Sermon during Matins

IX in the boat with disciples

Today’s sermon on St.Mark 8:13-21 during Matins:

We sang the four verses of the hymn from the Lutheran Service Book 533 “Jesus has come and brings pleasure…” by J.L.C.Allendorf 1693-1773.

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Vater Wilhelms Rundbrief

IMG_2492 IMG_2494 IMG_2519
Nach fast drei Wochen sind wir wieder zu Hause. Nach dem Jugendtag und Posaunenfest in Kirchendorf fuhren wir am Freitag vor dem 5. Sonntag nach Trinitatis mit Wilhelm und Angelika nach Umhlangeni. Schon die Tage in Kirchdorf waren schön mit einigen Besuchen, guter Unterhalung, viel liebevoller Fürsorge und Erleben. Wir fuhren über Mbumbulo erst einmal nach Shelly Beach, wo die Schlüssel abgeholt wurden und dann nach Umhlangeni, nach Peters Urteil dem schönsten Fleck im ganzen Universum. Musa Mkhabela sorgte regelmäßig fürs nötige Brennholz zum Grillen und an kalten Tagen für den Kamin im guten Zimmer. Karin genoss fast täglich mit Angelika oder Magdalene Spaziergänge am Strand, wo wie gewöhnlich schöne Muscheln gefunden wurden. Mit Krücken macht das Gehen am Strand im Sand keinen Spaß mehr. In Peters Studierzimmer hatte ich gut Gelegenheit, mir an meinem Labtop die Zeit zu nutzen. Ich konnte täglich vom Haus aus am Friedhof vorbei meine täglichen Spaziergänge machen und mich an Peters Pferden freuen. Die kamen einmal ganz zutraulich und ließen sich streicheln. Sie waren dann sicher entäuscht, weil sie kein Futter fanden, als sie mit mir zu den Reifen zurückliefen, die als ihre Krippen dienen.
Gegenseitige Einladung zwischen Umhlangeni und Shelly Beach machten froh und machten, dass die Tage recht schnell vorbeiflogen. Wenn der Strom in Umhlangeni ausfiel, war in Shelly Beach Licht und umgekehrt, dass jedes Mal das Abendessen bei Licht sein konnte. Peter hat sich einen sehr praktischen Grill konstruiert. Wilhelm hat immer guten Gebrauch davon gemacht. Am vergangenen Sonnabend hatte er einige Männer aus der Gemeinde zum Abschied eingeladen. Dazu war auch Pastor Mkhabela von Gamalakhe gekommen. Christoph und Detlev waren zum Wochenende von Wartburg gekommen, wo Christoph eine Elektrikerlehre macht und Detlev gerade in den Ferien mit seinem Bruder zusammen arbeiten kann. Schnackenbergs waren auch dazu gekommen.
Auch Missionsdirektor Zieger und Missionsrepräsentant Christoph Weber waren an einem Tag auf einige Stunden von Durban nach Umhlangeni gekommen. Nachdem MD Zieger abgaflogen war und das Gästehaus leer geworden war, kam Christoph mit seiner Familie kurz nach Umhlangeni, Da kam noch mehr Leben. Weil in Umhlangeni ‘load shedding war, aßen wir gemeinsam bei Schnackenbergs in Shelly Beach.
Zu viert haben wir im Waffelrestaurant im Ramsgate an die Geburtstagsfeier vor einigen Jahren, zu der die Eltern von Simone eingeladen hatten gedacht. Am Sonntag war mit Schnackenbergs gemeinsames Mittagessen in der Oribi Gorge am Leopard Rock zur Feier von Thomas Schnackenbergs Geburtstag. Wir fuhren nach dem Gottesdienst in Umhlangeni und Mthwalume über Paddock dorthin und bewunderten die Fahrt in die Gorge hinunter und wieder rauf zum Leopard Rock. Auf dem Rückweg sind wir die N2 über Port Shepstone nach Umhlangeni gefahren. Da ist die Straße doch allerhand besser als von hier direkt nach Paddock.
