Speaking of Life 2032 | Believer’s Paresthesia
Michelle Fleming

Can you relate to this unpleasant experience? You have had your leg bent in an awkward position for too long and your foot goes numb. You know your foot is still there. You can see it. You may even try to wiggle your toes. But it will not respond. In fact, if you try to walk you are liable to fall. Sound familiar? When this happens, we usually say our foot has “fallen asleep.”

But it’s far more complex than that. What has actually happened is a nerve has been compressed or pinched. This prevents proper communication between the nerve and the brain. Signals are unable to travel properly from the nerves, through the spine, to the brain, and back down. As a result, there is a disconnect between what our brain is thinking and what our body is doing…or not doing.

But having our foot fall asleep is not the unpleasant part. In fact, we don’t even know it has fallen asleep at first. But when we are made aware of it then things become…well, unnerving.

You know what I’m talking about! That tingling, stinging, ‘pins and needles’ feeling that accompanies our foot “waking up.” In medical terms, this sensation is known as paresthesia. We may not like it, but it does let us know one thing. Our nerves are reconnecting and regaining proper functioning. Soon, our foot will be fully awake.

I can’t help but think how similar this is to the experience of our Christian walk of faith. As believers, we know we have been freed from sin and we no longer want to walk in it. But then we have a disconnect from what we know and what we do. We seem to suffer from some form of believer’s paresthesia. We may not like admitting it, but our walk of faith seems to hobble along on feet still trying to wake up.

It may help to know that even the Apostle Paul struggled with believer’s paresthesia. He recorded his experience in the Book of Romans:

“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Romans 7:15 (NRSV)

Can you relate? We may be tempted in this experience to become discouraged. Maybe even to doubt that we are saved. Or maybe we tell ourselves to “try harder” or “get with the program” and we try to “pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.” But this is not where Paul would direct our attention. He would have us turn our gaze from ourselves and onto the Lord.

The fact that we are uncomfortable with sin in our lives is not a sign that we are still dead in our sins. It tells us we are waking up. Like the unpleasant experience of paresthesia, we are being reconnected and made whole.

May this be a reminder to all of us that the Lord is “waking us up” and the Spirit is reconnecting us more fully to respond to the Father. And in his loving presence, soon we will be made fully awake.

I’m Michelle Fleming, Speaking of Life.

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Speaking of Life 2031 | I’m Ready, My Lord
Greg Williams

“Magnified, sanctified, be thy holy name
Vilified, crucified, in the human frame
A million candles burning for the help that never came
You want it darker, we kill the flame.

Hineni, hineni
I’m ready, my Lord”

With characteristic enigmatic intensity, Jewish singer Leonard Cohen penned these lyrics to his classic “You Want it Darker.” Just like the lyrics, the music is creeping, murky, and beautiful in its own dark way.

The repeated refrain “hineni, hineni” is an extremely powerful Hebrew word. It means “here I am.” One of the most famous places it appears is right before the story of Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac in Genesis 22:

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Genesis 22:1 (ESV)

Hineni means: “I’m fully here. At your disposal. I’m ready, my Lord.” It’s the same phrase that Moses says to the burning bush, and that Isaiah screams into the strange vision he has of God’s presence: “Here am I, send me!”

Hineni Hineni –– I’m ready, my Lord.

When he was asked about this in an interview, Cohen called the lyric, “That declaration of readiness, no matter what the outcome, that’s a part of everyone’s soul.” It’s the impulse in us that says we are ready, and available, for whatever God would require of us.

Is this our answer to when God calls us out of ourselves and into change, into his transforming story? Or are we in the habit of just showing up? Do we just drop our leftovers in the offering plate and mutter a few words of worship, just “pay and pray”?

Or are we fully there? Are we fully present when God asks us to go to the next adventure with him? Abraham was called to father nations at the mature age of 100; Moses was called out of his comfortable life as a shepherd; Isaiah was called to speak a prophetic word to unhearing people; and Mary the young teenage girl was called to bring the Messiah into the world. 

These heroes of the faith, after a few decades of trial and error, were finally ready (hineni) and they walked with a trust that God would provide and take care of them, knowing they didn’t have to trust in themselves anymore.

