This Sunday

What do we do with suffering? In veins of American Christianity, health and wealth seem the good news of the day; but what does Scripture say? In John 16, Jesus promised His disciples that they would have trouble in this world, but to take heart, He had overcome the world. Disciples were jailed and beaten, threatened and scattered, shipwrecked and put to death. What did they have, what conviction did they carry, to allow them to endure such horrible events? Scripture carries many stories of tragedy and redemption: so which do we believe to be the stronger of the two? What if, in some way, our suffering can be redeemed, meaning, we are not solely defined by the suffering, but how God can redeem it? What is our response in the midst of loss, tragedy, and world of unrest? Can suffering become more than just loss, but lead us to some of our greatest faith, our greatest testimony, and God’s power to redeem?