Good Friday Invitation to Worship

Here’s an opening introduction to worship on Good Friday.  It was written by Ann Siddall.

Opening Words
(inspired by the events in Matthew 26-27, Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23, John 18-19)

Today is one of the grey areas of the Christian year:
a day when the lights are dimmed
and the sky feels overcast even if it isn’t:
a day when theologians and poets
feel as if a heavy veil is drawn over heart and mind.
An inexplicably sad day.

We resist the grey areas,
prefer to see everything in black and white,
look for cloudless, sunny skies,
try not to read between the lines;
throw in a bright colour or two
to try and enliven the scene.

In the grey light of early morning -
after a night in the ecclesiastical high court,
and denial by one of his own circle -
Jesus found himself at the gates
of the reluctant Pilate, who promptly
tried to hand him back to the Jews.

And though the sun rose that morning,
the whole world turned grey for One
who found himself without friend or helper,
faced with drinking a cup he’d prayed
would be turned away from him,
knowing that life was about to be drained out of him.

We are invited to accompany Jesus through this grey day:
to be witnesses to his suffering,
to keep silence before his cry of dereliction.
In our imaginations, let us trudge through Jerusalem,
until we come to the place of the Cross:
and then, let us not turn our faces away.

In this grey day lie all the sorrows and failings
of a humanity that strives for high success,
yet comes up against human limitations,
and falls to the ground in despair.
A humanity whose peace plans
give way to guns, and whose political promises
become papers in filing cabinets.

Here is a day marked by the brokenness of the world.
But it is not a day to wallow in misery,
or to indulge in morbid thoughts about the crucifixion.
It is simply a somber, dignified day
when we remember how it was for Jesus,
and find at the foot of the cross
a place to lay down ours and the world’s sorrow.

On grey days it is hard to see clearly,
difficult to understand things that aren’t clear.
Yet all we are asked to do today is to be present
to the sacred story as it is retold, and
to the inexplicable, mysterious, wondrous
transaction that was, and still is taking place.

~ written by Ann Siddall, in Lent to Easter liturgies: Year C.  Posted on the website of the Stillpoint Spirituality Centre.  http://stillpoint.unitingchurchsa.org.au/

Prayer at the Foot of the Cross

Here’s a pastoral prayer for Good Friday.  It was written by Rev. Gord, and posted on Worship Offerings.

Pastoral Prayer

God of life, God of beginnings and endings,
today we pause to remember the power of death.
Today we tell the story of what happens
when someone angers those in power.
Today we tell a story of betrayal by a friend,
trial by empire,
execution as a way of silencing the one who names injustice.
Today we tell a story that happened long ago in a land far away.
Today we tell a story that continues to happen today in places close at hand.

As we remember the story today help us to see its truth.
As we tell of Jesus' trial and execution,
remind us of those who are found legally guilty
for doing and saying the right things.
As we tell of the friends who are conspicuously absent from the cross,
remind us how easily we slip away
when the struggle for justice becomes dangerous or challenging.
As we look at the cross,
remind us of the power of empire in any age,
and remind us of our duty as people of faith to proclaim a different empire,
a different kingdom, a new way of living together.

God of endings, today we hear the agonized words “It is finished”.
Today we think of all those things that are stopped before they come to fruition,
of hopes crushed beneath reality's heavy foot,
of promises left unfulfilled,
of possibilities that leave us wondering....

God of life and death, beginnings and endings,
today we pause to remember the power of those in charge to run the world.
Today we remember the many people near and far who are broken by that power:
those who live in places where peace is just a word,
not a reality, not even a dream;
those who are pushed to the margins
because of their race, their gender, their bank balance,
their marital status, their orientation,
or any of the countless other ways we find to set people apart;
those who live with nothing so that others may live with abundance
those who choose to challenge the injustices in their world
and are crushed beneath the feet of those in charge

...time of silent prayer...

But even as we remember that power,
we remember that day follows night,
hope replaces despair,
and life will conquer death.