May we all be ready to say, with all of ourselves, hineni, hineni. I’m ready, my Lord.

I’m Greg Williams, reminding you to be fully ready when the Lord calls.

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Speaking of Life 2030 | God with Us in Suffering
Heber Ticas

I recently visited the dentist due to a toothache. It turns out he had to extract one of my wisdom teeth. Man, I hate the dentist! Not the person, but I hate the experience–the scraping, the drilling sounds, the water being sucked out of, or sprayed into my mouth, the residual pain. Even having to hold my mouth wide open for half an hour gives me a jaw ache.

I know I’ll be OK when it’s over and my mouth heals, but man, during the time when I’m in that chair, leaning back and looking at a bright light, I’m suffering. I’m praying, “God, please help me get through this.” It might seem silly, but I think you know what I’m talking about. Maybe you’ve felt like this in other situations, and maybe you prayed like I did.

It’s natural for us to pray when we’re in trouble. You’ve probably heard the saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” Suffering turns our hearts toward God. We can read a number of examples in the Bible, but David seems to write the best about how it feels to suffer. Check out these verses David wrote in Psalm 86: 6-7:

“Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord, hear my urgent cry. I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me.” Psalm 86: 6-7 (NLT)

We can see that David believes God hears us when we pray, especially when we’re suffering or in trouble. David promises to call out to God in prayer, and then he confidently says that God will answer him. We can do the same. But does this mean that our suffering will be removed? That some miracle will happen?

Though that’s what we would like, we realize that prayer is not a dollar bill inserted into a vending machine called God. It’s possible that our suffering will go away, but the answer God often provides is an inner knowing or assurance that we are not alone in our suffering.

God’s presence strengthens us and gives us courage and hope in the midst of difficulties. Sometimes other people come alongside us in our suffering and help us, and God ministers to us through their words and their actions.

Suffering is a part of being human. Even Jesus suffered. His example of patient endurance when mistreated, wrongly accused, beaten, and nailed to a cross can help us put our suffering in perspective. God never left Jesus while he suffered, and God will never leave us.

If you are suffering today, even if it’s just a visit to the dentist, know that you do not suffer alone. God hears your prayers, your requests for comfort, and he always answers with his presence.

May you feel God’s comforting assurance in your suffering today.

I’m Heber Ticas, Speaking of Life.

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Speaking of Life 2029 | The Roots of Promise
Greg Williams

Genesis 18:1 records a famous exchange between Abraham and God. And it gives us a pretty clear setting:  

“And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.” Genesis 18:1 (ESV)

This is the famous site where Abraham had his bizarre meeting with the three strangers, and when God promised him a child. Today there is a site near there with an ancient tree that some believe to be the tree itself that Abraham leaned up against as the three strangers appeared.

The tree is estimated to be about 5,000 years old and has been a location for religious pilgrims for both Christians and Jews for centuries. Like many pilgrimage sites, it has also been a flash point in politics and geography, and disputed by historians as to its authenticity. It has also been exploited for gain by the surrounding merchants and villages.

So, is it the tree where Abraham and Sarah languished, waiting for God’s promise? Maybe, maybe not. One thing we can learn from this event is that our faith is rooted in history. Biblical history is not an abstract group of timeless ideas, but a story carved out in a very human world. A world that eventually Jesus came to—to live in a working-class family on the not-so-great side of town.

As the old, gnarled roots of this tree reach into the ground, so the roots of our faith reach into flesh-and-blood history. God himself entered our history with all its political rivalries and squabbles and exploitation and selfishness. As the tree has weathered thousands of storms and seasons, so has the church, which is God’s foot on the ground in the earth. The church has weathered pressure from without and within and somehow managed to continue to stand-by God’s sheer grace.

God in Christ entered our ridiculous world and risked misunderstanding, misrepresentation, misuse, and finally risked death itself. He knew our response to him would be woefully imperfect, and yet he still came. He still walked into the story, maybe even walked right under the branches of that tree.

Jesus Christ broke history. He broke the endless cycle of offense and revenge, the dog-eat-dog survival of the fittest and instead brought us forgiveness, grace, and love. Even though he knew what lay ahead, he walked in because he loves to love.

