For to Us a child is born

ISAIAH 9:1-7

1 But there will be no more gloom for those who are now in anguish. In the past the land of Z'vulun and the land of Naftali were regarded lightly; but in the future he will honor the way to the lake, beyond the Yarden, Galil-of-the-Goyim. 2 The people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the land that lies in the shadow of death, light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice in your presence as if rejoicing at harvest time, the way men rejoice when dividing up the spoil. 4 For the yoke that weighed them down, the bar across their shoulders, and their driver's goad you have broken as on the day of Midyan['s defeat]. 5 For all the boots of soldiers marching and every cloak rolled in blood is destined for burning, fuel for the fire. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; dominion will rest on his shoulders, and he will be given the name Pele-Yo'etz El Gibbor Avi-'Ad Sar-Shalom [Wonder of a Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace], 7 in order to extend the dominion and perpetuate the peace of the throne and kingdom of David, to secure it and sustain it through justice and righteousness henceforth and forever. The zeal of ADONAI-Tzva'ot will accomplish this.

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When Isaiah wrote this prophecy under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it was not an unusual historical situation. Isra'el were being attacked and oppressed by neighbouring enemies, notably the Assyrians who were attacking the Northern Kingdom. Naphtali and Zebulun were on the northern border in NE Galilee, West of the River Jordan and were the first part of Isra'el to be invaded by the Assyrian King. An account of the events that occurred can be read in 2 Kings 15:29-31.

Isaiah wrote this prophecy somewhere in the years 735-715 BC, but if we look at Isra'el now we can see that there has been little change in her vulnerability to the enemies she has in the world. Not only is she being almost daily attacked by rockets from Gaza but the posture and attitude of many of her surrounding neighbours is in opposition to her very existence as a nation. On the world stage she is being adandoned by one nation after another. Countries which once supported Isra'el such as Turkey, USA and the UK are tending now towards support for the opponents of Isra'el, where they are tempted by worldy riches and power and the material assets which can be gained from this political stance.

Isra'el has been preserved and protected by God from the enemy hordes surrounding her, and today, so long after Isaiah's prophecy, against all the odds, she stands as a symbol of God's care and preservation of His own, of His salvation and deliverance. Similarly, we as the children of God are individually and collectively kept and preserved by a loving and caring God who in His mercy has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

We go on to read in verse 3 of isaiah 9 that "The people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the land that lies in the shadow of death, light has dawned." We know that this points forward to the coming of Jesus into the world, who referred to Himself as the light of the world. We are called to reflect that light to others, to be like beacons set on a hill. As the days we live in grow ever darker, the light of Christ shines out all the brighter in a dark world.

After explaining how Isra'el will overcome the opposition, we come to the words which are so relevant to us as Christians, and which we so often recall during the Christmas season as we celebrate the birthday of our Lord Jesus. In verse 6 we read, "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.; dominion will rest on His shoulders, and He will be give the name Wonder of a Counsellor, Mighty God,, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace."

If you feel you need a Counsellor, it's fine to talk to fellow Christians and professional counsellors, but if they are any good they will point you to the most Wonderful Counsellor, Jesus Himself.

Jesus is also Mighty God, emptying Himself, becoming flesh and being found in the form of a servant. This is the wonder of the Incarnation, that God could become a man, He who is the Father of Eternity. Have you ever wondered how He finds time to answer all our individual and corporate prayers? He doesn't need time, because He is eternal and doesn't have to work within time constraints like us.

The final title given here, Prince of Peace, is the most significant one to me. In the same way way as Isra'el needs peace and we are told to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we need it now more than ever before. Jesus has produced peace and unlike earthly elements or commodities, it is priceless and available in endless supply. Jesus has bought us Peace with God through His perfect sacrifice for sin which is effective for all eternity. May you experience peace with God this Christmas as you allow Him into your life, and let Him impart His peace to your troubled soul and mind.