And now, as we prepare to leave this gathering,
may we do so ready to challenge the empires of our world,
even if such a challenge leads us to a cross outside the city gates.
Help us remember that every ending is a new beginning,
even if in the depths of The End
we have no way of seeing what that new beginning might be.
We pray in the name of the one who showed us
the depth of his passion for Your Kingdom,
 who taught us to live in love and justice,
in whose life, death and resurrection we can find the path to Kingdom living,
and who taught his friends to pray by saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven...

~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/

Good Friday Blessing

Here’s a blessing inspired by the events in John 18:1-19:42.  It was written by Jan L. Richardson.

Blessing for Good Friday

You will know
this blessing
by how it
does not stay still,
by the way it
refuses to rest
in one place.

You will recognize it
by how it takes
first one form,
then another:

now running down
the face of the mother
who watches the breaking
of the child
she had borne,

now in the stance
of the woman
who followed him here
and will not leave him
bereft.

Now it twists in anguish
on the mouth of the friend
whom he loved;

now it bares itself
in the wound,
the cry,
the finishing and
final breath.

This blessing
is not in any one
of these alone.

It is what
binds them
together.

It is what dwells
in the space
between them,
though it be torn
and gaping.

It is what abides
in the tear
the rending makes.

~ written by Jan L. Richardson, and posted on The Painted Prayerbook. http://paintedprayerbook.com/

Prayer: We Give You Thanks and Praise

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving from Christine Jerrett.

Prayer

Now we know:
all is grace
all is gift.
You give us all good things:
life and love;
daily bread and water that quenches our thirst;
friends and faith.

Most of all, in your Son, Jesus,
you meet us with a love that will never let us go;
you utter words of mercy and forgiveness
that override the hurts,
and heal our brokenness;
you offer new beginnings
where we had expected only dead ends.

We give you thanks and praise
for the mystery of your suffering love
that gives us life.
We give you thanks and praise
that you know our weakness
and hear our prayers.
We give you thanks and praise
that all our dying and living
is held in your good keeping.

Now we know:
all is grace
all is gift.
We give you thanks and praise.

~ written by Christine Jerrett, and posted on Christine Jerrett: Reflections on being the Church in God’s new creation. http://christinejerrett.wordpress.com/tag/prayer/

Pastoral Prayer: The Death of Jesus

Here’s a prayer of supplication for Good Friday from William Barclay.

Prayer of Supplication for Good Friday

God of love, we remember today all that our blessed Lord endured for us.
Let us remember how Jesus was betrayed,
and given up into the hands of wicked men …

Lord Jesus, we remember today that it was one of
Your own familiar friends who betrayed You,
and we know that there is nothing that so breaks the heart
as the disloyalty of one whom we call friend.
Grant that we may not betray You.

Save us:
From the cowardice that would disown You when it is hard to be true to You;
From the disloyalty that betrays You in the hour
when You need some one to stand by You;
From the fickleness that blows hot and cold in its devotion;
From the fair-weather friendship that,
when things are difficult or dangerous,
makes us ashamed to show whose we are and whom we serve.

Let us remember how Jesus suffered death upon the Cross …
Lord Jesus, help us to remember the lengths
to which Your love was ready to go;
That having loved Your own You loved them to the very end;
The love than which none can be greater,
The love that lays down its life for its friends;
That it was while people were yet enemies that You died for them.

Let us remember how Jesus now lives and reigns …
Help us to remember,
That the crucified Lord is the Risen Lord;
That the cross has become the Crown.

So grant unto us,
to trust in His love and to live in His presence;
that we may share in His glory.
This we ask for Your love’s sake. Amen.

~ written by William Barclay, and posted on Will Humes’ WJH website. http://willhumes.net/category/liturgy/

Reflection: Luke 23: 39-43

Here’s a reflection on Luke 23: 39-43.  It was written by Bill Loader.  He writes, “Sorry about the Australian perspective for readers from elsewhere—adapt!”

The Unrepentant Brigand
A Reflection on Luke 23:39-43

Every year it's the same. I get crucified, me and my mate over there and Jesus in the middle. And every year they look up at us from their congregations. My mate's the good guy because he repented. I'm the bad guy. And they look up at me as if I'm some kind of criminal, an immoral person.

