Out with the Old, In with the New with Pastor Ryan Braley

You can’t staple Jesus onto an already busy life and call it transformation. Colossians 3 forces a sharper question: if you’ve been raised with Christ, what has to die so the real you can finally live? We walk through Paul’s pattern step by step: who you are, what must die, what’s being renewed, and who we’re becoming together. And we keep coming back to one grounding truth for Christian identity and spiritual growth: “your life is hidden with Christ in God,” the safest place you can be.

From that security, we talk about why resurrection people are “dangerous” in the best way, because fear stops running the show. Then we get painfully practical about discipleship: the vices Paul names, the root of idolatry behind the behavior, and why sins of speech matter as much as sins we love to spotlight. There’s a memorable definition of gossip, a warning about how easily the old self clings under pressure, and a blunt invitation to stop living like an immature version of ourselves that no longer fits.

Finally, we move into the “new clothes” list: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness and the love that ties it all together. Paul’s vision of unity isn’t sentimental; it’s a new humanity where tribal lines lose their authority because Christ is in all. Listen through to the end, name the one thing you need to let go of, then share this with a friend and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. What’s the old habit you’re ready to put to death?

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Transcript

Prayer And Quick Announcements

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Father, give you thanks this morning for your presence here with us. And we ask for your grace and mercy to be made well and alive in us. And would you help us as we unpack this next chapter of uh Colossians? And the Holy Spirit, you speak to us this morning all the ways that we need it so badly. And pray the things in your holy and precious name. Amen. I mean you can be seated. Morning, everyone. One quick announcement, as I'm sure you're all wondering. The announcement is that uh, oh, we are in need of two things. If you could be willing and able to help us, we need another worship coordinator, someone who can help us out back in the secret room back here. We call it the sacristy. And uh there's a lot of magic that happens back there, and you can't know what's back there unless you come and volunteer. Then we'll tell you what happens back there. But it's top secret. Uh so it's super easy. We'll help you, but it's just something that kind of helps us organize our morning logistically. And so if you're kind of a person who likes people and talking to people and you're fairly organized, we'll, you know, we'd love to have you come volunteer and be a worship creator. Doesn't have to be every Sunday, once a month, maybe. Um, Leanne, where's Leanne Wishard? Leanne does it almost you know once a month at least. It's pretty fun, isn't it? Yeah, so it's uh we're not mean to you, are we? Okay, good, yeah, yeah. So also we're always recruiting for our IT team back there. This is Chris and Jacob and Michelle and my friend, my friend John, who's training in. We could use one or two more folks back there doing audio, video, camera work. And so if you're like, hey, I'd love to try that, we'll train you in. It's not hard. And um are we mean to you guys back there? No? Okay, good. I'll pay you later, Chris. Uh so we'd love that you join it, uh, be a part of