Die beiden Sonntage am 5. und 6. nach Trinitatis in Umhlangeni 2x und Mafu und Mthwalume waren wie immer rechte Freudenmacher, gut besucht mit vollem Singen in den gut gepflegten Kirchen. Wo Gottesdienste regelmäßig gehalten werden und Gottes Wort und vor allem das Evangelium gepredigt wird, Beichte und Abendmahl ordentlich gefeiert wird, wird Frucht, gerade auch Dankbarkeit geerntet. In Umhlangeni, Mafu und Mthwalume freuten sich die Leute über die Gottesdienste und auf Peters Rückkehr. Inzwischen sind sie alle Simone, Peter, Luca, Fynn und Sara gut wieder in Umhlangeni angekommen nach ihrer Reise zur goldenen Hochzeit der Eltern, bzw. Großeltern Tepper in Uelzen beladen mit vielen Grüßen aus der tepperschen Verwandtschaft und vom Groß Oesinger Missionsfest.
Nach den Gottesdiensten in Umhlangeni und Mthwalume und der Geburtstagsfeier von Thomas Schnackenberg am Leopard Rock machte es sich in der Nacht auf Montag bemerkbar, dass ich über achtzig bin. Dazu schrieb meine liebe Frau am Dienstag an ihre Schwester: “Eigentlich wollten wir schon auf dem Nachhauseweg sein heute, aber gestern früh, als ich hier in Peters Office ging, sagte Wilhelm, daß seine linke Hand lahm ist, und eigentlich die ganze Seite. Wir haben uns ziemlich erschrocken , aber weil er gehen konnte, sich auch alleine fertig gemacht hat, duschen und so, fand ich es nicht so schlimm. Beim Anziehen habe ich dann gemerkt, daß der linke Mund auch so ein bißchen ” hing ” . Ich dachte dann , daß es ein leichter Schlaganfall war. Renate war für den sofortigen Arztbesuch, ich nicht so sehr, als Cordula dann aber auch meinte, daß das nötig ist, sind wir zu Lenes Arzt. Der hat dann gemeint, es war kein Schlaganfall, sondern eine Vorstufe, nun weiß ich natürlich nicht, wie es heißt, ich schreibe das mal von Angelikas Telefon ab: Transient Ischaemic Attack, (nach google in Deutsch: Transitorische ischämische Attacke, (TIA)kannst du damit was anfangen? Wilhelm war dann gleich bereit einen Tag dran zu hängen, heute Morgen waren sie zum Blutabnehmen ( Cholesterin) und nachher fahren wir zum Ultraschall von den Halsschlagadern. Und morgen hoffentlich fröhlich nach Hause. Es geht Wilhelm bestimmt schon besser, aber alles ist doch etwas mühsam für ihn, er ist ja sowieso nicht so flott, nun geht es eben noch langsamer, aber wir sind ja dankbar, daß es überhaupt geht , auch gemütsmäßig geht es besser, nicht mehr so traurig um seiner lieben Frau willen. Ich halte dich unterrichtet und hoffe, daß die Nachrichten immer besser werden.” Da lernt man zu danken, dass man das Hemd noch selber zuknöpfen kann, wenn auch mit Krücken und langsam wenigsten gehen und die Treppen ins Studierzimmer rauf- und runtergehen kann, und vor allem, dass Frau und Kinder einen umsorgen und Arztbesuche regeln und alle nötigen Fahrten übernehmen. Nicht unerwähnt soll bleiben, dass ich seit unserer Rückkehr die Morgenandachten mit den Arbeitern auf dem Hof um 7 Uhr morgens halten konnte.
Mit herzlichen Grüßen
Euer Wilhelm Weber von Welbedacht
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Herrenhuter readings for Saturday, the 18th July 2015

