Dear Trinity Family & Friends,

Perseverance is one of the quiet virtues of the Christian life. It rarely draws attention to itself, yet it sustains faith over the long haul. Perseverance is what carries us when prayers feel unanswered, when progress feels slow, and when the weight of life makes us wonder if continuing is worth the effort. As we continue our series, Shining the Light in a Divided World, Scripture invites us to consider how God’s light strengthens us not just for moments of clarity, but for seasons of endurance.

In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about persistence in prayer. A widow repeatedly brings her plea before an unjust judge, one who neither fears God nor respects people. She keeps showing up. She keeps asking. And eventually, justice is granted, not because the judge is righteous, but because the widow refuses to give up. Jesus’ point is not that God is reluctant or dismissive, but the opposite: if even an unjust judge responds to persistence, how much more will a faithful God hear the cries of those who trust Him?

Hebrews 12 offers another image: the life of faith as a race. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, those who have gone before us, endured hardship, and remained faithful. The writer urges us to lay aside whatever weighs us down and to fix our eyes on Jesus, who endured the cross for the sake of the joy set before him. Perseverance does not mean denying pain or pretending the journey is easy. It means remembering why we run and who runs with us.

This understanding of perseverance shaped the witness of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In his address “Keep Moving from This Mountain,” delivered to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1965, King spoke to leaders who were weary from struggle and resistance. He acknowledged discouragement honestly yet urged them not to stop short of the vision God had set before them. His words remind us that perseverance is not passive resignation, but faithful movement forward; step by step, prayer by prayer, act by act.

Perseverance does not always look dramatic. Often, it looks like continuing to love when it would be easier to withdraw, continuing to pray when answers feel distant, continuing to believe when circumstances are heavy. It is the light that keeps shining because it is rooted in God’s faithfulness, not our own strength.

This Sunday, perseverance will move from Scripture into shared action.

Super Serve Sunday – One Combined Service

This week, we will gather for one combined worship service at 10:00 a.m. in the New Room for Super Serve Sunday. Following worship, our Boy Scouts will host a soup lunch, and then together we will pack 60,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger, a tangible way to shine Christ’s light through service and perseverance.

This is faith lived out with our hands and feet. It is prayer made visible. It is a reminder that perseverance is not only about what we endure, but also about what we choose to build together for the sake of others.

Registration is required to participate in the meal packing event. Please register HERE.

We also invite you to bring canned food items this Sunday to help stock the pantry for Huntsville Assistance Program (HAP). Each item is a small act of faithfulness that becomes part of a larger witness of care and compassion in our community.

Reflect and Prepare

As you prepare for worship, I invite you to consider these questions:

1. Where have you felt discouraged or weary recently?
2. What does Jesus’ parable teach you about persistence in prayer?
3. What “extra baggage” might be slowing your spiritual journey?
4. Who are the witnesses (past or present) who inspire you to keep going?
5. How does fixing your eyes on Jesus reshape how you face difficulty?
6. When has perseverance deepened your faith rather than diminished it?
7. Where might God be calling Trinity to endure with hope and trust?

Be the Light This Week

Perseverance often shows up in small, faithful acts. This week, we invite you to Be the Light by naming one intentional act of faithfulness: prayer, service, encouragement, or patience that you will practice in Jesus’ name. Write it down and place it inside one of the lanterns in our lobbies. Each act is a quiet testimony that God’s light continues to shine.

Walk the Journey Together

Faith is not meant to be carried alone. Our Share the Dream small groups provide space to reflect on Scripture and Dr. King’s teachings alongside others who are seeking to grow and endure together. Groups meet on Sundays and Thursdays. Visit trinityhsv.org/events for more information.

My prayer is that God would strengthen our hearts for the journey and that we would not grow weary in doing good, but trust that God is at work even when the road feels long. May Christ’s light sustain us, guide us, and remind us that perseverance is never wasted in the hands of a faithful God.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Dedric