A Weekly Update from Pastor Rhea

…We boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Romans 5:2b-5 NRSV)

One thing I can say easily is that the kinds of things I think of when I read “our sufferings” has changed over the years. Sometimes a passage of scripture jumps into my head, calling me to go back to it, to ponder it, to meditate upon it, and today that's what happened with this passage from Romans 5.

And I couldn't help but think that what Paul is describing is simply maturity. It is the growth that happens when we spend our focus and energy over the years on living as Jesus teaches, on trusting his grace, wisdom, and presence. When we let him produce hope in us, through that long process of enduring what comes our way the best we can.

There have been times I was focused on the phrase “we boast in our sufferings.” At other times, I leaned hard into that growth process: suffering > endurance > character > hope. Today what shines in my heart like a beacon on a dark night is the beginning of verse 5: “hope does not disappoint us.” That is the lived experience of a disciple of Jesus, and wherever you find yourself at this moment in your spiritual journey, I pray you are encouraged to hear, as we hope in our God, that hope does not let us down.

See you Sunday!
Rhea