2025 Week 11
Hello, Springers!
Two things give me great joy as I write this. That joy, though, comes with two different reasons.
First, we praise God and thank everyone who donated to our annual Missions Auction last weekend. If you haven’t heard, it was our second-largest amount to date: $33,715, which will go toward our $60,000 budget for missions in 2025. Our church’s generosity gives me joy.
Secondly, we entered the season of Lent (forty days before Easter) this week by celebrating Ash Wednesday, which also brings me joy. However, you might think that because Lent is a season of repentance, it would be a downer and that joy might not be appropriate. But remember these words about our Savior from Hebrews 12:2 – looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus set his face toward the cross on purpose. He endured the cross on purpose. He did it for the joy set before him. That doesn’t mean Jesus is a masochist, someone who loves pain for pain’s sake. It means that he knew the path to joy went through a valley of suffering, and he was willing to walk that path then for the joy of having you as his child now.
For that reason, friends, we can have joy as we enter into the focus on repentance of the Lenten season. Remember also what is on the other side of this forty-day journey, the forty-day season of Easter celebrating Christ who is risen from the dead.
Two other aspects of our Ash Wednesday service also brought me joy. Did you know our service this week was held on the anniversary of the church’s first worship service? March 5, 1989, was the first service of Valley Springs PCA. It was special to mark that day with a service of worship 36 years later.
We enjoyed dinner together before the service, and just over 100 people came to both dinner and the service! The people of Valley Springs love to share time with each other over food and in worship together. We refresh one another when we do this.
We live up to the verse from which our church name comes, Psalm 84:6. When they walk through the valley (of the season of Lent and the focus on repentance that comes with it), they make it a place of springs (of refreshment that comes from eating together, talking together, praying together, and worshiping together).
Encourage one another with these truths!
in Christ,
Pastor Tag