Baby

„Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.“ (Ps 139:16 NIV) “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.(John 1:48a NIV)

Going to a doctor, who knows you, is sensible. Buying your bread from a trustworthy baker is a good thing too. Biblically loving and knowing go hand-in-hand. You can’t love somebody, you don’t know and loving someone is knowing her intimately and deep down. Off course our human knowledge is fallible. We land up with a quack instead of a medical expert. Eating some poor bread proves that the baker is everything but trustworthy and not worth another visit never mind another purchase. The saying that familiarity leads to contempt, may be true if love is not sustained and that’s why loving always needs forgiveness of those fallibilities, faults and downright evils, which we carry along as baggage more or less.

Omniscience is divine. The living God – Father, Son and Holy Ghost – knows our very being, our coming in and going out, our sitting and lying down as well as our standing up and moving about. He knows our origin and our destination also. He knows our feelings, our thoughts, our inmost movements and motions of our hearts even. He was there when we were formed in dark places, when we were but a loving thought in his eternal heart and a glimmer of gracious goodness and godly care. And he had ordained them wonderfully – full of mercy and wonder and lovely surprises and godly choice and calling. A divine miracle in the making!

This is most certainly true for I believe and confess „that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him.“

And he loves us without end. He proved that in his Son Jesus Christ. His Holy Spirit affirms that positively in his apostolic and prophetic revelation in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. He knows us and still he continues to love us. Truly amazing! No need to hide, even if it was possible. He has come to seek and save the lost. To return us back home and reunite us with the Father. The healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are ill do. He is our true physician, who heals all our deseases. He is the true bread from heaven so that he, who eats of him, will never hunger. Come and taste, how friendly your God is. Know that he is God and loves you truly. Amen.

  1. Love Divine, all love excelling, Joy of heaven, to earth come down, Fix in us Thy humble dwelling, All Thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, Thou art all compassion, Pure, unbounded love Thou art; Visit us with Thy salvation, Enter every trembling heart.
  2. Breathe, oh, breathe Thy loving Spirit Into every troubled breast; Let us all in Thee inherit, Let us find the promised rest. Take away the love of sinning; Alpha and Omega be; End of faith as its beginning, Set our hearts at liberty.
  3. Come, Almighty, to deliver; Let us all Thy life receive. Suddenly return and never, Nevermore, Thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessings, Serve Thee as Thy hosts above, Pray and praise Thee without ceasing, Glory in Thy perfect love.
  4. Finish, then, Thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be. Let us see Thy great salvation Perfectly restored in Thee, Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before Thee, Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

 Text: Ps. 106:4 by Charles Wesley, 1707-1791

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Lutheran Order of service in isiZulu and seTswana

Speisung der 5k

The Lutheran Order of Service for the 7th Sunday after Trinity is available here in isiZulu and seTswana. Today it comes with a sermon based on God’s Word from the Holy Gospel of St. John in the 6th chapter verses 1-15 written by my brother Rev. M.N. Mntambo in isiZulu (wz1539150719 n. Tr. 7) and translated as usual by my father Rev. E.A.W.Weber DD (Welbedacht, KZN) into seTswana (wt1539150719 n. Tr. 7).

The readings for the 7th Sunday after Trinity are:

  • Old Testament:       Exodus 16:2-3.11-18
  • The Epistle:            Acts 2:41a.42-47
  • The Gospel:            St.John 6:1-15
  • Psalm:                    107:5-6.8-9

The liturgical colour is green.

May you have a very blessed weekend and have time to meditate on the watchword for the 7th Sunday after Trinity: You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, (Eph 2:19 NIV)

A collect for the 7th Sunday after Trinity: O God, whose never-failing providence orders all things both in heaven and on earth, we humbly implore You to put away from us all hurtful things and to give us those things that are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Pastoral Companion 594)

If you are called to preach this weekend, may the triune God give you joy and strength, wisdom, knowledge and insight – and the true words and pictures to preach his holy will faithfully according to his most precious revelation of his will and promises in both the Old and New Testament! However if you are not preaching, but listening – then listen as if God is talking to you + His precious gospel is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Rom 1:16 NIV)

We thank the Lutheran Heritage Foundation for supporting the distribution of hard-copies of these orders of worship and sermons throughout Southern Africa. If you also want a copy please do not hesitate to subscribe by writing to EAWWeber@bundunet.co.za.

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Lutheran Order of service in isiZulu and seTswana

Holy_Trinity

The Lutheran Order of Service for the 6th Sunday after Trinity is available here in isiZulu and seTswana. Today it comes with a sermon based on God’s Word from the Holy Gospel of St. Matthew in the 28th chapter verses 16-20 written by my father Rev. E.A.W.Weber DD (Welbedacht, KZN) in both isiZulu (wz1538150628 n Tr 6) and seTswana (wt1538150628 n. Tr 6).

The readings for the 6th Sunday after Trinity are:

  • Old Testament:       Isaiah 43:1-7
  • The Epistle:            Romans 6:3-8
  • The Gospel:            St. Matthew 28:16-20
  • Psalm:                    67:2-3.5-6

The liturgical colour is green.

May you have a very blessed weekend and have time to meditate on the watchword for the 6th Sunday after Trinity: But now, this is what the LORD says- he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. (Isa 43:1)

A collect for the 6th Sunday after Trinity: O God, You have prepared for those who love You good things that surpass all understanding. Pour into our hearts such love toward You that we, loving You above all things, may obtain Your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Pastoral Companion 594)

If you are called to preach this weekend, may the triune God give you joy and strength, wisdom, knowledge and insight – and the true words and pictures to preach his holy will faithfully according to his most precious revelation of his will and promises in both the Old and New Testament! However if you are not preaching, but listening – then listen as if God is talking to you + His precious gospel is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Rom 1:16 NIV)

We thank the Lutheran Heritage Foundation for supporting the distribution of hard-copies of these orders of worship and sermons throughout Southern Africa. If you also want a copy please do not hesitate to subscribe by writing to EAWWeber@bundunet.co.za.

