Pastor's Corner
Dear Friends:
"Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I belong, body and soul, in life and in death-not to myself but to my faithful savior, Jesus the Christ..."
(The Heidelberg Catechism, Question 1, The Book of Confessions, PCUSA)
During Lent I will be teaching a bible class studying the scriptures used by Brahms in his music classic, A German Requiem. It is an exploration of what the Bible has to say about grief and hope in a Christian context.
We all have suffered grief in some way. But the apostle Paul tells us that we are not to "grieve as those who have no hope." Paul implies that for Christians, grief happens in hope's strong embrace.
"Death where is your victory?" Death has been defeated. Jesus concurred death with His resurrection. This is Good News. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ.
It is with hope and confidence that we proclaim that our only comfort in life is that we belong, body and soul, in life and in death, to our Lord, Jesus Christ. There are signs of this hope. We just need to be awake to them.
Each year at Easter we are reminded of God's love for us and the Lord's saving grace. God's mercies are new each morning. Each day we are given a new beginning – a "mini" resurrection.
Let us look forward to Easter with new hope and stronger faith. Death and sin have no hold on us. We belong body and soul, in life and in death, to Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Christ's blessings to you, Bobbie