Scripture: Revelation 21:1-8
Dear Church,
This Sunday will be a soulful and joyful celebration.
We will gather to remember and give thanks for the lives of our loved ones who have gone ahead of us into eternity.
And we will grieve as we remember. It isn’t only fresh losses that hurt. The grief we’ve long carried still sears. The separation from those we love is tender. Death was not part of God’s design for creation. We do not have to make our peace with it. We remember and give thanks. We remember and grieve.
But we do not grieve as a people without hope.
We have a savior who is a shepherd, a healer, and a friend. Jesus has defeated the powers of sin and death.
And our scripture ends with a revelation of the end of history, a vision of how all things–all things–will come together in the power of Christ in a triumphant peace that is so wonder-filled–so good–that we can scarcely believe it.
We must learn to believe it, friends. Because knowing the end of the story of our faith is how we find the courage to walk in the way of Christ. It is what makes us salt and light for this world.
I hope you will join me for worship. You’ll see how all of us are caught up and woven into the beautiful story of God’s saving love in Christ.
Peace,
Pastor Kate
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