jesus

Reflection: Rest for Your Souls (10th Dec, 2025, Year A)

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Readings

Isaiah 40.25–end – To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God’? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Matthew 11.28–end – ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

Reflection

As we have been for much of the season of Advent, in our readings today we hear two voices—Isaiah and Jesus—speaking across centuries, yet offering a remarkably similar promise. Both readings come to us in moments of human weariness. Isaiah addresses a people who feel forgotten in exile; Jesus speaks to crowds burdened by expectation, hardship, and the weight of their own limitations. And into those situations, both proclaim a God who does not grow tired, even when we do.

Isaiah begins with a question from God: “To whom then will you compare me?” It is a reminder that God is not simply a bigger or stronger version of ourselves. God is wholly other—Creator of the ends of the earth, the One who calls out the stars by name. And yet this transcendent God bends down to notice the faint and the weary. Isaiah speaks of divine strength that does not crush but instead renews. “They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” These are not triumphal words about never stumbling, but hopeful words about being upheld when we do.

Into that same human experience, Jesus speaks: “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” At first glance, that sounds like an invitation to collapse, to lay everything down. But Jesus goes on: “Take my yoke upon you.” A yoke is for work, for partnership, for moving forward. Jesus does not take away responsibility; rather, he offers to share its weight. His yoke is “easy”—not because life becomes simple, but because we do not carry it alone.

Both passages confront a common temptation: the belief that we must manage our lives by our own strength. Isaiah challenges the worry that God has disregarded us; Jesus challenges the fear that we must earn our place through endless effort. Together, they remind us of a deeper truth: human strength will fail, but God’s strength will not. And God’s strength is not given begrudgingly but generously, tenderly, and with profound understanding of who we are.

Perhaps each of us brings to this service some form of weariness—physical tiredness, emotional heaviness, the strain of caring for others, the quiet fatigue that comes from uncertainty. The scriptures today do not dismiss those feelings; they acknowledge them. But they also offer a promise: that when our strength falters, God’s does not. When our resources run dry, God’s replenish. When we cannot imagine taking the next step, Christ walks beside us, carrying what we cannot carry on our own. So as we continue in worship, may we hear both Isaiah’s assurance and Jesus’ invitation. May we bring our burdens before the God who neither slumbers nor grows weary, and may we receive the rest and renewal that Christ longs to give. And as we rise again to walk the path set before us, may we do so yoked to him—strengthened, lifted, and held by the everlasting God.

Amen.

Sermon: God’s Hope in Unexpected Places (7th Dec, 2025, Year A)

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Readings

Isaiah 11.1–10 – A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Matthew 3.1–12 – In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” ’Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

Sermon

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I’ve often thought that a key indicator of a mature Christian faith is being able to hold two seemingly opposing ideas in tension with one another and being okay with that. And in many ways, this is embodied in this season of Advent. Because Advent is a season that invites us to stand in two places at once: looking back and looking forward; remembering and hoping while also longing and preparing. It is the season that teaches us how to wait— not passively as the word suggests, but with expectation, with purpose, with hearts awake to what God is doing.

Our readings this morning hold these Advent tensions together beautifully. Isaiah gives us a deeply cherished vision: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse.” Matthew, meanwhile, confronts us with the unsettling figure of John the Baptist—wild, urgent, uncompromising—crying out in the wilderness, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!”

Isaiah speaks of a future that is tender, surprising, and full of hope. John the Baptist speaks of a present moment that is sharp, demanding, and impossible to ignore. And between them, we discover the Advent truth: God’s hope arrives both as comfort and as challenge.

The Stump and the Shoot: God’s Hope in Unexpected Places

Isaiah begins with an image of devastation. A stump is what remains after a tree has been felled—lifeless, cut down, apparently finished. For Isaiah’s first hearers, that stump represented the collapse of the monarchy, the failure of leadership, the disappointment of what had once seemed full of promise.

And yet, out of that dead stump, Isaiah sees a green shoot—a sign of new life where no life was expected.

This is one of Advent’s most important messages:
God’s hope does not grow out of our strength but often from our very places of loss.
Where we see an ending, God sees a beginning. Where we see failure, God plants redemption. Where we see a stump, God brings forth a shoot.

And the shoot Isaiah describes is no ordinary sprout. It is the Messiah—the one filled with the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might. The one who judges not by appearances but with righteousness and equity. The one who brings peace so deep and so strange that natural enemies dwell together: wolves and lambs, leopards and goats, lions eating straw, and a little child leading them.