I'm not a bad guy. I'm a freedom fighter for my people. Read the stories! That's what it says. That's what the Greek means. That's why I was crucified; because I wanted change. That's why we were all crucified. They even accused Jesus of wanting to be the king of the Jews. See the accusation stuck above his head? The authorities wanted to get rid of us because we want to get rid of them and their oppression. They call people like me terrorists, but all rich people in power call freedom fighters terrorists.

We all want the same thing: me and my mate and Jesus, too. We want change. My mate did a bit of a rethink at the last minute and now prefers Jesus' way of going about it - no violence. I don't. I follow Che Ghevara and Barabbas. It's got past the stage of negotiating; we now have to take up arms. That's my way.

And all those people look at us with their pious faces. Preoccupied with their private morality they look down their noses at me and think I was someone who broke their private morality rules. I wish they would see that I've probably got more in common with Jesus than they have, especially when they often don't seem to care about people being oppressed and downtrodden. Can't they see that religious people are often the biggest stumbling blocks to change - just look at Jesus' experience! Still he and I don't see eye to eye on how to get things changed and I'd never fit in with his lot.

He promised my mate he would join him in paradise. I'd like to go to Australia one day, too. Is that really where our vision is fulfilled?

I can't stick around talking because I'm going to die soon. Pity me, but please don't moralise about me. I tried. See ya' next year. I doubt if anything will be different.

~ written by Bill Loader, and posted on William Loader’s Home Page. http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/brigand.html

Litany of Confession: Good Friday

Here’s a responsive reading for Good Friday from the Mennonite Church Canada Resource Centre website.

Where are you?

1:         Where am I?
            I confess I am not always at the cross.
            It’s easy to be distracted and let my
            attention move here and there.
2:         I confess, I’m not always grateful for the death of Jesus.
            A person gets busy with all sorts of things.
1:         Good things, mind you,
            like family and church committees and responsibilities to aging parents.
            Community projects.
2:         Doing homework, shopping.
            Part time work.
            Life gets hectic.
1:         And burdensome.
2:         I confess I try to carry my own burdens.
1:         And work out my own salvation.
2:         I like to be in control.
1:         I wonder, do I betray Jesus with my self-sufficiency?
2:         Do I deny him with my self-centered living?

1,2:      All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way.
2:         We have been ungrateful.
1:         Our hearts have not been humble.
2:         Our spirits are not contrite.
1:         Teach us how to find your presence, God, at the cross.
2:         Teach us how to share the death of Jesus.
1,2:      But he was wounded for our transgressions,
            crushed for our iniquities;
            upon him was the punishment that made us whole
            and by his bruises we are healed.

Congregation may join in the singing of “Were you there…” 

~ from Were You There When they Crucified My Lord: A dramatic reading for the passion week. Posted in the From Our Churches archive on the Mennonite Church Canada Resource Centre website.  http://resources.mennonitechurch.ca/FileDownload/12979/Were_You_There_When_They_Crucified_My_Lord.pdf

Reflection: The Death of Jesus

Here’s a short reflection on the death of Jesus from Roddy Hamilton

Reflection

and so it is done
love is crushed
and the world has got away with it
the light seems paler
the air thinner
the birds quieter
the shadows longer
the wine more bitter
the bread dry
and the path doesn't seem to go anywhere now

~ written by Roddy Hamilton, and posted on Mucky Paws. http://www.nkchurch.org.uk/index.php/mucky-paws

Good Friday: Closing Prayer and Benediction

Here’s a closing prayer and benediction for Good Friday.  It was written by Carol Penner, and posted on the Mennonite Church Canada Resource Centre website.

Closing Prayer and Benediction
for Good Friday

God thank you for being with us in this wondering moment
where we stand poised between life and death,
filled to the brim with sorrow,
filled with thoughts of what has been
and what lies before us.
Thank you for the gift of life.
Thank you for our friend Jesus
who was a gift to the world,
a gift in each of our lives.
Comfort us even as we are shaken by the horror of these last hours.
Be our friend in this time of sorrow,
and sustain us in the days to come.

