On Heritage Sunday, we celebrate the cultures, languages and stories that have shaped us. But how far back does our story really go?

In 2 Thessalonians 2:13–17, Paul reminds a worried and pressured church of an even deeper heritage: from the beginning, God had set His love upon His people and called them to salvation through the gospel.

Our circumstances do not define us. Our suffering does not define us. Even our culture, as beautiful as it is, is not our deepest identity. Our identity is in Christ.

And because God is sovereign, good and in control at all times, we can rest in what He has done, stand firm in what we have been taught, and allow His sustaining grace to strengthen us for every good work and word.

Whatever our earthly heritage, in Christ we have been brought into one family, given an eternal hope, and called to live like people who know where their story truly begins.