It’s Friday and Sunday’s Comin’!
…Trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
—Romans 5:3
United Methodist minister Grace Imathiu was born in Kenya and she tells the story of the shoes that she wore in 1st grade. They varied in color depending on the shoe polish available, and they were made of very tough leather — made to endure. She wasn’t the first child in her family to wear them — they had been passed down from child to child as each one entered first grade. The family laughed that they had been passed down so many times that Moses himself had worn them when he went off to 1st grade!
These days shoes aren’t made to last like that — even if we had such a pair, someone would tell us to just throw them away. Our consumer lifestyle encourages us to buy things that wear out quickly — new shoes, new experiences, new relationships. Imathiu points out that the only thing that we own that endures is faith — a faith that has been passed down to us through the generations — a faith that Jesus himself wore as he walked his human journey.
The love of God has been poured into our hearts and his love endures when our love fails. By the grace and mercy of God, we can share the faith of Jesus who trusted God even when he faced suffering and death. Enduring faith in the midst of trouble gives us what we need most.
Blessings always,
Pastor Mary