Do we live like that today? Do we live as children of the God who broke into the world in real time and said I will redeem all of this? His word is truth. Like this old tree, older than any of us. God’s love for you is tough, strong, real and—despite everything—still standing. That is his promise.

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.

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Speaking of Life 2028 | Making Something Out of Nothing
Michelle Fleming

Have you ever made something out of nothing?

If you take that question figuratively to mean, have you ever made a big deal out of something seemingly insignificant, you probably could answer yes. But if you take that question literally, then the answer would have to be no. It’s impossible to literally make something out of nothing.

But what if we asked the Triune God that same question? Has the Father, Son and Spirit ever made something out of nothing?

Well, if that question is literal, the answer would be—YES. In fact, throughout the history of the Church the biblical witness of creation has been understood as the Trinity literally creating all things out of nothing. That will blow your mind if you try to figure it out. It’s something only God can do. Humans have no capacity to create out of nothing or to even understand it. It’s a mystery to us.

Now, what if we ask God the same question figuratively. Does the Father, Son and Spirit ever “make something out of nothing?” Does the Trinity ever make a big deal out of something seemingly insignificant?

According to Psalm 8 it seems the answer to that question is also—YES!

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you
have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you
care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with
glory and honor.” Psalm 8:3-5 (NRSV)

Not only did the Triune God create humans out of nothing, he creates us, as insignificant as we may seem, in his own image. So both literal and figurative understandings of God creating something out of nothing are awe-inspiring.

When we try to ground our existence in any source other than the Triune God, we will lose the incredible significance of what it means to be human.

So, if you ever feel like your life has come to nothing or that you are a nobody, I encourage you to turn to your Triune Creator. Turns out, our God specializes in making something out of nothing and turning nobodies into somebodies.

I’m Michelle Fleming, Speaking of Life.

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Speaking Of Life 2027 | And that End is Love
Greg Williams

Most of the writing we have from Paul addresses issues coming up in the churches he planted. In the Corinthian letters we have dialogue with a fledgling church in a complex, cosmopolitan city.

And many times in his letters, Paul addresses the phenomenon of tongues—called glossolalia in Greek. The important history here is that glossolalia—at least speaking a semi-coherent language in worship—was common in the surrounding cults in the area.

Those who had this experience were considered the elite. One of Paul’s major issues was dealing with one-upmanship and ego wars that resulted from this. People used this gift of the Spirit as a way to bump their social status and pull the spotlight over to themselves.

Paul writes:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (ESV)

Notice that Paul is writing about the many gifts given—everything from administration to healing to tongues. And he gives the same reason—the one purpose— for them all: the common good. All the gifts are given by one Lord for the good of the Body of Christ.

In the very next section of this letter, Paul writes what is commonly referred to as “The Love Chapter.” We’ve all heard these words at weddings: “Love is patient, love is kind…” And while they work for weddings, they weren’t written about romantic love. These verses, like the spiritual gifts, describe the love and connection of the community, which is at the heart of his letters to believers in Corinth. The gifts are to be used in love—and all for the good of the church community.

While many like to focus on their individual gifts, God calls us out of ourselves and into relationship. He calls us into a deeper and richer life as we work out the Christian life in community.

As humans, we naturally pair off. Any odd number makes for the old cliche of the “third wheel.” We start in-crowding and excluding and cliquing up—the more people, the worse it gets.

Isn’t it amazing then that God is three in one? That the center of reality is a trinity? This miraculous relationship is the nucleus of everything and is fundamental to who God is.

The church in Corinth, like the church today, was distracted by the gifts of the Spirit which were given as a means to an end. And that end is love.

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life

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Speaking Of Life 2026 | Any Takers
Anthony Mullins

What if I told you I have a rich uncle who owns a cruise line and he’s inviting people to take a free cruise of a lifetime? That’s right, all expenses paid, day and night paradise at sea. Any takers?

Well, I guess you may have a few questions for me first, right? I mean, you probably don’t want to sign up just because it’s free. You probably want to know:

What’s the cruise line?

When does it leave and, more importantly, where does it go?

What will the food be like?

What about the cabins? Will I be in a suite with a deck overlooking the ocean or will it be one of those cramped rooms down below next to the boiler?

