Today’s Focus:
An Important But Often Neglected
Spiritual Resource
(Nee'-kos) Biblical Greek Word for "Victory"
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Monday, May 29, 2023
Sermon (May 28/Pentecost) by Rev. Robert McDowell
In some ways, it’s fitting that Pentecost Sunday falls on Memorial Day weekend this year. Memorial Day is a time to reflect on our nation’s history and the sacrifice of those who offered their lives on behalf of our country.
From the time we became a nation in 1776, our country has been a work in progress as we seek to be a nation of liberty and justice for all. As one person who lives outside of the US once said, “America is more than a country. It’s an idea, one of the greatest ideas in human history. America might be the greatest song the world has yet to hear.”
I like that thought. America might be the greatest song the world has “yet” to hear. That line reminds me that our country is always going to be a work in progress because we got our start with the Declaration of Independence that reminds us to pursue freedom for all.
And as your know, that’s not an easy task. There are times when we live up to these ideals and there are times when we fall short. America is an idea that is worthy of our toil and struggle as well as taking time this weekend to thank those who have offered their lives in the pursuit of this idea of freedom and justice. We are an unfinished country. And we will continue be an unfinished country because of these ideas.
This has always been the case with the church as well. The church is more than an institution. It’s a community of faith.
Our United Methodist Book of Discipline offers us this wonderful definition of the purpose of the local church. Listen to this description from our own denomination’s Book of Discipline:
“The church of Jesus Christ exists in and for the world. It is primarily at the level of the charge consisting of one or more local churches that the church encounters the world. The local church is a strategic base form which Christians move out to the structures of society. The function of the local church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is to help people accept and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to live their daily lives in light of their relationship with God. Therefore, the local church is to minister to persons in the community where the church is located to provide appropriate training and nurture to all, to cooperate in ministry with other local churches, to defend God’s creation and live as an ecologically responsible community, and to participate in the worldwide mission of the church, as minimal expectations of an authentic church.”
That’s not a definition. That’s describing an idea of who God has called us to be; a caring, welcoming, loving, gracious, inviting, equipping visible expression of God’s redeeming and saving love for the world. Now, that’s an idea worth all of our toil and struggle.
Once in a while I’ll turn to our Book of Discipline and remind myself of the ideas of our faith because we can so easily forget. Just like our country can so easily forget the idea of freedom and equality for all people.
But I know why we are reluctant to remind ourselves of these ideas. I think it has something to do with how it will remind us that we are un unfinished country! We are an unfinished church. I am an unfinished child of God. I am an unfinished disciple of Jesus. We are all unfinished in our pursuit of who God is calling us to be.
So we have these holidays like Memorial Day this weekend and Independence Day which is just a little over a month from now. It’s why the church calendar has holidays like Pentecost where we are reminded of our bigger purpose and calling in life.
Take Pentecost for example. Our reading from the Book of Acts this morning describes in very vivid detail Pentecost and how the church got its start. It didn’t get started by some committee. According to our Book of Acts reading, it got got started because “suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where those first disciples were sitting. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability.”
I wonder who was taking minutes at that first church meeting! And imagine hearing those minutes being read for the next meeting of that brand new church! This is actually what we did just a little bit ago when our worship reader read our Pentecost scripture reading. We were hearing the minutes of our very first church meeting from over 2,000 years ago!
Our first meeting was held on the 50th day after Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Listen again to the minutes of that meeting!
In attendance: The disciples. Our meeting began with a rush of a violent wind which we realized was the Holy Spirit. It filled the entire house where we were sitting.
Tongues of fire then appeared on each disciple in attendance and we were each filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit enabled us to speak in different languages so that the people who had come to Jerusalem could hear the good news of how God raised Jesus from the dead.
The Holy Spirit then prompted Peter to preach a sermon about this good news. After the sermon, about 3,000 people were baptized and joined our new church. Following the service, we enjoyed a big meal together and we continued to hear more about the good news of Jesus and we spent time in prayer together.
The meeting adjourned at the end of the day. Next meeting will be tomorrow as we continue to meet in each other’s homes to distribute our belongings to those who are in need, breaking bread together with glad and generous hearts, and praising God together. Respectfully submitted, Recording Secretary of First Jerusalem Church.
These first meeting minutes must have been approved at their next meeting because this is why we hear the minutes of that meeting every year around this time.
These church minutes reminds us that the church is more than a building or an organization. The church is the visible expression of God’s redeeming and saving love for the world made known to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the big idea of the church! To be that Pentecost community of people!
