"Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." Ephesians 2:12

I am calling the church to begin a season of prayer. Easter is one month away and there is no greater way to approach any work, whether one-on-one discipleship or the mass proclamation of the Gospel, on Easter Sunday. The above verse is our theme for Easter this year: Hope.

There is always great talk of hope in the world, but the reality is that only true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ can offer the only true source of hope - the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans says hope in Christ does not put us to shame. Corinthians says that hope is everlasting. Colossians says that Jesus Christ is the hope of glory. Titus says the return of the Lord Jesus is our blessed hope. Hebrews says that our confidence in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ is a sure and steadfast anchor for our soul. And so on through all of God's Word.

Every Easter we proclaim the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. That's what we do. It is very important, in every context of our life as Christians, to remember why we do it. This reason is that Jesus is our hope and there are people that you and I know by name whose souls have no hope and who are without God in the world. Join me in praying for those people, those names, those souls over the next thirty days, starting tomorrow, March 23rd. I'll see you Sunday!

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)