Perseverance

Happy Thursday Edgemont! Today is a day the Lord has made, we can rejoice and be glad in it. I don’t say that lightly, church. This season we are in gives us a lot of reasons to not be joyful. Whether it is the continuing pandemic, the racial tensions in our country, the partisan divide, or one of the splinters of these issues, it is easy to get overwhelmed. How are we to be the church in a time such as this? I am not going to pretend that I have all the answers to all of the questions we are having to consider now. I do know that Jesus is risen and that God is for us. I know that God is still active and present among us by the power of the Holy Spirit, who is continuing to build us into the people we should be. We are still called to be the church, God’s hands and feet, showing the love of Christ in all that we do. I’m reminded of the book of James, where in James 1:2-5, we read:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

These are trying times that we are in currently. There is a lot of information to try to absorb and parse through to see what is accurate. I take two things from this passage. First, we have to and will persevere. Times like these are when we are forced to rely on God for strength and guidance. Second, when we ask how to make sense of all this, we know God hears us as we ask. Christ is there, interceding for us, next to the Father. We can ask for wisdom and understanding in the middle of all this. While it may not be in our timing, the Father will not fail to give us an answer. I know that God can help us continue to grow into the church we at Edgemont have been called to be. The time may be difficult, but I am grateful to be in this time with all of you. Pastor Henry