And the more we remind ourselves of this bigger idea of who we are as the church, the more we are going to realize that we don’t always fully live out this vision of who God has called us to be. This reality of who we are called to be reminds me of one of our church hymns, “The Church’s One Foundation.”
This is a hymn that reminds us of what it means to be the church. There are five verses in this hymn. The 1st verse offers us the powerful reminder of who the church is called to be. “The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is his new creation by water and the Word. From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride; with is own blood be bought her, and for her life he died.”
But notice that when you get to the 3rd verse, it acknowledges where we fall short in living out that idea. In referring to the church, verse 3 says, “Though with a scornful wonder we see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping; their cry goes up, ‘How long?’ And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.”
Verse 3 of that hymn expresses both the idea of what it means to be the church as well as the struggle the church has in living out that idea. We always live within this tension. And this is why we celebrate Pentecost on the church calendar each year, because it could be so easy for us to settle for being another social agency in the community that depends on our own strength and wisdom to carry out our mission.
No, we are so much more. We are the church called by God to share the good news of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling each and every one of us. What a powerful thought! You, me, each person here today empowered by the Holy Spirit to do great things in the name of the Risen Christ!
I am so excited for the future of Athens First United Methodist Church because I know that the Holy Spirit is rushing through this place like a mighty wind through our ministries, through our fellowship, through our worship, and through the life of our church. And the more we are aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit, the more that we are able to live out who God has called us to be.
Pentecost won’t let us forget! Even though we will always be a work in progress, Pentecost will never let us forget who we are and who we are called to be.
When I think of Pentecost Sunday and who God is calling the church to be, I think of the chair that Benjamin Franklin would see during his Constitutional Convention meetings in Philadelphia in 1787 as our nation was being formed.
This was Benjamin Franklin’s observation of that chair which has become known as the Rising Sun Armchair. Franklin is quoted as saying, “I have often looked at that picture behind the president who was George Washington, without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun.”
Noted Methodist theologian, Albert Outler offers this responsive reading called, “The Unfinished Church.” May these words always remind us that the sun is always rising thanks to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit at work in and through each and every one of us and upon the life of the church. Let’s share in this responsive reading together. The words are on the screen:
PASTOR: We gather in this time and place, all of us from different times and places, here to worship God.
ALL: Many years ago, the people gathered and were ignited by passion for God, lit up by Pentecost fire, shouting out in Pentecost voices, carried away on Pentecost winds.
PASTOR: So many years later, we gather. We have learned new words, and written books of rules. We have heard the stories of our past. We come to create stories for the future.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: Like those disciples so many years ago, we are not sure we know the way. We are afraid to make mistakes. We are afraid to fail.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: But, Christ calls us to carry on the blessing of discipleship, to move forward in love and faithfulness, so that all might find a place in our holy space, our church.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: So long as even one of us is left outside the door because of our coldheartedness, we are an unfinished church.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: So long as any one is lonely, hungry, sick, in prison, naked, we are an unfinished church.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: So long as any one of us is destitute of the great Hope that is our future in Christ Jesus, raised up to set us free from death into holy and everlasting life.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: Every day is a new Pentecost, full of the promise and possibility that God offers.
ALL: Today is a day of dreaming. A Pentecost day filled with refining fire, and holy smoke, and winds of change, and voices full of passion for God and for each other.
PASTOR: We are an unfinished church, but we are God’s church.
ALL: We are God’s church, full of grace and love and hope. Today is a new Pentecost Day, may we be birthed again into a new beginning.
The Unfinished Church
Sermon Discussion Questions
Acts 2:1-21
May 28, 2023
Pentecost on the church calendar is when we remember how the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and empowered them to share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. We are told that the Spirit came upon them like the rush of a mighty wind.
Share a time when you felt the presence of God’s Holy Spirit in your life? What descriptive words come to mind of what that time was like for you.
Pentecost is also known as the beginning or birthday of the church. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church offers this description of what the local church is: “The church of Jesus Christ exists in and for the world. It is primarily at the level of the charge consisting of one or more local churches that the church encounters the world. The local church is a strategic base form which Christians move out to the structures of society. The function of the local church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is to help people accept and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to live their daily lives in light of their relationship with God. Therefore, the local church is to minister to persons in the community where the church is located to provide appropriate training and nurture to all, to cooperate in ministry with other local churches, to defend God’s creation and live as an ecologically responsible community, and to participate in the worldwide mission of the church, as minimal expectations of an authentic church.”
What are your thoughts about this definition of the local church? In what ways do we live out this definition in what it means to be the church?
