Hope | July 23, 2018

Paul implores us that the resurrection is real.  If it weren’t real he says, what is the point?  What is the point of church?  Of Bible study?  All of this that we call Christianity, what is the point if the resurrection didn’t happen?
 
We have to live into the truth of the resurrection.  We are saved by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the power that raised Christ from the grave still resides in the Holy Spirit among us.  Do we just believe in sentiment?  Do we just believe in lip service?  Or are we walking in the world as though we truly believe what we preach?  
 
I don’t want to imagine the hopelessness of a world where the resurrection is theoretical.  The hope that Christ came backs and reigns supreme brings light into the darkness and despair often befalling us today.  Hope brings us through the tough times, and without it, we can allow ourselves to be overcome by the darkness.
 
In the wake of the resurrection, may we remember whom we belong to, and whose image we bare? May we embrace Christ in us, and through us, and all around us.  Amen.

QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD

• Where do I see Christ in myself today?
• Where do I see Christ around me, and how can I join him in the world?

PRAYER
Lord, you are in us and through us.  Help us remember that every moment of the day.  Help us put to death those characteristics of ourselves that don’t align with you.  May you become greater, and us less.  Amen.