Isaiah dares to imagine a world reordered by the peace of God. Not a peace that papers over conflict, but a deep healing of creation itself.

John the Baptist: Preparing the Way

If Isaiah’s vision feels like a dream of what could be, John the Baptist drags us into the urgent present. Matthew tells us he appears in the wilderness proclaiming, with no smoothing of the edges, “Repent!”

We might be tempted to hear that word as a scolding. But repentance in Scripture is much more than guilt or regret. It means turning around, reorienting, realigning ourselves with the way of God.

John is not shaming the crowds; he is inviting them.

Inviting them—inviting us—to live in such a way that we can actually recognise the One who is coming.

Because here is another Advent truth:
Hope requires preparation.
If Isaiah shows us God’s promise, John shows us our response.

We prepare the way of the Lord not by frantic activity, but by clearing the clutter of our hearts. We make straight the paths of the Lord by attending to what in our lives has become crooked, hardened, or tangled.

John’s warning to the Pharisees and Sadducees is sharp: “Do not presume.” Advent is not a season for presumption. We do not presume that heritage, habit, or tradition alone prepare us for Christ. We prepare by turning—freshly, willingly—toward the light.

Advent Hope: Consolation and Challenge

If we allow Isaiah and John to speak together, something profound emerges.

Isaiah says:
God is bringing new life, new peace, a new world.
John says:
So live as if that world is truly coming.

Isaiah reveals the hope.
John summons the response.
And Jesus—the One whom both point toward—embodies the promise and fulfils it.

Advent hope is not vague optimism. It is the conviction that God is already at work renewing creation—sometimes quietly, like a shoot from a stump; sometimes dramatically, like a prophet in the wilderness.

The question for us is not whether God is at work, but whether we are ready to receive what God is doing.

What Might This Look Like for Us Today?

First, it might mean allowing God to speak into places that feel like stumps—places where hope seems cut down.
• In our world, that may be conflict, injustice, or division.
• In our communities, it might be weariness or uncertainty.
• In our own lives, it may be disappointment, grief, or fear.

Advent invites us to look again and see that God can bring life from what seems lifeless.

Second, it might mean taking John’s call to repentance seriously. Not as a burden, but as liberation.
Repentance is God’s gift to help us travel light—to let go of what hinders love, justice, and joy.

Third, it might mean committing ourselves to the peace Isaiah describes. The peace of the Messiah is not sentimental; it is courageous. It calls us to seek reconciliation where there has been conflict, to act justly where there has been inequity, to embody gentleness in a world that often rewards harshness.

This is not easy work. But it is the work of those who follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

The Table: Where Hope and Repentance Meet

In a moment, we will come to the Lord’s Table. And there, the message of Advent becomes visible and tangible.

At this table, Christ meets us not because we have perfectly prepared ourselves, but because we are hungry.
Here, the shoot from the stump of Jesse nourishes us with grace.
Here, our repentance is met with mercy.
Here, the future hope of God touches the present moment.

And as we receive the bread and wine, we are invited to become, in God’s hands, signs of the same hope Isaiah saw—small shoots of God’s kingdom growing in the world.

Conclusion

So, this Advent:
May Isaiah open our eyes to God’s surprising hope.
May John the Baptist open our hearts to God’s transforming call.
And may Christ, whose coming we await, make us ready—ready to receive him, ready to follow him, ready to bear his light into the world.

Amen.

Reflection: A Sure Foundation (4th Dec, 2025, Year A)

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Readings

Isaiah 26.1–6 – On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; he sets up victory like walls and bulwarks. Open the gates, so that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace— in peace because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock. For he has brought low the inhabitants of the height; the lofty city he lays low. He lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.

Matthew 7.21, 24–27 – ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven. ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!’

Reflection

Our readings today place before us two powerful images of security and foundations—images that speak both to our faith and to the way we build our lives.

Isaiah offers a vision of a strong city, a place with salvation as its walls and ramparts. It is a city not secured by armies or human achievement, but by the very promise and presence of God. “You keep him in perfect peace,” Isaiah says, “whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” And then comes the invitation: “Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

In the Gospel, Jesus takes up that same theme of foundations. He speaks of two builders—one wise, one foolish. Both hear the word of the Lord; both experience the wind and the rain. But the difference lies in what they have built upon. The wise builder hears the words of Christ and acts on them, anchoring life upon the rock. The foolish builder hears yet does nothing, leaving their house vulnerable when the storm inevitably arrives.