Pastor Robert shared that the church is always unfinished because we are always seeking to live out who God has called us to be. Verse 3 of the hymn, “The Church’s One Foundation” refers to how the church is always a work in progress. “Though with a scornful wonder we see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping; their cry goes up, ‘How long?’ And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.” The good news is that even though the church is unfinished and is far from being perfect, there are times when it is a shining beacon of hope in our community and world.
Share a time when you were especially encouraged by something the church did or how it was a witness of God’s redemptive love for our community and world.
Albert Outler who was a noted Methodist theologian shared this responsive litany during a special ceremony when the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) denomination merged with The Methodist denomination in 1968 and formed what we know today as The United Methodist Church. The title of the litany is “The Unfinished Church,”
Close your time be sharing in this beautifully worded litany about the church and notice how he connects it with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost:
PASTOR: We gather in this time and place, all of us from different times and places, here to worship God.
ALL: Many years ago, the people gathered and were ignited by passion for God, lit up by Pentecost fire, shouting out in Pentecost voices, carried away on Pentecost winds.
PASTOR: So many years later, we gather. We have learned new words, and written books of rules. We have heard the stories of our past. We come to create stories for the future.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: Like those disciples so many years ago, we are not sure we know the way. We are afraid to make mistakes. We are afraid to fail.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: But, Christ calls us to carry on the blessing of discipleship, to move forward in love and faithfulness, so that all might find a place in our holy space, our church.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: So long as even one of us is left outside the door because of our coldheartedness, we are an unfinished church.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: So long as any one is lonely, hungry, sick, in prison, naked, we are an unfinished church.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: So long as any one of us is destitute of the great Hope that is our future in Christ Jesus, raised up to set us free from death into holy and everlasting life.
ALL: We are an unfinished church.
PASTOR: Every day is a new Pentecost, full of the promise and possibility that God offers.
ALL: Today is a day of dreaming. A Pentecost day filled with refining fire, and holy smoke, and winds of change, and voices full of passion for God and for each other.
PASTOR: We are an unfinished church, but we are God’s church.
ALL: We are God’s church, full of grace and love and hope. Today is a new Pentecost Day, may we be birthed again into a new beginning.
Sunday, May 28, 2023
Online Worship (May 28/Pentecost) Athens First UMC
Welcome to our
May 28/Pentecost
online worship service!
Athens First UMC
2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701
[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Monday, May 22, 2023
Sermon (May 21) by Rev. Robert McDowell
Next month, I will be participating in my 7th pastoral transition as I will be retiring from pastoral ministry and welcoming your new pastor. This is one of the most important things that we do as itinerate United Methodist clergy. We do our best to make a smooth hand-off to those who will be following us.
As I’ve been reflecting on my pastoral transitions, they haven’t always been as text book as I would have liked them to have been. For example, in my very first appointment, I followed a pastor who had abruptly left that church to go back to his home state without telling anybody, including the District Superintendent.
In another church that I was appointed to serve, the pastor who I followed was going through some health challenges and that prevented the two of us from having an opportunity to meet to help me get to know that church better.
In another new church appointment, I was asked to become the new pastor of a church that had just been hit by a tornado and they needed to rebuild most of the church building. And then there was another church where not too long after I arrived there, we discovered that the financial director had embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars over a ten-year period.
Fortunately when I came to become your new pastor it was less dramatic than some of these examples! And quite frankly, I don’t know if there is really such a thing as a perfect pastoral transition. Change is never easy. There are some things that you can control but there are other things that just take you by surprise, like a tornado hitting the church you are going to serve before you even preach your first sermon.
I think that Jesus worked really hard at preparing his disciples for when he would be leaving them. For the past several Sundays, our appointed Gospel readings have been from what we refer to as “Jesus’ Farewell Discourse” with his disciples.
Jesus spends four whole chapters in this part of John’s Gospel, chapters 14-17, helping to prepare the disciples for when he would be leaving them. Of course, at that time, they didn’t understand why he would be leaving them. They didn’t know that he would be dying on a cross, rising to new life, and then ascending into heaven.
Maybe this is why Jesus concludes his last discourse with the disciples in our Gospel reading for today by offering a prayer on their behalf. In this prayer, Jesus prays for his disciples to know that he had been sent to glorify God while he was on earth. And then Jesus prays for them to be protected and that they would be one just as God and Jesus are one.
Think of this is Jesus’ pastoral prayer for his disciples. And this prayer is asking God to be with his disciples as he will soon be leaving them. Prayer is an important part of any smooth hand-off from one person to another.