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Herrenhuter readings for Thursday, the 2nd July 2015

Kalahari-Desert

„You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you in a dry and parched land where there is no water.“ (Psalm 63,1) Our Lord Jesus Christ said to St.John: “To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.“ (Revelation 21:6)

The are many different kinds of deserts. Flying over the large Saharan expanse in the northern half of Africa, you can discern rocky parts, empty and seemingly endless stretches of nothingness, mountains and valleys, loads of sand too. That’s very much like the oldest desert of all – the Namib in South-West Africa (Namibia) – you get the impressive dunes of Sossusvlei, but you also get the mountains and the riftvalleys with rocks and moonlike landscape. The Kalahari on the other is more like a green desert – lots of camel thorns and other spikey stuff – but loads of grass and vegetation. You could forget, you’re in a perfect desert and people have come to desperate ends here – like those Thirstlandtrekkers – moving with cattle herds, families, children and not finding water for days on end. In the end they perished most desperately. It’s a really dry and parched land out there – with no water.

The Israelites knew this experience firsthand. They had escaped the Egyptian tyrannts and by the grace and mercy of God had found an escape route through the Red Sea and into the safe sanctuary of the Sinai desert. That too was a dry and parched land of note – and no water. Here in this deserted and vacant land God revealed himself to the people of Israel as the one, who provides – water, food, sustenance, but also knowledge of truth, forgiveness, healing, protection, peace that passes all understanding, love and salvation. That’s not some sentimental softness, but harsh reality of survival, crucial for life and living on this world. For man lives not from bread alone, but from every word that comes from the mouth of our Lord and God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is the source and fount of life, love and all goodness. Without him and his Holy Spirit we perish in nothingness and in the fast emptiness of the dreary expanse of the lifeless cosmos.

The wonderful thing is that this very God, doesn’t hold us ransom as did those terrible tyrannts in the latest Mad Max film of fury. It’s not as if he just hands out a small cup of water now and again – just to whet our appetite. No, he lets streams of water flow in desert places. He shares divine abundance to his people like at that wedding of Cana. No wine left – and he changes gallons of water into the best and most tasty nectar. He lets rivers of water flow through the desert – like the Nile through Egypt – watering the land, making it lush and fertile and flourishing. It’s what the Orange River does in the Namib too. A long stretch of oasis all the way from the high Lesotho mountains right down to the thundering waves of the Atlantic ocean there on the richest of diamond fields too. One surprise after the other. Well, that’s just a poor reflection of God’s great goodness and mercy with which he blesses his people – free and in great surplus of magnificence and glory. And these waters nourish the fruitful trees planted around it, so that they bear fruit 12 times a year without end. Lovely, lovely is our God! Amen.

  1. Beautiful Savior, King of Creation, Son of God and Son of Man! Truly I’d love Thee, Truly I’d serve Thee, Light of my soul, my Joy, my Crown.
  2. Fair are the meadows, Fair are the woodlands, Robed in flowers of blooming spring; Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer; He makes our sorrowing spirit sing.
  3. Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight, Bright the sparkling stars on high; Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer, Than all the angels in the sky.
  4. Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations, Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor, Praise, adoration, Now and forevermore be Thine!

Author of “Schönster Herr Jesus” (1677) is unknown, but it was translated by: Joseph A. Seiss, 1873

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Lutheran Order of service in isiZulu and seTswana

Fischzug

The Lutheran Order of Service for the 5th Sunday after Trinity is available here in isiZulu and seTswana. Today it comes with a sermon based on God’s Word from the Holy Gospel of St. Luke in the 5th chapter verses 1-11 written by my brother Rev. P.C. Weber DD (Ohlangeni, KZN) into isiZulu (wz1537150705 n. Tr. 5) and translated as usual by my father Rev. E.A.W.Weber DD (Welbedacht, KZN) into seTswana (wt1537150705 n. Tr. 5).

The readings for the 5th Sunday after Trinity are:

  • Old Testament:       Genesis 12:1-4a
  • The Epistle:            1.Cor.1:18-25
  • The Gospel:            St. Luke 5:1-11
  • Psalm:                    73:24-26.28

The liturgical colour is green.

