Hello, friends.  My prayer for you this week is that you find peace in the midst of life’s challenges and uncertainties, knowing that your God and Father loves you.  I pray that you find joy in knowing Him, and comfort in the knowledge that He will one day restore all good things.

We were missing some people who were enjoying time with their families last Sunday, but we also had some visitors.  It was a special day, and I wish everyone could have been there.  Priscilla and Kimi were visiting with Pris’s sister Jo in the hospital.  I do not have an update as of this writing, but keep all of them in your prayers.

This Sunday,we’ll continue looking at 1 Corinthians, chapter 15 with a focus on verses 20-28.  In this chapter, Paul is addressing the subject of resurrection of the dead, and explaining the centrality of the resurrection to our message.  In the versus we will study, he teaches the significance of Jesus’ action and how the final resurrection of the saints will take place.  “Then comes the end.”

It seems we have always been fascinated with the end of the world.  Christians know that it will happen, and the Bible gives us some idea of how, though there is much debate about the specifics.  But even unbelievers seem to be drawn to the idea.  Just look at the volume of entertainment set in apocalyptic futures where the world we know has been devastated in countless ways.  I think it is because we all know that despite our ability to do good and amazing things, humanity also has an unrivaled talent for making a mess of itself.  However comfortable our lives may be, it makes us just a little afraid.

But Christians have no need to fear.  Yes, we may endure hardship.  Jesus leaves us no doubt about that, but we have confidence that we know how this ends.  You can kill us, but we will never die.  Our risen Lord will return someday.  He will destroy His enemies.  Not even death itself stands a chance.

This should make us bold, and also fill us with a sense of urgency.   We look forward to His glorious appearing, but meanwhile we have work to do.  We are commanded to love our enemies, because God desires that they become friends.  It is not his desire that any should be lost.  Let our love be loud!

See you Sunday!

Love y’all,

Larry