And then in our Acts scripture reading, just minutes before Jesus ascends to be with his Heavenly Father, the disciples are still trying to figure out what Jesus’ departure will mean for them. Their questions are expected because in their minds they are still wondering when God’s kingdom will finally be established on earth.
And Jesus’ response is for them to not worry about these things but to simply remember to continue his ministry by being his witnesses. These are the things that Jesus wants the disciples to remember as he hands-off his ministry to them.
Whenever we face times of transition in our lives, we have many questions. We want to know what we need to do now, so that we are ready for that time of transition. We have a million questions.
When I arrived here eight years ago, I remember asking the staff a lot of questions about Athens First because I wanted to keep the things that appeared to be working and try some new things as well. At one point, one of the staff members finally said to me, “Honestly, just do what you think God is calling you to do. We trust you.”
That was probably the best word of advice I could have heard in that moment. It almost sounds like what Jesus was telling the disciples before he ascended to heaven. “Honestly, just do what you think God is calling you to do. I trust you.”
Jesus was telling the disciples to simply be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and to the ends of the earth. Jesus was reassuring them that they had everything they needed to continue his ministry. What they needed to hear was that Jesus trusted them.
What a powerful thought for us to think about on this Ascension Sunday. That Jesus trusts us, like he trusted the disciples to be his witnesses and to continue his ministry. Jesus trusts us!
Maybe the bigger question for us on this Ascension Sunday and for whenever we face a time of transition in our lives is, “Do we trust ourselves?”
This past December, I received a Christmas letter from a couple in our church. It was a family Christmas letter and I love that it began with a quote from the book, “The Return of the King” by JRR Tolkien.
It’s a quote from Bilbo Baggins when he said this to his nephew Frodo: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
That quote reminds me of what the disciples must have been feeling when Jesus was about to leave them and ascend into heaven. They knew that they were about to walk out the door and they weren’t sure if they would be able to keep their feet.
And this couple’s Christmas letter went on to share both the many challenges they faced during 2022, but they also recognized that they also had been blessed in many ways. Yes, we all need to step out our doors not knowing what we might experience or encounter, but isn’t this what Jesus was teaching his disciples? To not be afraid to step out in faith because when we do, we will be surprised at all the blessings that we will encounter along the way.
I share this with you because I know of people who literally are afraid to leave their own homes because they are afraid of what they might encounter. We live during a very fearful time because the world often feels very intimidating and polarizing.
But the answer isn’t to stay in our houses. The answer is to find our footing as we step out in faith trusting in God and remembering that Jesus trusts us to be his witnesses.
My favorite part of the ascension story isn’t the miracle of Jesus leaving the disciples in thin air, although that is a very impressive departure, I must say! No, my favorite part of this story is what the disciples did right after Jesus left them.
We are told that they returned to Jerusalem, (get this!) they returned to Jerusalem, and together they devoted themselves to prayer! Jesus’ prayer for the disciples to be unified gets answered right here when the first thing that they did was to devote themselves to prayer.
The best way that we can step out in faith when facing a time of transition in our lives is by joining together in prayer. That’s where we can then lean on Jesus and and receive the assurance that God will be with us as we continue his ministry through any transition we may face.
Are you facing a time of uncertainty in your life and it has you concerned and worried? Go to God in prayer! Are you worried about stepping out of your house because of how crazy this world seems to be? Go to God in prayer! Are you feeling anxious and ill-equipped for what the future holds for you? Go to God in prayer! Are you wondering how on earth you are going to lead that youth Sunday School class? Go to God in prayer! Are you having second thoughts about trying that new ministry that you feel that God is calling you to begin? Go to God in prayer!
That’s the take-away for me on this Ascension Sunday. Do you still have questions that you want to ask Jesus before he leaves even though you have already asked him a million other questions? Go to God in prayer!
Go to God in prayer and invite others to pray with you. This is how we find our feet when we walk out the door. We remember that Jesus trusts us to carry on his mission and ministry in our community and world.
Ron Bartlow is a United Methodist pastor at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Arizona. He shares the story of his first job which was assisting the janitor at his church. One day, the janitor set up a tall ladder and handed him a couple of those old style, long fluorescent bulbs and asked him to climb up that ladder and change them.
And so, reluctantly, he went up a few rungs on that ladder and then he said that he just froze. He just couldn’t keep climbing because of a fear of heights and so back down he came. The janitor assured him that he would be fine. Just then, the pastor came out of his office and saw that he was afraid to go up the ladder. The pastor took those lights, climbed up the ladder and replaced them.
