I wish to share a Sermon from Pastor Stephens of Messiah Lutheran Church:
I find Pastor Stephens words to be a great comfort. Many have lost loved ones in the War in Ukraine, the Pandemic, to illness such as Cancer, other conflicts, and more. To know that those who kept faith in Jesus are not dead, but are Alive in Christ and are still saints as we are is powerful! It makes sense then why Jesus says, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26), because He is the Author of Life, “everything was made by Him, through Him, and for Him” (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16), and we live in Him and He in us, “All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.” (1 John 4:15). If we embrace this reality, our passed away friends and family who kept the faith (fide) are as alive in Christ as we are! They merely wait the Resurrection of their bodies at Jesus’ Second Coming and for now enjoy rest in God’s presence.
We have allowed pagan and secular notions of death to infect our ideology. We treat death as an end, we say we will see them in heaven, but the requiem is filled with a dirge that seems final and lasting. This is a lie! Those who die as Christians are in The Living and Risen Christ and are as alive as you and me. They merely wait for their new flesh and bodies, content in God’s perfect love till then.
Jesus took away the fear of death, “What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.” (Hebrews 2:9, 14-15, NLT).
We should therefore not fear death, its sting as the apostle says, is gone, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:56-58).
Our loved ones who are not with us at the moment are reposed (resting in Christ) not perished. They are alive with God who is life (John 14:6) and so are perhaps more alive than us in some respects! So do not be disheartened, our separation is but one grain of sand compared to endless sand of eternity we shall live with them! Amen.
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