December 2, 2022
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4.16-18
1 Thessalonians 4.16-18
Imagine for a moment what the world was like before Jesus. There were no hymns about heaven. There were no sermons about resurrection. There was not much hope for an afterlife. Funerals must have been quite different affairs back then.
But thanks be to God, heaven has touched nature through Jesus Christ. Death is no longer a feared enemy but a conquered foe. For believers, death is not final but only a portal through which we pass as we enter into resurrection life.
As we focus our hearts and minds on the story of Christmas, we remember that the arrival of the baby Jesus is the beginning of a whole new world. In this new world, we have hope like was never known before. In this new world there can be joy unspeakable and full of glory. In this new world our faith gives us access to eternal life.
His arrival is always good news.
But thanks be to God, heaven has touched nature through Jesus Christ. Death is no longer a feared enemy but a conquered foe. For believers, death is not final but only a portal through which we pass as we enter into resurrection life.
As we focus our hearts and minds on the story of Christmas, we remember that the arrival of the baby Jesus is the beginning of a whole new world. In this new world, we have hope like was never known before. In this new world there can be joy unspeakable and full of glory. In this new world our faith gives us access to eternal life.
His arrival is always good news.
Posted in Advent
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