We read finally in this passage that the son of God, born to make us whole and reconcile us to the Father through dealing with the problem of sin which was nailed to the cross when He died, is establishing a Kingdom which will be an everlasting Kingdom. This is a work under construction, we often say that the Kingdom of God is "now-and not yet." Where you see God at work today, saving people, reaching out to those in need, healing and delivering people from those things that have enslaved them, the building blocks of that Kingdom are being put in place. I don't know about you, but I get really excited when I see the work and purposes of God being manifest day by day across the world.

I wish you a very happy and Christ-filled Christmas and end with a quote from a well-known carol, "Where meek souls will receive Him, Still the dear Lord enters in."

Some thoughts on Micah 5

MICAH 5

1 Now gather yourself in troops, you who are accustomed to being in troops; they have laid siege to us. They are striking the judge of Isra'el on the cheek with a stick. 2 But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y'hudah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra'el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times. 3 Therefore he will give up [Isra'el] only until she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his kinsmen will return to the people of Isra'el. 4 He will stand and feed his flock in the strength of ADONAI, in the majesty of the name of ADONAI his God; and they will stay put, as he grows great to the very ends of the earth; 5 and this will be peace. If Ashur invades our land, if he overruns our fortresses, we will raise seven shepherds against him, eight leaders of men. 6 They will shepherd the land of Ashur with the sword, the land of Nimrod at its gates; and he will rescue us from Ashur when he invades our land, when he overruns our borders. 7 Then the remnant of Ya'akov, surrounded by many peoples, will be like dew from ADONAI, like showers on the grass, which doesn't wait for a man or expect anything from mortals. 8 The remnant of Ya'akov among the nations, surrounded by many peoples, will be like a lion among forest animals, like a young lion among flocks of sheep - if it passes through, tramples and tears to pieces, there is no one to rescue them. 9 Your hand will be raised over your enemies; all your adversaries will be destroyed. 10 "When that day comes," says ADONAI, "I will cut off your horses from among you and destroy your chariots. 11 I will cut off the cities of your land and lay waste your strongholds. 12 I will cut off sorceries from your land; you will no longer have soothsayers. 13 I will cut off your carved images and standing-stones from among you; no longer will you worship what your own hands have made. 14 I will pull up your sacred poles from among you and destroy your enemies. 15 I will wreak vengeance in anger and fury on the nations, because they would not listen."

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Micah, in these prophetic words foretells how Isra'el, though oppressed by many foes with which it was surrounded (as is still the case today) will be delivered by a future ruler, to be born in an insignificant village, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, home of one of the smallest clans of Y'hudah.

We know that this prophecy also points forward to the coming of Jesus, King David's greater son. The wise men were aware of Micah's writings and were simultaneously watching the signs in the heavens. They were led to follow the star to find the new born king. There they were able to present their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, representative of His royalty, pleasing sacrifice to God and death and burial.

We know with hindsight that this was not the end of the story, but that He rose again, ascended into Heaven and has been exalted to the highest place, having conquered sin, the world, Satan and all his hosts and the ultimate enemy, death.

In verse 5 in the ESV translation it says "And He shall be their peace." What wonderful news this is to us today, that we can have peace through putting our faith and trust in Him and His perfect sacrifice for sin. We can also know forgiveness from sin and look forward to an eternity spent in His presence. I pray that we may know His peace in our hearts at this time and share this peace and Good News with our families and friends. Also, like the wise men, let us bring our offerings of praise and worship, in a spirit of gratitude and offer our lives in service to Him, who has given us everything.