Now Jesus, may God bless you and keep you,
May the very face of God shine upon you, and be gracious to you,
May God’s presence embrace you and give you eternal peace.
Amen.

~ written by Carol Penner, in A Funeral for Jesus: Good Friday Service.  Posted on Mennonite Church Canada Resource Centre website. http://resources.mennonitechurch.ca/FileDownload/17212/A_Funeral_for_Jesus.pdf

Good Friday Call to Worship

Here’s a call to worship for Good Friday.  It was written by Marlene Kropf.

Call to Worship for Good Friday

On this day we gather to remember Jesus our Savior
who loved us and gave himself for us.
Let us draw near in full assurance of God’s endless love and mercy.

We give our thanks and praise to Jesus Christ
who carries our sorrows,
heals our wounds,
and redeems us from sin and death.

~ written by Marlene Kropf, in Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross: Good Friday Service.  Posted on Mennonite Church Canada Resource Centre website. http://resources.mennonitechurch.ca/

Reflection: Luke 23: 34

Here’s a reflection on Luke 23: 34.  It was written by William Loader.

'Father, forgive them!'
A reflection on Luke 23:34

The war crimes tribunal was assembled. Caiaphas and his cohorts, Pilate and his, were marched in. There were other charges against Pilate. For this session all stood accused of conspiracy to murder an innocent man, Jesus from Nazareth.

The judge read the charges.

Immediately from the gallery a voice cried out, ‘But he said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."’

The judge responded: ‘Forgiveness is only possible when people realise what they have done. Until then their guilt remains and failing to appreciate the dimensions of their act they cannot forgive themselves and cannot receive forgiveness from others.’

‘Crucify them! Crucify them!’ others shouted.

The judge replied: ‘Why answer violence with violence? Why mourn love with hate?’

‘Let us beat them, whip them, punish them,’ cried others.

‘Punishment,’ replied the judge, ‘is an admission of failure, a strategy of despair.’

‘What, then, are we to do with these who killed the Christ?’ the crowd retorted.

The judge stood to his feet, looking left and right, then turning to the accused, he said: ‘Your sentence is to hear the story again and again every year, until you recognise your part in the drama, see yourselves in the scene.’

The crowd was silent. One by one they rose from their places and made their way sheepishly to the door, until only the judge, the attendants and the accused remained. ‘Take them away,’ he said. ‘Place them in the garden beyond the flaming sword and let the story begin afresh.’

~ written by William Loader, and posted on Bill Loader’s Home Page.   http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/Fatherforgivethem.htm

A Prayer for Good Friday

Here’s a prayer for Good Friday written by MaryAnn McKibben Dana.  It was posted on LiturgyLink.

Good Friday Prayer

O Holy God,
the hosannas have died away,
the palm branches have turned brittle.
Now, today, there is only this –
each of us,
all of us,
sitting in the darkness,
the hymns of lament in the air,
the mumblings of our own feeble confession,
on this Friday
which we tremble to call Good.

What is good about Good Friday?
What is good about the innocent one nailed to a cross?
What is good about the darkness of war that persists today?
What is good about our devastation of the planet?
… about people living in poverty?
… about the fog of addiction, depression, disease and despair?
What is good about the crushing weight of hunger, racism, scapegoating, apathy?

No, there is nothing good and desirable in these things.
Yet you, O God, are Good.

When suffering reigns, yours is the first heart to break.
When despair lurks about, we remember that you were there first,
peering into the abyss and crying out, incredibly:
“Father, forgive them.”

When we feel forsaken, we remember that in your last moments,
you cared for your mother and your beloved disciple,
binding them to one another as a new family.

When we feel overcome by guilt, we remember that you spoke grace to a thief:
“Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Your love for us is just that boundless,
and ever-present,
and Good.
Thank you.
What else can we say here, in the dimness,
in the darkness,
but thank you.
Amen.