Or how about… What will I be doing? Will there be interesting ports of call, exciting shows, entertainment and fun activities. Or is this a trick to get free labor.

Well, you can relax. It’s not a trick or bait-n-switch. It’s the finest cruise line available with exquisite dining, exotic sightseeing and extravagant lodging. You will not be disappointed. In fact, it’s more than words can describe. Let’s just say, it’s to die for.

Any takers now?

Oh wait, I forgot to mention. There is one more minor detail that may be important.

You’ll be traveling… with my uncle.

In fact, you’ll be cabin mates. You will eat all your meals together and he will join you for every excursion. Don’t worry, he promises he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Now, do I have any takers?

Something tells me you have another question?

Who is your uncle?

Can I trust him? Or should I sleep with one eye open?

Does he snore?

What’s he like? Nice? Mean? Weird?

Is he a bore?

I get it. You are going to want to know everything you can about my uncle before you jump on that boat.

I would.

Well, you probably realize I don’t really have a rich uncle offering free cruise tickets. But I do know someone offering something far better.

We are told in the bible that Jesus has the authority to give eternal life.

Have you ever noticed the questions that are often asked about eternal life? They are similar to my made-up cruise questions.

Sometimes eternal life is talked about like its some kind of eternal heavenly cruise that we take without God. This understanding of eternal life is to miss the boat.

Jesus gives us a better question to ask by telling us plainly what eternal life is. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says:

“Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3 (NRSV)

This focuses our questions, not on the what, when, and where of eternal life, but on the who. Who is this true God we will be spending all eternity with? Jesus is the only one who can tell us. After all, he knows his Father perfectly. As we come to know Jesus, we began an eternal journey of knowing the Father. And he has assured us we won’t be disappointed.

Any takers?

I’m Anthony Mullins, Speaking of Life

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Speaking Of Life 2025 | Where is Your Areopagus?

Greg Williams

It’s fascinating to observe how Christians engage with non-Christians in dialogue about the gospel. So often, we fall into one of two ditches when sharing the gospel. On the one side, we can accost people with tracts or abruptly tell them about Jesus even when they are not asking. On the other side, we can believe ourselves to be a “silent witness” and never share the reason for our hope even in our closest relationships. Both sides are mistaken, both ditches are easy to fall into.

Notice Paul at work.

The place where he spoke to them was the Areopagus, which was the venue for discussing legal and religious matters. This is a prominent stone platform which is still in Athens. In Paul’s day, people discussed philosophy and other world views here. He went to the place and time of day these matters were discussed. He didn’t randomly accost people on the street.

“Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” Acts 17:22-23 (ESV)

This is the beginning of one of Paul’s most famous speeches. He’s addressing the people of Athens who were constantly hearing the new philosophies that came through town.

 “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.” He approaches them with respect for their way of life and worth as seekers. He even quotes the Stoic philosopher Aratus in verse 28: “…even some of your own poets have said, ‘for we are indeed his offspring.’” This is a cultural voice they knew, and Paul quotes him respectfully.

Then the conversation takes a turn:

Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. Acts 17:29 (ESV)

When the moment comes to speak the truth, Paul doesn’t hesitate. He speaks the truth with pointed clarity and then let’s them react as they will. Some mock him, some want to discuss it further, and some fully convert. He doesn’t drive the point into the ground, he doesn’t remain silent, he says what he needs to and lets God take over.

Where is your Areopagus? Where can you approach those that haven’t heard the gospel and speak the truth boldly, yet with respect and love? Then when you’ve said your piece, do you let God do the work from there?

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life

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Speaking Of Life 2024 | Making Room

Jeff Broadnax

What do you do in a 3-bedroom home when you grow into a 5-bedroom family?

I know a man who faced this very dilemma. His family had outgrown the small house he and his wife lived in. Moving wasn’t an answer and staying together went without question.

But they weren’t worried. They had a plan for expansion.

The house listed three bedrooms but hidden behind a small “crawlspace” door attached to the back of the house was a surprise. It led into a huge unfinished section of basement that could more than double their sleeping quarters. From the outside, you wouldn’t even know it existed.

The man had once been a carpenter, so he knew how to prepare that area into extra living space when needed.