This article was first written for the Messianic Faith and Public Policy group on Facebook

Daniel's Prayer for his People

DANIEL'S PRAYER FOR HIS PEOPLE

DANIEL 9:3-19

3 I turned to Adonai, God, to seek an answer, pleading with him in prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to ADONAI my God and made this confession: "Please, Adonai, great and fearsome God, who keeps his covenant and extends grace to those who love him and observe his mitzvot! 5 We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled and turned away from your mitzvot and rulings. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors and to all the people of the land. 7 "To you, Adonai, belongs righteousness; but to us today belongs shame - to us, the men of Y'hudah, the inhabitants of Yerushalayim and all Isra'el, including those nearby and those far away, throughout all the countries where you have driven them; because they broke faith with you. 8 Yes, ADONAI, shame falls on us, our kings, our leaders and our ancestors; because we sinned against you. 9 It is for Adonai our God to show compassion and forgiveness, because we rebelled against him. 10 We didn't listen to the voice of ADONAI our God, so that we could live by his laws, which he presented to us through his servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Isra'el flouted your Torah and turned away, unwilling to listen to your voice. Therefore the curse and oath written in the Torah of Moshe the servant of God was poured out on us, because we sinned against him. 12 He carried out the threats he spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us disaster so great that under all of heaven, nothing has been done like what has been done to Yerushalayim. 13 As written in the Torah of Moshe, this whole disaster came upon us. Yet we did not appease ADONAI our God by renouncing our wrongdoing and discerning your truth. 14 So ADONAI watched for the right moment to bring this disaster upon us, for ADONAI our God was just in everything he did, yet we didn't listen when he spoke. 15 "Now, Adonai our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand, thereby winning renown for yourself, as is the case today - we sinned, we acted wickedly. 16 Adonai, in keeping with all your justice, please allow your anger and fury to be turned away from your city Yerushalayim, your holy mountain; because it is due to our sins and the wrongdoings of our ancestors that Yerushalayim and your people have become objects of scorn among everyone around us. 17 Therefore, our God, listen to the prayer and pleadings of your servant; and cause your face to shine on your desolated sanctuary, for your own sake. 18 My God, turn your ear, and hear; open your eyes and see how desolated we are, as well as the city which bears your name. For we plead with you not because of our own righteousness, but because of your compassion. 19 Adonai, hear! Adonai, forgive! Adonai, pay attention, and don't delay action - for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people bear your name!"

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It is interesting to see how in this prayer Daniel intercedes on behalf of his people, confessing that they have forsaken His mitzvot and as a result God has brought upon them the disasters and the defeats and captivities which He said would occur if they neglected His ways. He acknowledges that they have not listened to Adonai, God speaking through His servants and prophets to all the people of the land, including the kings and princes as well as ordinary people.

In verse 7 he says that righteousness belong to Adonai, God and yet all Isra'el flouted His Torah and turned away, unwilling to even listen to His voice. In verse 14 Daniel reinforces that God is a God of Justice and again confesses that His people would not listen to Him. He then asks God to turn away His anger and fury from Yerushalayim, His holy mountain.

As followers of God we are called to intercede on behalf of the sins of our land and to pray for the peace of Yerushalayim, just as the example given to us by Daniel in this prayer.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read "if my people, who bear my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their evil ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land." What greater need has there ever been for such intercessory prayer than in our modern world? In the same way as God's people were delivered from captivity and resettled in their land, the walls and temple subsequently being rebuilt and the law being re-established, so when we pray now God will return and resettle His people in His land, set captives free individually from sin through the sacrifice of His Son and bring healing to our broken communities, societies and nations. May we all be called to prayer, confession and repentance, that God's purposes may be fulfilled to His glory.

This article was first written for the Messianic Faith and Public Policy Group on Facebook.

At the beginning of a New Year, may I first of all wish everyone a Happy and joyful New Year, filled with God's presence and blessings.

I would like to share a few thoughts with you about encouragement. It's a word we use a great deal in Christian circles but what significance does it have to God's people or anyone else, and what exactly does it mean and involve?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there are three different senses in which we can use the word "encourage" as a transitive verb, (encouragement being the noun).

1) a. means to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope as in the phrase, "she was encouraged to continue by her early success.