Colossians 3 Reading And Context

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that. So, okay, could you open your Bibles uh to Colossians? It's on page 957. And when you're there, say cut chow. Some of your younger folks got that joke. All right. The rest of you, well, bear with us. Uh I'm gonna read you the entire portion I want to preach on, just so you kind of know where we're going. So it's Colossians 3, verses 1 through 11. Now we're getting to the end here. Now, Paul is writing about how Christ is underneath everything, he is the cosmic glue holding all things together. This is a brand new, fledging baby church that's being sort of uh it's growing in this Greco-Roman culture. It's heavily influenced by outside forces and pressures to kind of um like to add things to their faith, so like to add Jesus to the other, uh, you know, the all the other smorgasbord of gods that they already have, or to add sort of like Jewish regulations onto the onto Jesus, like just hey, keep adding more. It's not just Jesus at Jesus plus whatever. And Paul's like, no, don't do that. Uh just hold the faith, stay firm in the midst of all these pressures. And then Paul writes this So if you have been raised with Christ, you can follow along with me. Uh verse uh chapter three, it's on page 957. If you've been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above. This is what we just heard read. Where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, set your mind on things above and on things not of the earth. For you have died. Everyone say, I have died. And your life is hidden with Christ and God. When Christ is your life, is revealed, when he shows back up on earth, not sort of in the clouds somewhere, but when he shows up here on earth, uh, you will show up with him, revealed in glory. Put to death, therefore, Paul says. It's military language, like kill off, it's violent language. Kill whatever is in you that is earthly, fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. In other words, like there's like there's like judgment coming for those of you who are acting like knuckleheads. So don't do that. Uh, these are the ways which you once followed uh when you were living that life, but you're not doing that anymore, so stop doing that. Some of you need this morning to just hear me say, Hey, stop doing that. Okay? You know who you are. Moving on. But now you must get rid of all these things, including anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Point to your neighbor if they do any of those things. I'm kidding, don't do that. Don't do that. Uh don't lie to each other, seeing that you have been stripped of the old self, which is uh in all of its practices, its way of life, and have clothed yourselves with new self. It's being renewed in the knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal, there's no longer any Greek or Jew. These were once tribal lines that divided people and that delineated what they were like. Greek or Jew, get that circumcised or uncircumcised? No need to prove it, we'll take your word for it. Uh you had to wake up this morning, you guys. Barbarian Scythian. I'll explain what a Scythian is in a minute. Slave or free, but Christ is in all and uh is all. So Christ, you might say, is underneath it all. As God's chosen ones, you church, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, goodness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with each other. Uh, if anyone has a complaint, forgive them. Just as God forgave you, uh, you must also forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love. Amen. Cachow. All right, let's do this. I'm

Four-Part Roadmap And One Question

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gonna move this over here, actually. Okay, so here's what Paul is saying. He's got a four-part little sermon he's giving to you guys this morning. And I wrote it in paragraph form. Here's what Paul is saying to the church in Colossi, which I think applies to us as well. He's saying this. Uh, once I get it rolling here, there we go. Okay, underneath it all, it's our sermon series. You got that already. He's like, look, because you believers have died, which is true, you told me, you said, I have died, and been raised with Christ. Ca-chow, you must put on the uh put to death the practices, the ways of being of the old humanity, and live as the renewed, Christ-centered humanity defined by love, where all divisions no longer identify us. You tracking? In case you aren't, here's the four-part. I'm gonna break it down even further, just make it even simpler for you guys. Number one, he says who you are. This is who you are, the foundation of your life. Then he goes on to say, hey, this is what must die. Then he says, Hey, here's what's being renewed, or what how I want you to be renewed. And then lastly, he says, This what kinds of people we're gonna we're gonna become together. He gives a vision of what the future will look like. Does that make sense? Okay, fair enough. Uh, here's what I want you to know. What he's saying is Christianity is not just about not going to hell when you die. It's not just that get out of hell free card. It's not just like an upgrade, like a better car, or like, hey, I'm the same selfish, self-centered, angry, um, you know, hopeless person, but now I just have a Bible verse on my Instagram page. It's not that either. Uh, it's not any of those. What it is, Christianity is not that, it's an end of one thing and a beginning of a brand new thing. Something dies and something raises again in its place. So I'm gonna unpack these four things. So here are the four things again, just so you know. And I'm gonna unpack them and I'll get out of your way. Fair enough. Now, I want to ask you on the front end, what might be one thing that God is asking you to let go of? I'll remind you of this question at the end, but just be thinking, what is one thing that God might want you to let go of that needs to end in your life? And then we're gonna pray about it at

