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And so I think we've all got the
map, the memo that marriage is 

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good, marriage honors God, and 
if you can get married, get 

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married. 
But today I want to give our 

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texts, our text, its proper 
focus. 

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I want to let Paul's Apostolic 
voice come through regarding 

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singleness. 
Paul's advice today is pastoral,

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and it's rather straightforward.
It is pastoral in that Paul 

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gives guidelines, not direct 
commands. 

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Paul acknowledges the freedom 
within the boundaries of God's 

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law that the Corinthians have in
making their own decisions about

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getting married or staying 
single. 

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See especially verse 25 where 
Paul specifies now about the 

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unmarried. 
I have no command from the Lord,

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but I give my judgement as one 
who by the Lord's mercy, is 

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trustworthy. 
Paul's judgement Paul's 

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guidelines are straightforward. 
If you are single, don't 

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automatically pursue marriage, 
but rather lean into your 

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singleness towards greater, 
undivided devotion to the Lord. 

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If you are single, don't 
automatically pursue marriage, 

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but rather lean into your 
singleness towards greater 

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undivided devotion to the Lord. 
Paul's pastoral advice here is 

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based on three principles that 
I'd like to unpack one at a time

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for the rest of our time here. 
First of all, singleness is a 

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calling. 
Secondly, singleness points to 

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the new creation. 3rd And 
finally, singleness demonstrates

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to the whole church the call to 
radical discipleship, calling 

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new creation radical 
discipleship. 

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Let's look at those one at a 
time. 

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First of all, singleness as a 
calling. 

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Turn your eyes to page to to 
verse 17 of Chapter 7. 

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Paul says only let each person 
lead the life that the Lord has 

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assigned to him and to which God
has called him. 

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Verses 17 through 24 are a 
little bit of a sidebar 

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discussion about calling, 
sandwiched between Paul's 

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address to the married in verses
one through 16 and to the 

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singles in verses 25 through 40.
In this sidebar discussion, Paul

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encourages the Corinthians to 
remain in the situation that God

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has assigned to them and to 
which God has called them. 

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If you're a circumcised Jew, 
don't stop being a Jew. 

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If you are an uncircumcised 
Gentile, don't stop being a 

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Gentile. 
As another side note, notice how

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Paul treats ancient slavery in a
different category. 

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He gives the all important 
caveat that if you are enslaved,

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gain your freedom If you can. 
You belong to Christ, so no 

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human should enslave you. 
Paul right here plants the seeds

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of the abolition movement. 
Nevertheless, Paul does make the

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point that whatever your 
situation in life, whatever your

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calling is, remain in it and 
remain faithful to God through 

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it. 
Now, Paul uses this word calling

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several times. 
So it's important for us to 

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define that term. 
The primary connotation of 

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calling relates to the effectual
calling of God to sinners, 

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raising them from death to life 
and making them his people. 

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Being called means being saved. 
This calling is primarily a 

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gospel category, but a second 
connotation flows from the 

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first. 
If God has saved you from your 

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sin. 
If God has claimed you as his 

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own, what walk of life has he 
given you to show the world now 

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that you're saved? 
His goodness, his love and 

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mercy? 
Paul uses both of these 

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connotations in verses 17 
through 24. 

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But it's the second connotation,
the particular walk of life that

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God gives to each of us. 
It's that second connotation 

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that Paul uses to frame his 
whole discussion of singleness 

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in verses 25 through 40. 
Now, how can we understand this 

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second sense of calling? 
Imagine that you're one of nine 

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core players on a basketball 
team. 

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OK, it's the national 
championship. 

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Fourth quarter down by one 
point. 

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Your team gets the ball. 
Coach calls timeout. 

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Coach calls a set play. 
Each player has given everything

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they have the entire season. 
Personal training, proper 

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nutrition, practice videos, game
time. 

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But some players will be on the 
bench for the final play, only 5

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will be on the court, and of 
those five, only one will shoot 

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the final shot. 
Others will set screens, pick 

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and roll, box out or cheer from 
the sidelines. 

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The coach gives a specific call 
to each of the players, and if 

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they want to win the 
championship, they will heed the

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coaches call. 
Some players may not like their 

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specific call. 
Some players may wish they had 

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the glory of getting that final 
shot. 

