Most of us come to...
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Most of us come to church to hear a word of hope, a word of encouragement. We hope to receive "warm fuzzies" from those friends we see once a week. We also come to encounter Jesus, the good shepherd, who loves and cares so tenderly for us.
Unfortunately, those "cold pricklies" are very much a reality of life. Today's gospel lesson brings one of the so-called hard sayings of Jesus to the forefront. His subject is judgment day, a topic we would just as soon forget.
No sooner has the excitement of the first Advent begun to fade than we are faced with the second Advent, when Christ comes to judge both the living and the dead. What legacy will you leave on this earth? What have you accomplished to make this a better place for all of God's people?
Every day is the first day of the rest of your life, a time to remember your baptism and give thanks, a time to begin again. The New Year especially is a traditional time to consider making life changes, setting new goals, breaking old habits. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
Unfortunately, those "cold pricklies" are very much a reality of life. Today's gospel lesson brings one of the so-called hard sayings of Jesus to the forefront. His subject is judgment day, a topic we would just as soon forget.
No sooner has the excitement of the first Advent begun to fade than we are faced with the second Advent, when Christ comes to judge both the living and the dead. What legacy will you leave on this earth? What have you accomplished to make this a better place for all of God's people?
Every day is the first day of the rest of your life, a time to remember your baptism and give thanks, a time to begin again. The New Year especially is a traditional time to consider making life changes, setting new goals, breaking old habits. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