Both passages, then, remind us that faith is more than knowledge or familiarity with holy things. It is the shaping of our lives around God’s steadfastness. The prophet calls the people to trust; Jesus calls his followers to obedience; both speak of a life founded upon God’s enduring truth.

For many of us, the idea of storms—literal or symbolic—feels very real. We encounter uncertainty, change, loss, and pressures that shake us. And Jesus is clear: he does not promise a storm-free life. The rains fall on both houses; the winds beat against both walls. Christian faith has never been a guarantee of exemption from hardship. It is, instead, an invitation to root ourselves in the one who does not change.

Isaiah speaks of “the humble and lowly” being lifted up, while the proud and self-sufficient are brought low. The strong city of God is not built by those who rely on their own strength or cleverness, but by those who recognise their need for God and open themselves to his grace. In Matthew, likewise, the wise builder is not someone with superior skill, but one who listens and responds—who allows the teaching of Jesus to shape choices, relationships, and priorities.

So these readings challenge us gently but firmly:
Where are we placing our trust?
What foundations are we building on?
And are we content merely to hear the words of Jesus, or are we seeking to live them out?

To build on the rock is, in many ways, an act of patience. Foundations are not glamorous. They are often unseen—daily prayer, forgiveness offered and received, generosity practised quietly, integrity lived out when no one is watching. Small choices, steady obedience, faithful trust. Yet in God’s kingdom these become the stones of a strong and enduring city.

As we gather in worship today, we are reminded that the Church itself is called to be such a place of refuge—a community built on Christ, embodying his peace, and holding one another steady through the storms that come. And we are reminded too that our hope is not in our own strength, but in the everlasting rock who sustains us.

May we, then, hear the call of Isaiah to trust in the Lord for ever, and the call of Jesus to build our lives upon his word. And may God grant us the grace to become people of strong foundations, whose lives bear witness to the peace and stability that he alone can give.

Amen.

Reflection: A Feast for His People (3rd Dec, 2025, Year A)

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Readings

Isaiah 25.6–10a – On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death for ever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.
The Moabites shall be trodden down in their place as straw is trodden down in a dung-pit.

Matthew 15.29–37 – After Jesus had left that place, he passed along the Sea of Galilee, and he went up the mountain, where he sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them, so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Where are we to get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?’ Jesus asked them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ They said, ‘Seven, and a few small fish.’ Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all of them ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.

Reflection

Our readings today from Isaiah and Matthew invite us to reflect on one of Scripture’s most hopeful images: God preparing a feast for His people.

Isaiah gives us a picture of God setting a banquet on a mountain—“a feast of rich food and well-aged wines.” It is more than a meal; it is a sign of renewal. Death is swallowed up, tears are wiped away, and the disgrace of God’s people is removed. It is a vision of God putting the world right.

In Matthew’s Gospel we see Jesus enacting that vision. He goes up a mountain, and there the lame, the blind, and the sick are brought to him. He heals them all. The crowd sees in Jesus the compassion and power of God that Isaiah longed for.

Then Jesus feeds the thousands gathered in the crowd. There is no grand feast—only seven loaves and a few small fish—but in his hands scarcity becomes abundance. Everyone eats until they are satisfied, and there are baskets left over. What Isaiah promised for the future, Jesus begins to fulfil in the present.

Both readings remind us that God gives what we cannot give ourselves: healing, hope, sustenance, and joy. The feast of God is always an act of grace and it highlights a few things for us about that feast:

First, it is inclusive. Isaiah speaks of “all peoples.” Matthew describes a crowd in Gentile territory. God’s welcome is wide; the table is open.

Second, the feast is abundant. Isaiah’s language is lavish, and Jesus’ miracle ends with leftovers. God’s generosity is not measured and cautious—it overflows.

Third, the feast is transformative Isaiah speaks of death undone; Jesus restores broken bodies. God’s grace meets us where we are, but it does not leave us there.

Yet Isaiah’s passage ends with a verse that jars: “The Moabites shall be trodden down in their place as straw is trodden down in a dung-pit.” At first hearing, it feels out of place in a vision of hope. It reflects a reality we see throughout the Old Testament: Expressions of longing for justice, often through the language of judgement on neighbouring nations who refused to believe and trust in God’s promises and to wait upon them.

