Isaiah 26-29; Psalm 65; 1 Corinthians 4

But those who die in the Lord will live;
    their bodies will rise again!
Those who sleep in the earth
    will rise up and sing for joy!
For your life-giving light will fall like dew
    on your people in the place of the dead! (Isaiah 26.19)

I sat in the raised pulpit this past Saturday as my eyes began to fill with tears. Why such a thing…a young man, twenty years in age, no longer with us. Seeing the Mother look at her child, unanimated, no life, was sobering and hard to deal with.

How does one find hope in the face of death?

Hope is only found in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. This year I have lost more people close to me than I care to reflect upon. Some days I wonder if the depth of pain will leave me and find another place to reside. Then hope springs up in me in ways these typed words cannot convey. Christ and His love for us does that. Brings us hope as we stand on the doorsteps of despair.

Friend, God sent Isaiah with a message of hope not only for the Israelites, but for all who would accept Jesus as their savior. Just as Jesus rose again, so shall the beloved who have placed their trust in Him…rise in hope today!