Raised With Christ And Safe

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the very end. Okay, so number one, who are you? Well, here's what Paul says Hey, you've been raised with Christ. Look at me. Sometimes the job of the preachers is to tell you the truth about what's real and what's uh underneath everything. The truth is you have been raised with Christ. If you belong to Christ, then what's true of Christ is also true of you. And you've been uh raised with Christ. So seek things that are above, blah, blah, blah. Then he goes on to say, because you have died. Did you know that? You have died. You told me as well just a minute ago. Uh because of that, your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Paul uses lots of metaphors, but I think, and I'm not a scientist and I can't see into the realms that are invisible, but I think there's some metaphysics also that that maybe is happening here, like some uh the fancy word is ontology, like being itself. So they're metaphor, and it's actually true about who you really are, even though you may not feel like it's true. So you've been raised with Christ, you're hidden with Christ in God, it's the safest place in the world to be. Do you hear me? It's a safe place. The technical term is whew. All right, this is good news this morning. Uh, so phew. That's who you are. Now, by the way, this Paul's using this language that might sound familiar to you, especially you Lutherans or sacramental people. This is baptism language. Uh, we say when you're baptized, by the way, if you're here this morning and you're like, I've never been baptized, and after this, you're like, I want to be baptized, come and see me. We'll baptize you this morning. When you are baptized, uh, something dies. And then when you come back up out of the water, something new has been raised. You're like something new is living. This is the baptism when Paul, as well as many other Jews, saw the world in kind of two ages. This present age, which is like the present evil age, um, which is like sort of defined and characterized by under the power of the evil one or evil powers. Also, there's these old systems of identity like who you think you were or are. Also, the age, this present age is under the rule of sin. Um, so like this, and then the Jews believe that there was an age to come which in which those things would go away. Paul believes in Christ, this present age has ended. So, what's died in you, according to Colossians 3 and in baptism language, what's died is your your uh the reign of evil powers over your life. Now, some days you're like, I don't know if that's real, I don't know, is that real? Because I don't feel like it. Yeah, I'm just telling you what it really is, even though you may not feel like it. So you're no longer under the reign of evil powers. You are in Christ, you're hidden with Christ in God. You're under the reign of Christ. Also, your old systems of identity, like these old lines that you used to draw around yourself and who you were or thought you were, these kind of, those are those are old, they're dead, they're gone. Also, the rule of sin. So sin no longer has sway in your life. Now, next time you're actively sinning, you might be like, Ryan, you told me there's a there's some tension here because this present age still kind of holds on. So we're in the in-between, but but Paul says, in Christ, the the age to come has burst forth onto the scene. And in the death of Christ, you've been sort of hidden into him. In your death, this you've been transferred from this realm into this new realm. The old age is gone, the new age is come, you are now a citizen of heaven. Does that make sense? The old world is not where you belong anymore. Uh, the old self is not who you are anymore.

Why New Life Makes You Dangerous

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You belong to Christ. And now you're able to be a full-fledged real human being. So here's what I'll say about this. This is this is actually quite uh fascinating because you've died and now you're raised, which makes you very, very dangerous. I I love saying this. Anyone who's died and been raised again to new life is a very dangerous person. Because you don't fear anything any longer. What would you be afraid of? You've you've been dead and now you're raised to new life. What are you afraid of? It's not about being cavalier and having a death wish. It's like, no, you you no longer have to live by the the sort of the rules of the world any longer. Like, oh, I'm not, I don't play by those rules any longer. I'm not I you opt out of the bizarre rat race games that so many of us other uh many of many others of us sort of uh can't get out of because you you've you've been you've you're dead and now you've been raised again. And that makes you very dangerous, makes you hard to control because you don't play by the rules of the world any longer. You don't have to. You can opt out. I'll say this way: you don't have to believe the commercials on TV anymore. Okay? You are somebody. Uh you've been raised with Christ, you're hating with Christ. Um, Jesus stands before Pilate, and Jesus knew who he was. That dude was not afraid. He was unafraid of anything. And Pilate says to him, he goes, Who where do you come from? Who are you? And Pilate was afraid of him. Why? He's an itinerant traveling rabbi. Because Jesus wasn't afraid. He he knew he was gonna die and be raised again. And that makes him very dangerous. You're the same way. Your eyes are wide open. Ask anyone who's had a near-death experience or who's been around like a loved one who's died, like all of a sudden, like you see things in a brand new and fresh way. I always say this way too. It's like you're playing with house money now. So look at me. Hey, it's house money, play with it. Just go. You were dead and now you're alive. Uh, seniors, I think it's just Macy, right? Yeah. You don't have to be afraid anymore. Just go for it. Okay, number one, who are you? You are well, who are you? You you die, you you're dead and you've been raised. Now you're hidden with Christ in God.

unknown 13:23

Phew.