May you have a very blessed weekend and have time to meditate on the watchword for the 5th Sunday after Trinity: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– (Eph 2:8 NIV)

A collect for the 5th Sunday after Trinity: O God, You have prepared for those who love You good things that surpass all understanding. Pour into our hearts such love toward You that we, loving You above all things, may obtain Your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Pastoral Companion 594)

If you are called to preach this weekend, may the triune God give you joy and strength, wisdom, knowledge and insight – and the true words and pictures to preach his holy will faithfully according to his most precious revelation of his will and promises in both the Old and New Testament! However if you are not preaching, but listening – then listen as if God is talking to you + His precious gospel is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Rom 1:16 NIV)

We thank the Lutheran Heritage Foundation for supporting the distribution of hard-copies of these orders of worship and sermons throughout Southern Africa. If you also want a copy please do not hesitate to subscribe by writing to EAWWeber@bundunet.co.za.

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Herrenhuter readings for Wednesday, the 1st July 2015

veld-fire

Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? (Jeremia 23,29) and our Lord Jesus Christ says: I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? (Luke 12,49)

Fire is a powerful thing. Not only from volcanoes, but also in veld- and bushfires. Lot’s of damage can be done if fires run away and get out of control. Whole cities get destroyed that way. Just think of Dresden, which was a outsized furnace in those last days of the last world war. Rock on the other hand is a powerful thing in itself. It can withstand lots of pressure and is used to break other stuff and withstand and protect against this and that. I think of rock walls surrounding the cattle kraal at my grandfathers place or the path plastered with rocks to bear those people transversing to and fro for some years to come.

The great, serious and severly punished prophet Jeremiah points out that the Lord’s holy Word is like fire inside and outside. It eats you up from inside to get out. It burns and scathes outside, whatever comes into its reach. It’s also like that strong and mighty hammer, which crushes rocks to pieces – leaving nothing whole nor intact, but rather broken and in harmless pebbles and stones. It’s because if the Lord speaks it happens. His utterances are not mere rhetorics, but rather realistic facts to reckon with. It makes reality. It is reality. If he speaks it is there! His Law shows our sins and transgressions without fail and leaves us without excuse, because he is just and righteous and his judgements are true and without failing whatsoever. Rather each one receives his deserved verdict and leaves nobody but himself truly in charge and controll. In the same unfailing manner his holy gospel forgives all our iniquities and sinful evils, so that it stands as surely and positively here on earth as there in heaven. He declares sinners righteous, calls dead to life and those long perished and gone he calls them back into blessed being, resurrected to life everlasting with him in eternal salvation and blessedness.

Well, just look how the Word of the Lord grows! (Martin H. Franzmann) From a small mustard seed it has grown to that large tree spreading its branches over the entire globe and the birds of the heavens and people of all nations find rest, peace and holy sanctuary under/in it. Oh, yes the Lord kindled a huge fire – and it’s burning across the whole world. Everywhere people seek out its light and blessed warmth – and those who dread and fear it, can’t flee from it anywhere. For wherever they go, he’s there already – the Lord and God of all. Ah yes, he has kindled that fire alright and the apostles and prophets carried it into all parts of the world even into the darkest corners and most hidden shadows so that today there is nowhere without this holy Word of the living God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Even today it still has its ferocious power to kill, destroy and annihilate, but also to heal, forgive, make alive and grant peace. His Word remains in eternity for he will not only destroy the old world in fire, but also create the new world in goodness & mercy. It sure is something to look forward to, because he is faithful and will surely do it – for us and our salvation. Amen.

We pray: God’s Word is our great heritage And shall be ours forever; To spread its light from age to age Shall be our chief endeavor. Through life it guides our way, In death it is our stay. Lord, grant, while worlds endure, We keep its teachings pure. Throughout all generations. (Nikolai F. S. Grundtvig, 1783-1872)

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Prof. Dr. Edward Kettner at LTS

Prof. Dr. Edward Kettner from Kansas City in Missouri taught “Christology” in our theological course at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in the last weeks of May. We are very grateful for his support here at the Seminary and his great input to promote Lutheran Theology amongst our Seminarians and beyond. It was good to have him with us and we hope, he’ll be back again next year. Here is his report of that time: My Time in South Africa

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Die LTS Post ist da!

Liebe Freunde vom Lutherisch Theologischen Seminar in Tshwane (Pretoria, Südafrika):

Die neuste LTS Post ist da. Es ist eine Übersetzung der LTS News vom vergangenen Monat. Hoffentlich können wir so noch besser ausbreiten, was beim Seminar hier passiert: 2015,3 LTS Post

Mit freundlichem Gruss vom kalten Hochveld!

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