As we come to communion, we see our sins and feel how far we fall short. Yet we need not stay lost in thoughts of our own weakness. We turn our eyes to Jesus, who dies for our sins and rises again. Our hope rests in his victory, not in our strength.
Our faith stands on more than a wish. Scripture tells us of the risen Christ, and many witnesses confirm it. We also see his grace at work in changed lives, including our own. The desire to know him and do what is right shows us that his power is real.
Without the resurrection, we have no hope beyond the grave, and we remain in our sins. But Christ is alive. Like the first fruits of a harvest, his risen life is a promise of what awaits us. Through Adam we inherit sin and death. Through faith in Jesus, we receive the hope of life that has no end.
Before God’s holiness, we begin to see the weight of sin. It separates us from him, and we cannot pay its debt ourselves. How great is the Father’s love, that he gives his Son for us. We cannot take lightly either our sin or the cost of our rescue.
Today, Jesus reigns, and we look toward the day when death, the last enemy, is destroyed. He hands the kingdom to the Father, and all creation rests under God’s rule. With this hope, we stand firm and keep serving. In the Lord, our work is never wasted.