What Must Die In Us

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Okay, number two, uh, what must die? Remember, he says, What must die? Which is a funny thing to say because he just said you died. Now he's saying, now you must kill these things. What is well, here's one: your identity, who you are, the foundation of your life, that's that's you're in Christ. You've already died and been raised again. That's who you are. That's your your truest true self, the real you, the fullness of who you are. However, as I've said, between this present evil age and the age to come when God restores and renews all things, there is this tension, this hanging on. I'll say it this way Um, the old Adam or the old Eve, the old you dies very hard. Sometimes they cling on to you, like it's like a dying person, like, don't let me go. And you're like, get off me. They die very hard. It's hard. Those old habits of thinking, patterns of behavior, the ways used to be, your old framework. They die, and Paul says, kill them off, strangle them, choke them out. That's the original Greek there. Just kidding, but kill them off. Paul's very violent about this language, like, let them go. Now, why don't we sometimes? I think partly because it's just it's almost easier not to. It's like it's all all we know is the old self. And we cling to the old self, the old patterns of behavior, the old sort of like uh neurological, you know, ruts that we have in our brain. Like we just sort of cling to them because it's all we know. And maybe you're like, I'm afraid to let go of the old Adam or the old Eve, my old way of being. It's like I don't know who I am without that. That's that's my identity. I don't know how to behave. Like you ever notice when you go back to like a family reunion or back to your like at Christmas time, you go back to your family, and all of a sudden you're like this, you're like, you like fall right back into those old family systems, like like when you're younger. Like I was the I'm the baby of the family, and when I go home for Christmas, I just become the baby again. I'm like, someone, someone make me some dinner, please. Uh bring me get whatever, you know. Yeah, why do we do that? It's sometimes just easier, and we cling to him, and you gotta let it go. Paul says, kill him. There's a story about Jesus, he's he's walking by the pool of Beth Seda or Beth Bethesda, and he comes across a lame man who's been lame for I think it's like 30 years. And that's gotta be like ingrained in him. And Jesus asks him this. Oh, well, there are few things out of it. Uh Jesus asks him, hey, do you want to get well? Like, do you want to let go of those old things, those old patterns of behavior? If not, it's okay, but like I I want to heal you. Do you do you want to get well? I would ask some of you in this room who like cling to that old stuff, do you want to get well? Do you want to get better? Do you? What things might God be saying to kill these off? Now then Paul goes on to identify five of them. Now, by the way, in the ancient world, philosophers were prone to make lists of virtues and vices. And they list five things and they would list a sixth thing that would summarize the earlier five. So Paul gives you five. Here's what they are. Uh, but I'm gonna list them off for you, okay? So here's the list of the five he gives in Colossians five. Hey, put to death. Uh hold up. Yeah. Oh, hold on. Well, it my joke got ruined, but here they are. They were supposed to pop up one at a time, but uh sexual immorality, we'll do it, we'll fix it at the 10, don't worry. Uh, impurity, lust, passion, evil desire, and young at the umpire. Uh, just kidding, it's greed. These are the five things that Paul says, hey, kill these things off. Now, notice this. What's the sixth thing that he pulls out? It's idolatry. I'll show you in the original uh text. Here they are. Yeah. Um, so sexual morality, impurity, passion, evil, and greed. And he sums them all up in the original Greek by saying, these are things that are idolatry. In other words, like these aren't just moral slip-ups, these are ways in which you and I worship false gods. Yeah, the real problem behind the problem is idolatry. What are the things that you're worshiping? What do you give your heart, your time, your attention to? Hey, beware, kill those things off. Stop doing it. Then he goes on to give five more. And he lists these five as anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive language. And the the sum up for these ones is hey, stop lying to each other. Why? Because lies kill humanity. Jesus is a part of the kingdom of truth, like embodied truth, like full humanity. And when you lie, you circumvent that, you undermine that. So stop doing that. By the way, we in the West are so obsessed with like sexual sins. We talk about it all the time. It's like you would have thought Christians were like, that's all there was in the Bible. It's like, don't have sex, whatever, you know. But Paul is just as concerned here about your speech. How many sermons do we have about like, you know, sex outside of marriage and sexual things and dress appropriately and don't be a how many sermons do you hear about gossip or slander or even idolatry and greed, these kinds of things? It's interesting, isn't it? But Paul is just as concerned with how you speak with how you behave sort of sexually. By the way, uh gossip is when you talk to somebody who's neither a part of the problem nor the solution. That's gossip. Uh and you shouldn't do it. You should kill it off. It's a part of lying, it's a part of like this deceptive uh old age behavior. Also, if you have friends who will talk to you, uh just know that they're probably also talking about you. So if you have a friend who comes and to you, just know that that's the same friend, but they're probably talking about you behind your back. So just so you're aware of it. So Paul lists things things up, and he's he's not saying, hey, try uh try harder. Just be hard try harder to be a better person. He's not. He's actually saying this. He's saying, uh kill the things that no longer belong to who you truly and really are. Kill it off, let it go. They no longer belong. They're the old you. They're no longer

