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FILLED WITH HOPE
I recently visited a man
in the hospital who was very ill.
In fact, the doctors weren’t certain that he would survive.
His life literally “hung in the balance.”
But looking into his eyes, I could see that this man – while
frightened – was not overwhelmed by fear.
Indeed, he was serene, confident, and filled with hope.
How could this be?
Well, my friends, this man was prepared for the time he would
stare death in the face.
His parents had raised him in the Christian faith.
He attended worship and Sunday School as a child.
He went to confirmation classes and was confirmed in the
Lutheran Church.
Throughout his adult life, he regularly fed his faith upon Word and
Sacrament ministry. As
result, he had a humble trusting faith in Jesus as his Savior.
His faith enabled him to face an uncertain future with hope and
peace!
So how about you and me?
Are we ready to stare death in the face?
Are we prepared to face an uncertain future?
And how about our children and our grandchildren?
Do they have a humble, trusting
faith in Jesus Christ?
My friends, God wants to
fill us with the hope that is available in our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ! Jesus – the babe
born at Bethlehem – grew and lived a perfect life.
What’s more, He ultimately took all our sins and shortcomings
upon Himself and received the punishment that we rightly deserved.
Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead for our
forgiveness and eternal salvation.
Therefore, trusting in Him and His saving work, we need not
fear the future! As we
feed the faith God richly bestowed upon us in Holy Baptism through
God’s Holy Word and Holy Sacraments, we can be certain that “nothing
can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So then, as we begin the
New Year, let’s resolve to regularly feed our faith upon God's Holy
Word and life-giving sacraments.
Let's resolve to
regularly bring our children to Sunday School and attend Adult
Bible Class. Let’s resolve
to read Scripture, read our devotions, read Bible stories and pray
with our children. Let's
resolve to prepare to face death by feeding our faith and growing
closer to our Savior, Jesus!
See you in God's House,
Pastor Schwartz
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