Dear Saints of Valley Church,
I remember planting an avocado pit when I was young in hopes of growing an avocado tree. I don’t think I even liked avocados at that age, but I was excited about the possibility of that pit from my dad’s dinner turning into a tree that would produce more avocados. I remember going outside to our backyard every day to see if any avocados were growing, only to be disappointed. Not only were there no avocados, but the shoot from the pit was barely growing. I had not realized how long of a wait it would be, and I eventually gave up on the project and forfeited the potential harvest of avocados (which I certainly would have appreciated with the price of avocados these days). The same short-sightedness can be true of the Christian life. As Puritan pastor John Brown once wrote, “Christians frequently act like children in reference to this harvest. They would sow and reap in the same day.”
This week, we will take a break from our series in Colossians to celebrate Mother’s Day. We want to show our thankfulness to God for mothers and encourage them because we recognize that motherhood can be a truly wearying job. So, this Sunday, we will look at how Paul speaks to the challenge of the Christian life from Galatians 6:7-10, emphasizing how we can persevere in doing good, but only when we see clearly God’s eternal perspective. Whether you’re weary this Mother’s Day from your small children at home, your teenage children who won’t come home, or your adult children who are far from home, I hope you will come and be encouraged with God’s strength to persevere. If you’re weary from your grief, your relationship with your own parents, or your season of singleness, I hope you will come and let God demonstrate his grace that is sufficient for your season of struggling. If you didn’t even remember that Sunday is Mother’s Day (you’re welcome for the reminder), but you’re a Christian who struggles with persevering in the Christian life in this sin-cursed world, I hope you will come and be renewed by remembering God’s eternal perspective to help you persevere.
Additionally, the Valley Church Children’s Ministry will have a special event for children before the Sunday gathering from 10:00am to 10:45am in the Valley Church Quad, where they will be helping make gifts for the moms and spiritual moms in the church. Some of our children will be helping to lead our worship in singing. I hope you will be prepared to sing with them and to them, as they serve on Sunday (one of the songs will be based on The Lord’s Prayer).
By His strength and for His glory,
Craig Shigyo