~ written by MaryAnn McKibben Dana, pastor of Idylwood Presbyterian Church in Falls Church, VA. Posted on LiturgyLink. http://www.liturgylink.net/2012/04/04/good-friday-prayer-the-hosannas-have-died-away/

Call to Worship, Opening Prayer: Good Friday

Here’s a responsive call to worship and opening prayer for Good Friday.  They were written by Rev. Gord, and posted on Worship Offerings.

Call to Worship

From the busy-ness of our lives
we have come here on a day that is different.
In the midst of the world
which holds the promise of spring and new life,
we have come to share a story of betrayal and execution.
Come and hear the tale,
come and share the tragedy,
come and embrace the darkness.

Opening Prayer

God of Light, God of Shadow, in our time together today,
keep us aware of your presence in the darkness,
help us to see meaning in this terrible story,
and keep the fire of hope alive in our hearts.
This we pray in the name of the man from Nazareth,
the one who lived with a great Passion for your Way,
the one whose death is nigh,
 the one who taught his friends to pray saying:
Our Father, which art in heaven….

~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/

Sending: Maundy Thursday

Here is a sending litany for Maundy Thursday (the evening before Good Friday).  It was written by Roddy Hamilton.

Parting Words: Maundy Thursday

We believe
the time is now
(with the taste of bread fresh on our lips)
to go into the world and face the darkness

We believe
the moment is right
(with the bitterness of the wine sharp in our mouths)
to face the powers of the world with the love of heaven

We believe
the place is here
(with the sound of covenant echoing in our ears)
to endure the suffering love calls us to

We believe
the path is before us
(with the crumbs of heaven still scattered across the table)
to side with truth in a deafened world

We believe
the hour is come
(with the table conversation a turmoil in our minds)
to conspire with Christ and move against injustice

We believe
the gospel is this
(with bread lying broken and a goblet left empty)
love is betrayed but death shall not have the final word

~ written by Roddy Hamilton, and posted on Mucky Paws. http://www.nkchurch.org.uk/index.php/mucky-paws

Affirmation: Sharing the Bread and Wine

Here a litany of affirmation inspired by Jesus’ last supper with the disciples before his arrest. It was written by Frank Henderson.

Affirmation Litany
(inspired by Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:14-20)

“While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread,
and after blessing it he broke it,
gave it to the disciples and said,
‘Take, eat; this is my body.’” Matthew 26:26

We believe that bread comes from grain
that grows in the wind and the sun and the rain
with the farmers’ help.

We believe that bread comes from love
the love of God
the love of the farmer
the love of the baker’s hands
the love of those who bring it to us.

We believe that bread can be
and should be broken
and shared
and given to all persons
until all have enough.

We believe that Jesus loved bread
and took it
and broke it
and blessed it
and gave it to his disciples.

We believe enough in bread
to want to receive it from Jesus
to want it to nurture us.
We want to be bread for others.
We believe the Spirit will help us.
Amen.

~ excerpted from Liturgy for sharing bread and wine by Frank Henderson. Posted on the Third Space website. http://third-space.org.uk/blog

Prayers of the People: Maundy Thursday

Here is a prayer of intercession inspired by the suggested scripture readings for Maundy Thursday (Exodus 12:1-14, Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-17, 31-35).  It comes from the Presbyterian Church USA website.

Prayer of Intercession for Maundy Thursday

Loving, listening God, ever-attentive to the voices of those in need,
we call on your name so that we might live.
Now hear our prayer:

For the church that bears Christ’s name,
that the world may know we are his disciples
by the love that we have for one another.

For leaders of nations and all persons in positions of authority,
that their lives may be marked by Christ-like service and love.

For all who are oppressed and living in captivity,
that they may escape from evil and death
to find the land of freedom you have promised.

For those who are hungry and thirsty this day
and for those who have too much,
that we may learn to share your generous gifts, O God.

For those who are dealing with loss or facing death,
that the presence of Christ may bless and keep them.

[Other petitions may be included,
or worshipers may be invited to offer their own prayers,
silently or aloud.]

