G’day church.
This morning I attended the funeral of a member of my extended family who was also a brother in Christ. A terminal illness in the final months of his life meant that John knew his death was coming. But he was not afraid. Because he was prepared. John’s funeral reminded me that the knowledge of a future secure with Jesus prepares us all for our own final days in this life.
That might seem like a fairly morbid reflection for a sunny Thursday afternoon. But as we saw in Genesis last week, through his word Jesus tells us everything we need to know about the future. He teaches us that those who trust in him don’t need to fear death because we’ll be with him, that through faith in him we will be welcomed into his Father’s kingdom. And he teaches us that having this certain hope for the future shapes the things we fear and the things we treasure in this life.
With that in mind, I think it’s fantastic that ES at Flinders Uni are asking the students what they’re fearful of, whether it’s loneliness or death or the future. Let’s pray that many will come to see that through faith in Jesus we can face it all fearlessly and well prepared. And let’s pray that God would keep teaching us all to live this life in light of the next!
See you on Sunday,
Simon Marshman
Senior Pastor
Trinity Church Brighton
0401 387 908
www.trinity.church/brighton