The Old Self That Clings

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appropriate. You might say it's like an old pair of clothes that you want to put on or wear around that just are no longer appropriate for the situation. Cut chow. Like, dude, are you eight years old? What are you doing? Why do you behave like that? I used to think when I was younger, like that people would mature and become wise, mature people just by default. Like they, as they age, they would just become mature people. No. I learned in youth ministry because I worked with kids and then I would meet their parents. Nobody in this room, of course. I was like, oh, you're just like them. They're a knucklehead because you're a knucklehead. And you're a 14-year-old in a 45-year-old's body. Or you're an eight-year-old in a 45-year-old's body. Or if just the right amount of pressure, stress, insecurity, failure, uh, group think comes along your way, you revert right back to being eight years old again. And that's a problem because eight-year-olds are super immature. And they don't know what they're doing. They're eight. How could they know what in the world they're doing? They don't have any idea what they're doing. I noticed recently uh that with my wife, we've been married for 26 years this fall, and I realized, oh, thank you. Thank you. Well, uh, no. Um, I realized that sometimes um eight-year-old Ryan shows up in the marriage. And it's usually a defense mechanism. Like I'm scared or I'm not getting what I want. And eight year olds tend to pout. You ever notice this? Like eight year olds pout or they go quiet, they don't talk to you. That's eight year old behavior. Like, what are you doing? And it's very unbecoming because it's like it's like wearing clothes where it's not appropriate for who you are any longer. Like, what are you doing? And I had to realize. Hey, I can't be an eight-year-old anymore because when eight-year-olds drive the car, they don't have a light, they don't have to drive, they crash it. Yeah. Many of us in this room are eight-year-olds walking around in seven-year-old bodies. And Paul says, stop doing that. It's like wearing the wrong clothes. They're inappropriate.