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Others may wish that they had 
the scoring title of the whole 

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series. 
But the appointed time has grown

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very short. 
There's only 10 seconds left in 

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the game, and chasing one's 
personal goals is now 

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irrelevant. 
The true champions leave all of 

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that to the side for the sake of
The Maine prize. 

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Now, of course, every analogy 
has its flaws. 

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This this analogy will fall 
short if you press it too far. 

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I totally acknowledge that. 
But let's appreciate the 

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correspondence. 
You see, in a similar way, God 

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calls some to marriage and 
others to singleness. 

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He calls some to marriage until 
old age with grandchildren 

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surrounding them. 
He calls others to marriage only

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for a season to be ended by the 
untimely death of a spouse. 

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He calls others to singleness 
for a season to be ended by the 

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joy of a marriage that never 
that they never dreamed could 

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happen. 
And he calls still others to 

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lifelong singleness. 
Singleness might be a temporary 

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calling or it might be a 
lifelong calling, but each of 

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these callings serves a greater 
purpose to show the world the 

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all surpassing worth of the Lord
Jesus Christ through whom we 

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have soul satisfying fellowship 
with God and with one another. 

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Paul describes this aspect of 
calling in the very, very first 

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paragraph of First Corinthians. 
One look at all the times he 

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talks about the Saints being 
called and and how that shows 

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the glories of God to the world.
Now singleness plays a 

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particular role in that great 
narrative that God is telling 

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through and in His people, which
leads us to our second point. 

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Singleness points to the new 
creation. 

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In verses 25 through 31, Paul 
makes the following slightly 

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unusual statements. 
Look at verse 26. 

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He says in view of the present 
distress, it is good for a 

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person to remain as he is or as 
she is, that is, whether 

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unmarried or married. 
And he goes on to say in verse 

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29, what I mean is this. 
Now, it's always helpful when 

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Paul says, hey, everybody, this 
is what I'm talking about. 

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And let me explain it to you. 
Awesome. 

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Thank you, Paul. 
Hopefully this will be rather 

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clear. 
OK, What does he say? 

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Verse 29? 
What I mean is this. 

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The appointed time has grown 
very short. 

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From now on let those who have 
wives live as though they had 

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none, let those who mourn as 
though they were not mourning, 

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and those who rejoice as though 
they were not rejoicing, those 

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who deal with the world as 
though they had no dealings with

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it, and so on. 
For the present form of this 

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world is passing away. 
What do you mean, Paul? 

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What do you mean by the present 
distress? 

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What is the appointed time, and 
how has it grown? 

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Very short. 
If I'm married, can I pretend 

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that I don't have a spouse, 
especially on game day on Sunday

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and I want to watch the football
game and not do the dishes? 

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Good luck with that, Paul. 
Not at all. 

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What Paul is saying is that 
since the time of Christ's death

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and resurrection, the appointed 
time of His return and the 

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consummation of all things is 
drawing nearer every day, at the

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consummation of all things, the 
present form of this world, 

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wealth, possessions, career, 
success, will all pass away 

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without any fanfare. 
Other facets of the present form

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of the world, marriage and 
procreation, will give way to 

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the eternal reality to which 
they point as only a shadow. 

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As Jesus told the Sadducees at 
the resurrection, people will 

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neither marry nor be given in 
marriage. 

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Why? 
Because the marriage of all 

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marriages will be forever 
celebrated. 

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Christ and His Church, whether 
married or single, we must live 

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with this as our goal. 
Now. 

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In Paul's day, there was a 
present distress that he 

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mentions here. 
Perhaps he's referring to the 

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famine of 51 AD, which affected 
several sectors of the Roman 

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Empire. 
Now that famine, that present 

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distress, it should have 
reminded the Corinthians of the 

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finitude of this present age. 
It should have given them a 

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fresh impulse to pursue the 
things that will last in the new

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creation. 
For Paul, those who in their 

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unmarried state experience 
experience intimacy with God 

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through undivided devotion to 
Christ, those whose devotion to 

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Christ shows that the family of 
God is not born by procreation, 

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but by the baptism and renewal 
of the Holy Spirit. 

