The Hope We Have

Photo by Thomas Bormans on Unsplash

What hope do we have in the face of death? When we die, what will happen next? What can we expect for those who have died before us?

Death is an unwelcome certainty which brings about heartache and grief. Often death is not thought about and not anticipated. The subject of death is avoided, downplayed, or is addressed through denial.

Death is the transition into eternity and the unknown. Because we have not experienced it, and have not had the opportunity to learn from those who have, we are uninformed. We fear what we do not understand and the unknown.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, ESV).

We do not have to be in the dark concerning what happens after death. We can move from unknowing to knowing. We can embrace the eternal hope we have in the face of death. We can grieve death and we can have hope in the face of death.

Because Jesus died and rose again, we can welcome resurrection for those we love who have died in the Lord, and we can expect the resurrection we will receive in our death.

May we have confidence in, and be expectant of, our resurrection hope in Jesus and the eternal life we receive after death.

In Christ alone, Robbie

A Prayer from the Service of Burial of the Dead: “Almighty God, grant us, with all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, the fullness of life in your eternal and ever-lasting glory, and, with all your saints, to receive the crown of life promised to all who share in the victory of your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, 2019).

Photo by Thomas Bormans on Unsplash