For us, reading this as Christians, the verse is challenging. It reminds us that biblical hope often arises out of real human pain, fear, and conflict. Isaiah’s people had suffered; they longed for liberation. But in the light of Christ, we understand God’s final victory not as the crushing of other peoples, but as the reconciliation of all things in Him. Jesus fulfils the promise of the feast without mirroring the hostility of the age. The uncomfortable verse, therefore, becomes a reminder of how Christ transforms our understanding of God’s kingdom—from exclusion to embrace, from hostility to peace.

So, when we gather at the Lord’s Table, we stand in continuity with both Isaiah’s hope and Jesus’ compassion. Here we receive the foretaste of the feast to come—Christ feeding us with his own life. We are reminded that God’s kingdom is abundant, that his welcome is for all, and that his grace heals and restores.

And this feast shapes us. It calls us to be a people who reflect God’s generosity, who extend His welcome, who bring His healing hope into the ordinary places of our lives. What we receive in worship is meant to flow outward: to those who hunger, to those who grieve, to those who long for good news.

Isaiah looked ahead to a day when death would be no more and all peoples would gather at God’s table. Jesus begins that work among the hungry crowds. And we are invited into it—both as guests and as servants of the feast.

Amen.

Reflection: God’s Hand at Work (26th Nov, 2025, Year C)

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Readings

Daniel 5.1–6, 13–14, 16–17, 23–28 – King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring in the vessels of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the vessels of gold and silver that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. Then the king’s face turned pale, and his thoughts terrified him. His limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, ‘So you are Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard of you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that enlightenment, understanding, and excellent wisdom are found in you. But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and tell me its interpretation, you shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around your neck, and rank third in the kingdom.’ Then Daniel answered in the presence of the king, ‘Let your gifts be for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else! Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and let him know the interpretation. You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven! The vessels of his temple have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know; but the God in whose power is your very breath, and to whom belong all your ways, you have not honoured. ‘So from his presence the hand was sent and this writing was inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed: mene, mene, tekel, and parsin. This is the interpretation of the matter: mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; tekel, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.’

Luke 21.12–19 – ‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Reflection

Our readings today place before us two scenes of unsettling clarity. In Daniel, we are taken into the banqueting hall of King Belshazzar—a room full of noise, pride, and excess. The king holds a feast to display his power, even using the sacred vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem. It seems that co-opting religious symbols for political gain is therefore nothing new.

At the height of Belshazzar’s self-confidence, a mysterious hand appears and writes on the wall. The atmosphere shifts in an instant: his bravado melts; his legs give way. God has spoken, and the truth exposes the delusion of human power.

Daniel, summoned from obscurity, stands in stark contrast to Belshazzar. He refuses the king’s gifts and rewards. His integrity is not for sale. Instead, he names the reality that Belshazzar has refused to see: that all power belongs to God, that pride leads to downfall, and that a kingdom built on arrogance and injustice cannot stand. Daniel’s message is not comfortable, but it is truthful—and it is that truth which ultimately sets God’s purposes in motion.

In the Gospel, Jesus prepares his disciples for their own moment of truth. They, too, will stand before rulers and councils. Not at banquets, but in trials. Not in celebration, but in accusation. Jesus does not promise them escape from hardship. Instead, he promises something more precious: “I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.” Their endurance, he says, will be their salvation.

Both readings ask us to reflect on where we stand when the illusions of the world meet the truth of God. Belshazzar shows us how easy it is to live as though our own comfort, status, or security are the things that matter most. Daniel reminds us that God sees differently—that God honours humility, faithfulness, and courage. And Jesus invites us to trust that when faithfulness becomes costly, when our convictions are tested, he will be with us, giving us the words and the strength we need.

We may not face kings or councils, but each of us will face moments when the gospel calls us to speak truthfully, to act justly, or to stand with those who are vulnerable. In those moments, the question is not whether we feel strong or eloquent. The question is whether we trust the God who writes truth on the walls of human pride; the Christ who stands beside his disciples in every trial; the Spirit who gives wisdom and courage when we need it most.

So today, let us pray for the grace of Daniel: integrity that cannot be bought, courage that does not waver, and clarity to recognise God’s hand at work in our world. And let us pray for the endurance Jesus speaks of—an endurance rooted not in our own strength, but in the faithfulness of God, who holds our lives and our future in his loving hands.

Amen.