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Single people with their 
vocation, with their calling, 

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demonstrates the goods of the of
the new creation that is coming 

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and will come in its fullness. 
Which leads us to 1/3 function, 

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1/3 principle of singleness that
Paul develops in Chapter 7. 

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And that is that singleness 
demonstrates to the whole church

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the call to radical 
discipleship. 

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Look at what Paul refers to in 
verses 30 and following. 

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Those who buy should live as 
though their possessions were 

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not theirs to keep those who 
deal with the world as though 

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they had no dealings with it. 
He goes on in verse 32. 

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The unmarried man is anxious 
about the things of the Lord, 

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how to please the Lord. 
But the married man is anxious 

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about the things of the world, 
how to please his wife, and his 

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interests are divided. 
He goes on and the unmarried or 

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betrothed woman is anxious about
the things of the Lord, how to 

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be holy in body and spirit. 
But the married woman is anxious

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about the things of the world, 
how to please her husband. 

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And then he finishes off this 
section with a statement in 

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verse 35. 
I say this. 

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I say this to secure your 
undivided devotion to the Lord. 

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Undivided could also be 
translated as undistracted, the 

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singular devotion to the Lord. 
Quite simply, friends, they're 

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only 168 hours in a week, and 
someone who leans into his or 

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her singleness has a greater 
capacity to give him or herself 

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to the Lord through prayer and 
devotion and radical 

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discipleship. 
They say that it takes 10,000 

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hours to become an expert at 
anything. 

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Now, of course, that's a round 
Number. 

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There's also some other factors 
that feature when you're trying 

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to gain an expertise at 
something. 

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But if you spend five years, 
Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM 

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00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:54,520
to 5:00 PM, practicing something
with undivided attention, you 

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will reach a level of expertise 
that you can only truly know 

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through the embodied experience 
of the blood, sweat, and tears 

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of those five years. 
Now, you may know that I play a 

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little bit of piano and there 
are a couple of genres that I'm 

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fairly comfortable with, but if 
you listen closely, I think 

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you'll quickly notice that I'm 
not an expert. 

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In the past two years, I've had 
just the tiniest taste of what 

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it feels like to get a little 
bit better. 

259
00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:26,839
I mean, I've set aside 20 
minutes usually every evening to

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00:17:26,839 --> 00:17:30,760
learn a little more complex 
piano theory and a little bit of

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improvisation. 
So now I can, I can feel a 

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00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:38,160
little bit of what it's of what 
it's like to have have this 

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00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:41,280
beauty flow out of my fingers in
something more than just four 

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chords in the key of C. 
But then I come back to Rez and 

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00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,880
I hear some real experts play. 
If you were at Catalu for the 

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00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:54,040
4th of July celebration, you 
know exactly what I'm talking 

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about. 
I can only imagine what it feels

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like to have the music of 
Beethoven or Chopin or 

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00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:04,000
Rachmaninoff flow perfectly 
through my fingers. 

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I have a little bit of a taste, 
but there's a whole world that I

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probably will never be able to 
experience. 

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But these friends that res who 
have dedicated more time and and

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their energy undivided devotion 
to the beauty of music, they 

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taste something that is is 
incredible to behold. 

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What about if we applied this 
principle to the undivided 

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devotion to the Lord to seeking 
him in prayer and fasting. 

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What if those who are single for
two years, five years, 10 years,

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20 years or more pursued the 
heart of God with all the 

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passion that one would otherwise
spend on a spouse? 

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00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:52,760
What levels of spiritual written
richness could you access when 

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the hunger of your singleness 
tastes the honey from Christ the

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Rock? 
Or if your experience of 

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00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:04,840
singleness is not that of of of 
hunger and unfulfilled desires, 

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what if you could lean into the 
the the freedom that you have to

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pursue Christ even more in the 
joy that you have in your 

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everyday experience? 
Let me be careful to clarify 

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what I'm not saying. 
First of all, I'm not saying 

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that if you're single and 
unhappy that it's your fault for

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00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:28,720
not praying or seeking God 
fervently enough. 

