AUGUST 12th

The 2,000th Anniversary of Jesus's Ministry

August 12 marks another significant milestone: the 2,000th anniversary of the beginning of Jesus's ministry.

Many scholars — including those behind the Zondervan Study Bible — believe Jesus began His ministry in the summer of 26 AD, when He went into the desert for forty days of testing. As an observant Jew, He likely entered the wilderness during Teshuvah, the Jewish forty-day summer season of repentance and returning to God. In that time of testing, Jesus humbled Himself and confirmed His trust, commitment, and obedience to God — emerging victorious (Luke 4:1–13).

Two thousand years later, we believe the Lord is calling us to hold Sacred Assemblies on the first day of Teshuvah — Wednesday, August 12 — to begin forty days of prayer. Just as Jesus did, we're invited to humble ourselves through this season of testing and emerge victorious on the other side.