10/3/26 - PretEnding

In this episode of Valley Echoes, we go deeper into the sermon PretEnding and Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” Why are we so tempted to hide behind versions of ourselves that feel safer, stronger, or more acceptable? What can Jacob’s story teach us about pretending, identity, and the exhausting work of maintaining a mask? We also explore what Jesus means by purity of heart, why authenticity is more than simply “being yourself,” and what happens when people become so accustomed to appearances that even the real thing can look suspicious. Along the way, we wrestle with masks, motives, hypocrisy, and the unsettling possibility that sometimes the hardest person to be honest with is ourselves.