“May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! On account of his vast mercy, he has given us new birth. You have been born anew into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” – 1 Peter 1:3
On Sunday, we are observing All Saint’s Sunday. We remember the lives of church members who passed away since we observed this day last year. We will read the names and light a candle. Grief is nearly universal. If we live long enough we will suffer the loss of a loved one. It’s one of the hardest experiences in life. The heartache of that absence drives us to pray and to reflect on what lies beyond this life.
The Christian faith is founded on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We set our hope on the promise of our future with God. And so, each week we gather on Sunday (not on the Sabbath, which is Saturday) because Sunday is the day Jesus was raised from the dead. Every Sunday is a mini-Easter where we celebrate the victory of life over death and the hope of being with God and our loved ones in eternity. Thanks be to God for this living hope.
Dr. Sam