Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. – Ephesians 1:3-6
Good news is very hard to find in our assigned Gospel reading for this Sunday from Mark. However, even when good news is hard to find in the circumstances of our lives, Christ’s grace and loving promises remain and give us the endurance to press on knowing that there is still hope to be found.