Put On The New Self

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Instead, Paul says, number three, hey, put on new clothes. So while I'm explaining, actually, read this. Yeah, let me go back here and put my new clothes on. Read that. Paul says, hey, stop behaving like an eight-year-old. And I want you to behave like who you really and truly are. Because remember, who you are is hidden with Christ in God. And you no longer need to behave like that. Why? Because that's just not who you are any longer. He's not saying try harder. He's saying it's just not who you are anymore. So clothe yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in the knowledge according to the image of its creator. Yeah, now every now and again that old Adam or the old evil kind of jump up at you and like want you to behave like don't do it. Kill them off. This is what's being renewed in you. Go ahead and put the new stuff on. Who you really and truly are. The old self, you know, oh by the way, this is the sub the title of my sermon. It's called Out with the Old. In with the new. So the old self, the the self that's uh been put to death, doesn't know how to be a full-fledged human. Which raises the question: what does it mean to be a full human? What does it mean to be a person who flourishes? To be fully and truly alive, to have life. Jesus and I've come to give you life and life to the full. Well, it might not mean because those things just aren't who you are anymore. So take them off. But I love how Shakespeare says it, this idea of filling and never being full. Shakespeare says this the Cloyd will, that satiate yet unsatisfied desire, that tub both filled and running. For those of you non-Shakespeare fans, here it is in proper English, he might have said it a desire that is over-indulged, stuffed full, yet somehow is still hungry, like a tub that is both full and overflowing. And Paul's like, don't do that anymore, don't be that anymore. The new life is about wholeness and healing and security, who you are in God, knowing yourself, who you really are, the real true you, comfort, being okay, let come, let go, gratitude for the things that you have, not trying to reach those things that you don't have. And Paul says, put on this new self. Yeah. You might recognize this from Ephesians a couple of years ago. I gave a sermon on this exact same thing because Paul says this exact same thing in Ephesians. But I figured you guys forgot about that sermon from two years ago. So this isn't the exact same sermon, but same idea. Lastly, then Paul says this, and I'll get out of your way. Uh, fourth, this then is who we're becoming together. Now that you know you've you've died, you've been raised with Christ in God, you're hidden. Uh, and then you're putting to death all these old things, like let them go, kill them off. And you're putting on the new clothes. This is who are becoming together. Paul writes this thing. Um, in that renewal, there's no longer these divides that you are these boundaries used to divide us. There's no longer Greek or Jew, uncircumcised, circumcised, barbarian Scythians were people who they consider to be like the most uncivilized people in the world. Yeah, you know who those people are. They're un, you see them on the streets, like, oh, those Scythians. Yeah, they're not that those divides don't divide us any longer. Because Christ is in all and is all. Therefore, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. But you notice the five again? There's five more. These are the virtues that put these on. These are your new clothes. Try them on, practice them, do it together, feel, see how it feels. How does it go for you? Is this a better way to live life? Is this worse way? Is it better to be an angry, bitter, resentful thief? Or a person who's cold of humility and meekness and kindness and patience and forgiveness. Which way's better? Just try it. And like Dr. Phil, how's that working for you? Uh do you notice what the sixth one is then that sums them all up? Do you see it? I'm gonna help you out for time here. Love. Oops. Above all, clothe yourselves with love. Yeah, that's the new way of being a human, to love, to not let these boundaries divide us any longer. Because the new humanity is about being who you really are, and there's it's in loving each other and having unity and and no longer sort of uh uh whenever you sort of uh embrace tribal lines over loving other people, you've you've stopped participating in the ongoing creation of the world. I'll say it again. The moment you choose tribal lines, whatever they might be, uh football team, uh political affiliation, what church you go to, uh, what your favorite color is, do you drink coffee or not, whatever your things are. The minute you choose that over loving other people and serving the world and being a being salt and light and a city on a hill, the moment you choose tribal lines over other people and you allow divides to come, you've stopped participating in the new humanity and the ongoing creation of the world.

Love, Unity, Communion Reflection

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And Paul says, put it to death. So we're gonna sing a song and do communion, and I want you to pray and ask the spirit. Because here's the thing we Lutherans get nervous about talking about like making any effort, like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Ryan. You went to seminary. It's not by my power, it's the the power of the spirit. Fair enough. But I'll say this I'm not talking about your salvation. Your identity is you are in Christ, hidden in God. That's already done. You're fine, it's fine. Those who belong to Christ have received that inheritance. Now I'm saying, stop being knuckleheads. Let it die, kill it off. Let go of the old health. Now, some of you need to hear this. Some of you need to just hear, oh my gosh, I'm being a knucklehead? Because you didn't know. And how do you know what you don't know? Because you often don't know what you don't know until you need to know it. You know? And now you need to know it. So some of you just need to hear me say, hey, you're being a goober. Stop it. You're like, wake up, you know. Because you don't know. Some of you need to be like, just hear me, hey, you need to hear Pastor Ryan say, hey, give me those old clothes. They don't fit you anymore. You look ridiculous. Ca-chow. Give them to me. Just let it's okay. You'll be fine. I promise. I love you. God loves you. You won't die. It's okay. Some of you need to hear me say, stop. Stop it. You're being abusive or oppressive or mean. You're using your power to uh to like lord it over other people. And you're being you're you're wrong. Stop. I don't know which one of the three you are. But I want to ask as we pray and as you come forth for communion and you participate in this beautiful meal, what things do you need to let die? And let them die. Amen.