And that’s exactly what he did. It took time, and some blood, sweat and tears, but in the end, there was plenty of room for everyone in the family. After the “crawlspace” door was relocated inside the house, it provided a way of access between this new section and the rest of the home.

This story reminded me of another carpenter whose Father sent him to make preparations to expand the family. His name is Jesus. Only he wasn’t just adding a few rooms to a house. He was preparing a way for everyone to live with his Father.

Have you ever been told that you need to make room for God in your life? That may sound like a daunting task considering how big God is.

But Jesus has another word for you. He wants you to know that his Father makes room for you. The Apostle John wrote down Jesus’ words that tell us just that:

“There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live.” John 14:2-3 (MSG)

Jesus’ Father does not intend to live without you. It took Jesus plenty of blood, sweat and tears. But you can rest assured knowing that the Father’s house has a room prepared just for you.

I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.

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Speaking Of Life 2023 | The Voice in the Dark

Greg Williams

In the military they have a saying: the mark of a true chaplain is that your soldiers know your voice in the dark. You should have spent so much time with them, and they trust you so deeply, that even in the darkness and smoke of battle they know your voice.

Jesus talks about this recognition in John 10:3-4

To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. John 10:3-4 (ESV)

We, as Jesus’ sheep, know his voice deep down. In our spirits, we can recognize his voice calling to us through the circumstances of our lives and through his word.

Studies show that even in the womb a mother’s voice soothes a baby. The heartbeat relaxes and the baby responds. Sound is deeply wired into our consciousness.

So, it’s no surprise that Jesus would portray his draw on our lives as the sound of his voice. The actual image used here is probably of a communal pen where the sheep were kept. The Shepherd came to the gate and called them, and they’d be drawn by his voice.

These aren’t smart animals. Sheep wander off, they eat manure, they get snatched by predators. Their only hope is a protective Shepherd. Jesus describes a shepherd as one who calls and leads, not the driving, abusive person shepherds sometimes were. He calls gently, and he leads with mercy.

May we be so attuned to him that we know his voice in the dark. In the difficulties of our lives, in the loud, distracted age in which we live, may we hear his voice above it all—encouraging, leading and guiding.

I’m Greg Williams, speaking of life.

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Key: 1 Cor 15:19

How To Be Most Miserable

Have you ever felt miserable? How miserable were you? What caused the misery (miserableness)? Think of a time or times. How did you feel? Think of some adjectives to describe your feelings and outlook? Hurt, sad, devastated, sick, groaning, guilty, lonely,etc.

After the jubilation and joy and “high” of Palm Sunday, events late in Holy Week brought about misery; Jesus’ followers felt miserable.

Judas Iscariot made a deal to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Seemed good at the time, but what was end result when Jesus called out Judas as His betrayer and Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss? Guilt, shame, sorrow, some sort of repentance, suicidal death.

Simon Peter professed undying loyalty to Jesus in front of all the disciples at the Last Supper [“I am willing to go both to prison and to death for you”], but Jesus prophesied that Peter would deny Him 3 times before the rooster crowed. Peter did use his sword to injure one of those who came to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane, but Jesus firmly admonished Peter to put away his sword, and healed the injured man—and Peter fled with all the other disciples. Later that night, around a warming fire maybe within earshot of Jesus, Peter cursed and denied knowing Jesus 3 times—and then the rooster crowed. Peter went out and wept bitterly, soon disappeared from the story, and went back to his fishing business, feeling he was an unforgiveable failure—a miserable man.

Three of the disciples could not stay awake with Jesus while He prayed His final earthly prayer. When the time came to show their loyalty and dedication to Jesus, they turned and ran. How miserable did they feel when they looked back at their actions?

Pontius Pilate had torn emotions. He knew Jesus was innocent, and was warned by his wife to “not have anything to do with that innocent man,” But he followed his political leanings, released the evil criminal Barabbas, and sentenced the innocent man, Jesus, to death. How miserable was that for Pilate?

What about Jesus’ mother, Mary, as she watched her son crumple under the burden of carrying His cross, seeing nails driven into His hands and feet, and displayed on a raised cross for all to see, deride and watch Him slowly die? Did she remember the words of the old prophet Simeon when Jesus was only 8 days old: “A sword shall pierce your own soul.” For mother Mary, the other women and the apostle John watching at the cross, how miserable must they have been?

