Dear Faith Des Peres Community,
What does it mean to endure? What allows us to endure our darkest moments? What does it take to show resilience in the face of adversity? These are some of the questions that I’ve been thinking about this week as I get ready to preach on Luke 4: 1-13, the story commonly referred to as the temptation of Jesus. But what if, instead of thinking about the story in terms of the temptations Jesus faced, we instead think about it in terms of the endurance Jesus had to have? For me, this changes the story and puts it in a different light. For while there are temptations we all face (the extra piece of cake, the questionable tax deduction, the purchase we can’t afford), there are also the things we have to endure – the miserable job, the marriage we’ve chosen to stay in but isn’t satisfying, the parent relationship that didn’t live up to expectations. We have to endure these things on a daily basis. How can our faith help us endure? This is what we’re exploring Sunday.
Don’t forget that when you arrive for worship you can “take part” in any of the prayer stations
set-up around the sanctuary. These are meant to help you prepare your heart and mind for worship.
I hope to see you Sunday.
Blessings,
Annie