Here it would mean that we hearten (lift up the heart in someone) when we give encouragement.

b. means to attempt to persuade, as in the phrase, "they encouraged him to go back to school."

In this sense it means to urge someone onwards in the wonderful and positive actions they are engaged in, when we encourage them.

2) Another definition is "to spur on" as used in the phrase, "warm weather encourages plant growth. In this sense, encouragement implies stumulation to someone else, an energizing and motivating force.

3) Another sense in which the word "encourage" is used is "to give help or patronage to someone or a cause." The government grants designed to encourage conservation" is a phrase which uses it in this way.

In this way it is like fostering someone or something.

None of us would be the people we are currently unless we had received some form of encouragement in at least one of these meanings of the word, especially through our parent(s) and education, however basic either our up-bringing or education may have been.

Very often in our lives and even in our walk with God we need to encourage ourselves or get through by encouragement we have received in the past. It's rather like a car needing fuel to run, it has to be tanked up regularly or it grinds to a halt!

In his first letter to the Thessalonian church Paul says, "Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV). In other words, it was a work that was already going on and he encourages (urges) them to keep on encouraging (heartening and stimulating) one another. In verse 14 he goes on to say, "And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." (ESV)

Paul's letters in the New Testament were written mainly for the encouragement of Christians who were going through all kinds of difficulties, temptation, persecution, suffering, materialism and over-indulgence, false teaching to name some of their problems. In other words, they were human, just like you and me and we are no strangers to the same things 2000 years later. Technology may advance, the spread of information and travel are faster and more widespread, but human nature and the effects of sin unfortunately remain the same.

If you want to have a go at a bit of "Do-it-yourself" Bible study and you are a good mathematician, it would be interesting to see how many references to the word encouragement are made in the letters Paul wrote to the early churches. Then add to this total the number of times he encourages them to do good works and encourage one another.

I want to pinpoint one particular exhortation, which can be found in Hebrews 10:24-25. " Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." The day he refers to is obviously the return of our Lord Jesus and he underlines the need for us to draw closer together by gathering for fellowship in church services and smaller groups, rather than become more isolated as Christians. In today's world there is always the excuse that we can watch a Christian TV broadcast, listen to internet radio or a podcast. However, we may be depriving ourselves of the opportunity to give and receive fellowship and have meaningful human interaction.

I wish you every encouragement for 2011, and you can take this to mean being "heartened", "spurred on" in your walk with God and service to Him and "given help" by others and by our great Lord Himself who equips us to carry out the service He has called us to do.

Jesus came to earth to live with us

This is the time of year when everyone goes on a mad spending spree in the UK and embarks on a season of festivities and celebrations which seem to last from just before 25th. December until well into the New Year. The following link will give you a snapshot of the sad situation we find ourselves in here, and my guess is that many European and other nations around the world are in a similar position.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8170637/Lord-Carey-Christianity-being-airbrushed-from-society-as-Christmas-is-rebranded.html

I don't know what it is like in the country where you live, but Christmas is always the time of year which is completely different from any other time in the yearly calendar. Why is this? Has it real significance and how do react to it, celebrate it or think about it?

To me the significance of Christmas is the fact that we are celebrating the Incarnation of Christ, that is, God sending His only son into the world to be born as a man. By God becoming a man in the form of our Lord Jesus, He was able to experience temptation, suffering, strained relationships and all the brokenness of a fallen Creation brought about by the rebellion of man against God, which is called sin or wrongdoing. Paul puts the wonder of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus most succinctly in the following passage in a letter he wrote to the church at Philippi in about 60AD, which was situated in an urban city which was then a colony of the Roman Empire.

Pictures of Philippi today Amphitheatre at Philippi

Many of you reading this probably live and/or work in urban communities and may also worship regularly in an urban church fellowship. Whether or not that is the case these words are as relevant to us today as they were then, being a part of the eternal truth of the Bible.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so 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.