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00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:33,480
Some single Christians in DC are
overwhelmed with incredibly 

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00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:38,240
taxing jobs, and they just need 
the reassurance that God is for 

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00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,920
you and not against you, and the
last thing they need is to hear 

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someone telling them that 
they're failing in their prayer 

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life. 
I'm also not saying that you 

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just have to. 
If you're single, you just have 

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00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:54,320
to hold on for one more day and 
I promise tomorrow will feel 

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00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:57,920
much better. 
I'm not saying that if you just 

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00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:01,480
prayed a little harder and fast,
a little longer than all the 

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sadness of your singleness would
just one day completely melt 

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00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:07,040
away. 
No, I'm not saying that. 

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But what I am saying is that the
journey further up and further 

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00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:18,160
in into the soul filling glory 
of God sometimes takes us 

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00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:23,480
through sorrows like singleness.
Which when steward and well move

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00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:27,920
us into undivided devotion to 
Christ. 

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00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:32,200
But don't just take my word for 
it. 

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00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:37,000
Hear the voice of the barren 
woman of Isaiah 54, who's 

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rejoicing is greater than her 
who has a husband. 

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00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:45,080
Hear the voice of the eunuch of 
Isaiah 56, whose name and 

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00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:48,680
memorial is greater than sons 
and daughters, and is written 

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00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,320
right there in the walls of the 
temple. 

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00:20:52,120 --> 00:20:55,640
Hear the voice of the Virgin 
Mary, whose soul, undivided by 

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00:20:55,640 --> 00:21:00,080
marriage, magnified the Lord and
rejoiced in God her Saviour. 

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00:21:00,360 --> 00:21:03,880
Indeed, all generations have now
called her blessed. 

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00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:08,720
Hear the voice of Anna the 
prophetess, widowed yet filled 

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00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:10,920
with hope. 
Hear her as she prays and 

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00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:14,960
prophecies of the restoration of
all things in Luke chapter 2. 

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00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:21,400
It was her eyes that recognized 
the Saviour in the flesh. 

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00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:25,960
Hear the voice of John the 
Baptist, the friend of the 

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00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:29,400
bridegroom, with no mention of 
his own bride. 

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00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:34,360
Hear him as his joy is made 
complete when he sees the true 

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00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:37,760
bridegroom. 
Come and hear the voice of our 

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00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:42,200
single Savior Jesus Christ when 
he says sell everything you have

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00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:47,640
and give to the poor and you 
will have treasure, treasure in 

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00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:50,680
heaven. 
Hear the voice of the single 

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00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:54,880
minded, Paul, and consider your 
life of little value to yourself

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00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:58,280
except that you may finish your 
race and the ministry that you 

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00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:02,320
have received from the Lord 
Jesus to testify to the gospel 

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00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:07,560
of the grace of God. 
If you are single, I exhort, you

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00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:11,880
find a more radical way to 
demonstrate that all of your 

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00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:15,800
academic success, all of your 
career achievements, all of your

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00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:20,120
accumulating wealth are worth 
nothing in comparison to the 

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00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:24,320
surpassing greatness of knowing 
Christ Jesus your Lord and 

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00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:27,040
making His greatness known 
throughout the whole world. 

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00:22:28,120 --> 00:22:32,040
There are far too many 
Christians today chasing the 

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00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:36,360
American Dream, living for the 
prosperity of this present age, 

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00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:41,800
a spouse, a house, wealth couple
kids, and sometimes baptizing it

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00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:45,480
with Christian language, but 
really pursuing it as an end in 

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00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:51,120
itself. 
People like Paul, who steward 

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00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:56,040
their singleness faithfully, can
lead the way in giving the whole

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00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:59,600
church the prophetic challenge 
that the pleasures of marriage 

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00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:04,080
will soon fade away. 
Academic and career achievements

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00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:08,280
will soon be forgotten. 
The prosperity and wealth of 

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00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:15,000
this present age will soon rot, 
and only the Kingdom of God will

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endure. 
Only what is done in Christ's 

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00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,640
name will last. 
Brothers and sisters who are 

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00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:27,960
single challenge us married folk
to give more sacrificially, to 

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00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:31,400
welcome others more radically, 
to live as if our time, our 

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00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:34,520
possessions and our 
qualifications were not ours to 

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00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:39,400
keep. 
Now, today we have heard Pauls 

350
00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:42,840
pastoral advice that if you're 
single, don't automatically 

351
00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:46,080
pursue marriage, but rather lean
into your singleness towards 

352
00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,320
greater undivided devotion to 
the Lord. 

