The apostle Peter came a long way in his discipleship over the years. As a disciple, Peter protested louder than anyone whenever his master, Jesus, talked about his need to suffer and die. Suffering could not possibly be part of the Messiah’s work! What the disciples needed was an upbeat message of inspiration to lead to victory over the powers that be. But by the time Peter wrote to his fellow Christians living in the earliest days of the church, he understood a new truth: suffering was not only key to the Messiah’s work, but is often a vital part of discipleship for those who follow Jesus as Savior and Lord. In his first letter, Peter addresses believers who were hard-pressed by suffering and persecution. At the 2020 Symposium on Worship, our five main worship services will ponder Peter’s words of comfort and challenge. As was true in the first century, so now in often difficult days of the twenty-first century we need Peter’s inspiring testimony to encourage us along our paths of discipleship.