Philippians 2:5:11 (ESV)

In this passage we note first of all that we are called to have the mind of Christ. We then see that Jesus as a man didn't seek to be equal to God but took the form of a servant. He could have taken the form of a superman type hero, strong man or an angelic appearance, but in Isaiah 53:2 it says "He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should look at Him." I don't believe this means He was ugly looking but if you or I were to walk past Him in the streets of London, New York or Djakarta He would have looked like any ordinary man of His time and location.

However, if He had stopped, smiled and greeted you, He would have known your need and the right words to say to you, He would have sought to meet you at your point of need. Why? Because He was a servant of His Heavenly Father! As followers of Him we are called to have the same mind and attitude in our lives. In our natural human condition this is impossible, but when we come to know Him as our Saviour and Lord, He comes to live within us by His Holy Spirit who gives us the gifts and ripens spiritual fruits within us to enable us to become more and more like Him as we walk day by day with our Lord.

Not only did Jesus humble Himself by leaving the heights of glory in Heaven to come to a world full of conflict, war and sin, but there was no room for Him to be born in. The only place found was the corner of a stable at the back of a hotel for Him to be born. In the same way many people have no place for Jesus in their lives today or just find a small corner in their lives, maybe an hour in church on a Sunday from time to time.

We then read that after three years of serving others, meeting their needs, healing them and teaching them about His Father, and being misunderstood a lot of the time, Jesus the Lord of glory was subjected to a trial (where the judge, Pilate, could find no fault in Him) and extreme torture before being nailed and hung on a cross to die. This willing sacrifice of the servant King, as He is described in a Graham Kendrick song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBd3ThCResI was accepted by His Father as the ransom price for our sins, if we put our faith and trust in Him and His finished or completed work.

While He was on the cross, our Lord Jesus said "It is finished," this was not referring to His own life, which is what some may have thought, who heard Him say it, but it meant that no further animal sacrifices were required for the forgiveness of sin, as practised under the Jewish temple requirements (sometimes known as the Old Covenant). Jesus had covered them by offering Himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin.

We know with hindsight that this was not the end of the story, because three days later Jesus rose from the dead after being placed in a sealed and guarded tomb. He had conquered death, sometimes referred to as the last enemy, as well as sin, the world and Satan.

As a result of His humility and service, which we are called to follow, it says, "Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name." This occurred after Jesus ascended to Heaven where He is forever interceding for us at the right hand of God. In 1 Peter 5:6 we are urged to "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you." We are called to humbly serve God; when we serve with one another we are therefore serving with the greatest, humblest and most perfect servant there has ever been.

What a wonderful Lord we have, who put in place a plan to save us and enable us to serve Him despite our own shortcomings, troubled lives, sad upbringings and sufferings. When we look at what He suffered as the perfect example of humility in service to His Heavenly Father, nothing that we can offer can be compared, He has given us everything.

Christmas is the time when we celebrate the birthday of Jesus. We spend a lot of time choosing and giving one another presents and He gives us His presence. What are we going to give Him as a present this Christmas time?

I Thank Thee, Lord

I have just been given a collection of my late father's writings which include poetry, sermon outlines, Bible study notes and many other items, some of which were used in his preaching, teaching and pastoral ministry, others of which were written expressions of his personal reflections and thoughts.

I have been given complete freedom by my mother to use this material in the way God leads me by His Holy Spirit and am seeking the best way forward in what may be quite an absorbing adventure in my walk with the Lord.

My father, known as Allan Retallick or R.E.A. Retallick may have been known to some of you who read this article. I would love to hear from you if you want to share any memories or accounts of your meetings with him or experiences of his ministry. To me he was not only a wonderful father seeking to live a Christ-like life serving his Heavenly Father, having first preached at the age of 17, (I waited until I was 22), but a polymath, good at history, painting, composing and playing music (self-taught), writing poetry and fluent in a host of European languages, being able to preach in Dutch and French as well as his native English (of course). In the Netherlands many thought he was Dutch, but it was my mother who came from there, she was born near the banks of the Rhine not far from Leiden, in what was a village, but is now a large town called Alphen aan de Rijn.