What about Joseph of Arimethea, a secret follower of Jesus, who took Jesus’ dead body from the cross, hastily wrapped it for burial, and placed it in his own family tomb? All the amazing teachings of Jesus, the miracles, the hope and promise of a new future now dead and gone. Nothing left but a still, cold body in a grave. Despondent and miserable.

What is missing that leads to a person being truly miserable. In a word, we lose hope. And we lose hope, because we give up believing. Believing in what—or in Whom?

S.M. Lockridge famous sermon: “It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Comin.’” Hopelessness replaced by hope. Darkness overcome by Light. Evil conquered by righteousness. Death defeated by Life. Because Jesus is alive! He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

On Sunday morning, the gravestone was rolled away from the tomb by unseen holy power, the door to the grave was open, Jesus walked out and was gone. Angels asked the shocked women, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? Jesus in not here, He is risen, just as He said.” His warning and promise to His disciples and all the world was fulfilled by His resurrection from death to new, glorified, eternal life. 

The excited and rejuvenated women eyewitnesses ran to give the good news to the huddled, hiding disciples, and Peter and John ran to the tomb to see for themselves the discarded graveclothes and empty grave.

Jn 20:3-8 “He [John] saw and believed.” Miserableness and despondency displaced by belief and hope. Sometimes slowly and quietly, sometimes quickly and excitedly; maybe all at once, but often it takes time to believe to the depth needed to become “un-miserable.”

What about you? Ever felt miserable—not just due to a cold, an injury or a clash in a relationship? But really despondent, long term, deep and aching due to ongoing pain, debilitating injury, loneliness, betrayal, long-term hurtful, broken relationships. Even death of a loved one.

At funerals, read from 1 Corinthians 15, to share words of reality of pain and loss, but also tells us how to be the “most miserable—and focuses us on the way to see hope in a new light.

1 Cor 15:1-7 “…as of first importance.” Death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Easter

           :12-18 if JC is not resurrected, what is your and my hope? What are we living for? Our “faith” (in whatever else, if not the risen and ruling Jesus) is futile—there is no lasting good. We are still in our sins: no death=no paid penalty. Even the righteous saints are “lost” in death—emptiness, nothingness, no future.

           :19 “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” [KJV]; “we are to be pitied more than all people.” [NIV]   People might “believe in Jesus”—a Jesus they create to fit in their comfortable niche.   But do they bow down to the authority of the God who created all things, sustains all things by His power, and promises an eternal future to all who believe and follow Him? Are we willing to believe in that Jesus, not just for the spiritual comforts of this life, but for the reality of the life to come? How to be most miserable? Don’t believe in Jesus as He tells us and shows us He is, don’t believe in His resurrection (which is the key proof to move us to bow before Him), and don’t believe that your life has purpose beyond the time we spend on this earth in this life. Jesus’ resurrection is our hope—our only hope—that this life is not in vain but has eternal value.

1 Cor 15:20-26 the second Adam, death defeated

           :51-57 at the last trumpet, the dead will rise, changed, glorifed, immortal. God shares with us His victory over death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the core message of Easter: Jesus Christ was killed, lay dead in the grave, and was raised by his heavenly Father to new, eternal life. And Jesus is the first of those to be resurrected, and He freely invites us to come along with Him into this eternity.

How to be most miserable? Don’t believe any of this. Miss or ignore the message of Easter, choose to do the best you can with this life on your own.

How to be un-miserable, joyful and hopeful (even in midst of pain and loss)? Learn the lessons of Easter, believe in God though His Son Jesus, believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, and live in the sure hope that God will do the same for you as His beloved child for all eternity.

You and I don’t need to be miserable. Celebrate the Good News of Easter every day.

Benediction: 

To the God who gives all life: physical life and resurrected new life.

Help us to see who You are and how much You desire to share your life with us. Give us the desire to live with You now as our God, our Father, our Friend and our Comforter every day of this life, and to believe that you will raise us to a new and even better eternal life with You. Let us live in the hope and assurance of your Easter promises every day.

To You be all the glory and honor and praise, now and forever! Amen.