Answer us in the day of trouble, O God,
so that we may lift up the cup of salvation
in the presence of your people,
giving thanks for all your goodness to us;
through Jesus Christ our Savior.  Amen.

~ posted on the website of the Presbyterian Church USA.  http://www.pcusa.org/

Foot washing Prayer

Here is a prayer of petition to follow a service of foot washing.  It was written by Joanna Harader.

Prayer following the Washing of Feet

Lord Jesus,
We have washed each other’s feet, but we are not clean.
We struggle to follow you, but it is hard.
Send your Holy Spirit to walk with us
as we walk with you down the dark road that leads to the cross.  Amen.

~ posted on Joanna Harader on her Spacious Faith blog.  http://spaciousfaith.com/

Last Supper Table Blessing

Here’s a blessing of the bread and the cup from Jan L. Richardson

Blessing the Bread, the Cup

Let us bless the bread
that gives itself to us
with its terrible weight,
its infinite grace.

Let us bless the cup
poured out for us
with a love that drenches,
that makes us anew.

Let us gather
around these gifts
simply given
and deeply blessed.

And then let us go
bearing the bread,
carrying the cup,
laying the table
within a hungering world.

~ written by Jan L. Richardson, and posted on The Painted Prayerbook. http://paintedprayerbook.com/

Maundy Thursday Litany

Here’s a brief litany inspired by the events of Maundy Thursday (the evening before Good Friday).  It was written by Roddy Hamilton.

Thursday Evening

the gathering of the dark
the breaking of the bread
the pouring of the wine
the telling of the story

the preparing of the lies
the beating of the heart
the making of the covenant
the turning towards the cross
the rumours of death
the whisper of night
the shimmer of grace
the snap of twigs
the flash of eyes
the moment of turning
and the kiss

~ written by Roddy Hamilton, and posted on Mucky Paws. http://www.nkchurch.org.uk/index.php/mucky-paws

Scripture Collage: The Lordship of Christ

Here’s a three-voice reading on the Lordship of Christ I put together for a service a few weeks ago.  It draws from the following scripture texts:  1 Corinthians 1:2-3, Colossians 1:15-17, 19-20; Philippians 2:6-11; 1 Corinthians 8:5-7; Romans 10:9-10; Matthew 7:21; Ephesians 4:1; Romans 14:7-9; 1 Corinthians 15:57; 1 Thessalonians 5:22-24.

The Lordship of Christ

1:         To the church of God,
            to all those whom Christ Jesus has made holy,
            who are called to be God’s men and women,
            to all true believers in Jesus Christ—their Lord and our Lord—
            grace and peace to you
            from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!

2:         Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
            He existed before anything was created
            and is supreme over all creation,
            for through him God created everything in heaven and on earth.

3:         He existed before anything else,
            and he holds all creation together.

1:         God in all his fullness
            was pleased to live in Christ,
            and through him, God reconciled everything to himself,
            making peace…by means of his blood on the cross.

3:         Though he was God,
            he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
            Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
            he took the humble position of a slave
            and was born as a human being.

2:         When he appeared in human form,
            he humbled himself in obedience to God
            and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

1:         Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
            and gave him the name above all other names,
            that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
            in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
            and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
            to the glory of God the Father.

2:         We know that there is only one God, the Father,
            who created everything,
            and we live for him.

3:         And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ,
            through whom God made everything
            and through whom we have been given life.

1:         This is the message we preach:
            If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
            and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
            you will be saved.

3:         For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God,

2:         and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

1:         Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’
            will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
            Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.

2:         I beg you,
            lead a life worthy of your calling,
            for you have been called by God.

3:         We don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves.
            If we live, it is to honor the Lord.
            And if we die, it is to honor the Lord.

1:         So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
            Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—
            to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.

2:         So, brothers and sisters,
            be strong and immovable.
            Stand firm.

3:         Always work enthusiastically for the Lord,
            for you know that nothing you do for him is ever lost or wasted.

1:         May the God of peace make you holy in every way;

3:         may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
            until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2:         He who calls you is utterly faithful,

1:         and he will finish what he has set out to do.