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00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:51,760
And of course, we know from this
passage that that Paul gives 

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00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:56,560
this as as an advice, as a 
pastoral judgment, but also 

355
00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:59,480
giving the freedom to the 
Corinthians that if they desire 

356
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:02,040
to get married, and it is in 
their power to do so, they 

357
00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:04,840
should get married. 
That is absolutely true. 

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00:24:05,120 --> 00:24:11,320
At the same time, Paul invites 
all Christians who experienced 

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00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:16,000
the situation of singleness to 
steward that as a gift, as a 

360
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:21,640
calling towards that deeper 
knowledge of the Lord, whether 

361
00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:25,480
temporary or lifelong. 
Your singleness points to the 

362
00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:29,360
new creation and it demonstrates
the whole church, the radical 

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00:24:29,360 --> 00:24:33,360
nature of our discipleship. 
In other words, hear me clearly,

364
00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:38,800
you are not second class 
citizens in the church. 

365
00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:42,960
You are integral members of the 
body of Christ, whose walk of 

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00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:47,320
life, whether by circumstance or
choice, is vital for the whole 

367
00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:51,800
body. 
Marriage and singleness are 

368
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:56,840
complementary icons of the 
gospel, but they can only serve 

369
00:24:56,840 --> 00:25:00,480
their complementary functions if
they are in fellowship one with 

370
00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,880
another. 
Simply put, if you are married 

371
00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:08,320
or if you have children, invite 
single people into your daily 

372
00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:12,080
rhythms of life. 
Go deep enough in friendship 

373
00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,680
with with your single brothers 
and sisters that you can invite 

374
00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:19,680
them to the sober yet joyful 
calling of being a godfather or 

375
00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:21,920
a godmother. 
Invite them into the calling of 

376
00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,360
raising your children in the 
faith. 

377
00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:30,320
And if you're single, pursue 
those deep friendships also. 

378
00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:33,800
There are many single people 
among us in our church who are 

379
00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:37,480
already living this life of 
radical discipleship. 

380
00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:41,640
If that describes you, press on.
God is pleased. 

381
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,200
Your labor in the Lord is not in
vain. 

382
00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:49,880
Single folks in our church 
volunteer for the hospital team,

383
00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:52,680
for the hospitality team, for 
children's ministry, for music 

384
00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:54,920
ministry. 
They're having people regularly 

385
00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:57,160
in their homes. 
They're tutoring kids from the 

386
00:25:57,160 --> 00:26:00,760
neighborhood. 
They are giving sacrificially to

387
00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:05,080
the mission of the Church. 
Let us celebrate these brothers 

388
00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:09,240
and sisters as they lead the way
in showing us what radical 

389
00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:13,320
discipleship looks like. 
And let us invite them in as if 

390
00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:15,440
those of us who are married. 
Let us invite them into our 

391
00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:20,520
daily spaces of refreshments and
revitalization and Sabbath rest.

392
00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:26,280
Let's set up meal trains for 
single folks who have long time 

393
00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:31,560
sicknesses or even just the flu.
Let us show them their value not

394
00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:35,480
for their status as single, but 
their value for who they are 

395
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:38,880
made in the image of God. 
And let us celebrate the way 

396
00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:42,400
that their singleness shows the 
radical discipleship Christ 

397
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:49,280
calls all of us to. 
Let each of us together in our 

398
00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:54,480
corporate calling as the people 
of God, whether married or 

399
00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:59,640
single, let us bear one 
another's burdens, spur one 

400
00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,360
another on toward love and good 
deeds. 

401
00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:08,080
And in so doing, we will show 
the world a beautiful witness of

402
00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:11,080
the gospel in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son and the 

403
00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:12,200
Holy Spirit. 
Amen.