Grace and peace to you my sisters and brothers in Christ,

We choose to hold tight to God's promise so that we can live a faithful life.

In this spirit, it is said that someone once asked Martin Luther what he would do if he knew that the world was going to end. He said: "Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree today."

This quote is about living faithfully one day at a time. Trusting that when our world is rocked, when things start to feel like there is no permanence, Jesus has got us, so we can just be faithful one day at a time, no matter what the day brings.

I am excited to talk more about this at worship this weekend as we celebrate Gifts of Hope and hear the wonderful story of Jesus teaching his disciples of the life-giving power of faith.

Blessings,