Before we hop into talking about how to prepare for the sermon this week, I want to take the time to bring something important to your attention. Hopefully, many of you remember our former pastoral intern, Timo Sazo and his family. They worshipped with us for a number of years while Timo was learning about what ministry looks like at every level of the church, from helping in nursery to teaching children’s church to breaking his foot at youth group to teaching adult Sunday School to preaching on more than one occasion. While he was with us, he managed to complete all the various requirements the presbytery had for pastoral candidates, and when he departed to be a part of the Reston church plant of McLean Pres, he had begun to prepare for his ordination exams. If you haven’t already heard, I’m pleased to tell you that this coming Sunday, Timo will be ordained and installed as an assistant pastor of that church plant. I say this because Potomac Hills invested in the Sazo’s, knowing that they wouldn’t be with us for long, and I want you to know that your investment in the wider Kingdom work of the church is bearing fruit. You participate in his ministry through all the prayer and care that you showed them while they were here, and through all the prayer and support you will continue to give him in the future. Praise be to God for Timo’s ordination!

And as we prepare for the sermon at Potomac Hills, we are quickly coming to the end of Peter’s discussion about how Christians are to bear up under suffering. We’re in 1 Peter 4 this week, and we’ll be looking at the whole chapter. And while I’ll be talking about how Judgment Day colors everything we experience and how it gives us a Gospel perspective, I want us to consider the fact that most of the Christians Peter was writing to came to faith well into their lives. This is radically different from most of us. Most of us were born into Christian homes, and have grown up with the Gospel. But these folks were transformed by the power of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit after they had long established patterns of sin. For those that came to faith later in life, you will understand that these people not only had to deal with the external forces that try to drive them from their newfound faith, but they also had to deal with the internal ones. When you’re used to your whole life being about you, the sudden and dramatic shift toward selfless humility, grace, and service can be costly from a heart perspective. Feelings can be just as powerful as an angry mob or the armies of the emperor. I say this to give an extra dimension of depth to the call to do good and be righteous in the face of opposition and suffering. Most of us expect to deal with external pressures, but it’s the internal stubbornness towards sin that can frustrate us. Both the internal and external battles require us to give grace, sometimes to others, and more often to ourselves, always looking to the living hope that we have in Christ Jesus to enable us more and more to walk in His footsteps. Come Sunday ready to hear how the future reality of Judgment Day gives us present help and a Gospel perspective. See you then, and don’t forget to pray for Timo and his family!