When my father went to be with the Lord in June, 2002, we had a tomb stone put over the grave with an abridged version of his favourite text, in the King James Version, his favourite and mostly used Bible translation: "The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me." ~ Galatians 3:20.

My father was my spiritual mentor with whom I often led church services before he preached, or I would provide the musical accompaniment on organ and perhaps sing a solo accompanying myself on the guitar. I can remember occasions when I was younger, on which he would play the organ, lead the service and preach as well!

I mentioned the King James Version earlier partly because you will see from the following poem he wrote that it permeated his style of writing and he was most particular to ensure that the scanning of lines, accented words and poetic metre were correct. To him I owe elements of perfectionism in my character, but they don't extend to poetic details like iambic pentameters or trochaic whatevers!

In a few recent videos I spoke a little about worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth, and one very important ingredient of this is thanksgiving to God, for all that He has done in creation and redemption and his tender care for our ongoing daily needs in His world. He has placed us here as witnesses to His love and grace and to reach out to hurting people with the Good News that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!

I Thank Thee, Lord.

I thank Thee, Lord, for all that Thou hast given,

For every token of Thy changeless love,

For earthly joys, ambassadors of heaven,

To teach the greater worth of things above;

For all the lavish bounty of the sun,

For dawn, for day, for floods of golden light,

For evening shadows and for duty done,

For healing rest, for soft caress of night;

For treasures yet in undiscovered mines,

For riches to be found in flower and tree,

For shafts of sunlight 'twixt the scented pines,

For cloud shades floating on a summer sea;

For crimson apples at a cottage gate,

For harvest glory, with its wealth untold,

Its nodding ears so full they scarce can wait

The coming of the blade that claims their gold;

For woodland glade, whose ever-changing hues

To man a parable must always be,

Its peace, for all who have a heart to muse,

Its beauty, there for all with eyes to see;

For vale and hill, for river broad and clear,

For drowsing cattle on its grassy brink,

For little things, from bank and hedgerow near,

That, shy, yet unmolested, come to drink;

For autumn colours in the sunset's gleam,

For lovely things aloof from haunts of men,

The purple heather by an upland stream,

A curlew's call across a misty fen;

For flowers that bud, and bloom, and bud again,

For shells, immaculate, on cavern's floor,

For sweet refreshment of the summer rain,

For waves that break upon a rocky shore;

For earth and sea and sky, for breath of morn,

For songs of birds, for lark upon the wing,

Sun, moon, and stars, and blessings yet unborn,

For life and love and home--for everything.

And yet for mercies on a higher plane

I fain would bring my thanks, O Lord, to Thee,

For all the sorrows and the bitter pain

That Thou didst bear so willingly for me;

The cross, the grave, that moment when for me

Thy dying vanquished all the hordes of sin,

For gates flung wide, for welcome back for Thee,

For shout of joy when Thou didst enter in;

For all the good Thy work has wrought for me,

For everlasting life, the gift of heaven,

For reconciliation made by Thee,

For peace with God and trespasses forgiven;

For all Thine understanding of my needs,

For Thy dear presence as I tread life's road,

For all the gracious words and tender deeds

That help me upward to the throne of God;

For faith that leaps all barriers in a breath,

And grasps the Power that guides the farthest star,

For hope that looks beyond the vale of death,

And sees the glory in the land afar;

For that triumphant moment when these eyes

Shall see Thee come to meet me on the way,

When loved ones, watching for me in the skies,

Shall greet me at the dawning of the day;

For long, eternal ages in the light,

Where Thou alone for ever art adored,

For voice to sing, for heart to praise aright,

For everything I owe--I THANK THEE, LORD!

Worship Songs Piano recital from Erik Retallick on Vimeo.