And his pastor said to him, “If you ever think of going into the ministry, remember this: sometimes you have to do what others aren’t ready or think they’re ready to do.”
Ron says he still thinks of that time when he was scared to climb that ladder. He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to find his footing. And he says that story from years ago still reminds him that when he is not feeling capable, to listen to the encouragement of others, watch their example, and to step out in faith. The lesson he learned was that you’ll be surprised at what God can do through you thanks to the prayers and support of the people around you…
…and not to mention the power of the Holy Spirit at work in your life. But let’s save that thought for next Sunday when we celebrate Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For now, let’s find our footing by going to God in prayer. Trust and obey for there’s no other way.
The Hand-Off
Sermon Discussion Questions
Acts 1:6-14 & John 17:1-11
May 21, 2023
In chapters 14 to 17 of John’s Gospel, Jesus is preparing his disciples for when he would be leaving them. This section of the Gospel is known as “The Farewell Discourse.” Jesus did this to help there be a smooth hand-off so that they would be able to continue his ministry. Life is filled with transitions!
Share a transition time in your life where you needed to prepare for a smooth hand-off. What went well? What was challenging about it?
Part of the challenge that Jesus had in preparing his disciples for when he would be leaving them was that it was a lot for them to absorb! They were still confused as to why he would be dying, rising, and then ascending to heaven. This didn’t make sense to them and so they had a lot of questions and they still didn’t feel ready.
What are some questions that you want ask Jesus that would help you to carry on Jesus’ ministry in sharing the good news that God’s kingdom is at hand?
Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, he reminded the disciples to be his witnesses. Even though they still had unanswered questions about what this will all mean, Jesus was trusting them to carry on his mission and ministry in the world. In other words, Jesus was trusting them with this hand-off of ministry. He had given them everything they needed. Maybe the bigger question for us as we continue on Jesus’ ministry is do we trust ourselves?
Why do you think we sometimes find it difficult to trust ourselves in being Jesus’ witnesses and living out our faith?
In his sermon, Pastor Robert shared a quote from JRR Tolkien’s book, “The Return of the King” where Bilbo Baggins tells his nephew, Frodo, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
Share what helps you to “keep your feet” when you walk out into the unknown.
Just after Jesus ascended into heaven, we are told that the disciples went to Jerusalem and they devoted themselves to prayer. This is probably one of the best things we can do to help us keep our feet as we continue on Jesus’ ministry in being his witnesses. Close your time by praying this prayer from Sunday’s worship service:
God of power and might, you are worthy of our worship and praise! You created this beautiful world and called it good. You sent us Jesus who lived, died, rose again, and who is now seated at your right hand on your heavenly throne. Soon, you will send us your Holy Spirit to empower us to be Jesus’ disciples. Thank you for all you have done for us! Forgive us for whenever we forget that you are a God of power and might who has given us everything we need to be the church you have called us to be. You are worthy of our worship and praise! Praise the Lord! Amen.
Sunday, May 21, 2023
Online Worship (May 21/Ascension Sunday) Athens First UMC
Welcome to our
May 21/Ascension Sunday
online worship service!
Athens First UMC
2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701
[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]
Saturday, May 20, 2023
Eulogy for Gene McDowell (August 9, 1942 - February 11, 2023)
[The McDowell Family Photo at Gene’s Memorial Service - May 20, 2023]
On behalf of the family, I want to thank all of you for being here today as we remember and give thanks to God for Gene and for what he has meant to all of us. I am one of several members of the family who will be sharing in today’s service. My brother, David and I are two of Gene’s cousins and we’re both United Methodist pastors.
Since our mother was raised Presbyterian and Gene was Presbyterian, I feel like I’m more of a “Methoterian,” a combination of the two. Pastor Tim graciously offered for me to lead us in saying The Lord’s Prayer later in the service, but as a Methodist pastor, I’d mess it up and forget to say “debts” instead of “trespasses!”
Gene gave me a wonderful gift just a couple of months ago when he sang happy birthday to me from his hospital room in Pittsburgh. It was through a FaceTime phone call and I was at my house in Athens, Ohio. Gene, the oldest of the 8 cousins singing to the youngest cousin. I will always remember that. Thank you, Todd, Vivian, and David for setting that up.
I also will always be grateful for times we got to spend together at Steelers games, at our family’s cottage in the mountains, and other family events over the years. Great memories. Our family got together for dinner last night and it’s been good for us to reconnect since we don’t get to see each other that often. We could sense Gene’s presence with us through the sharing of family stories.
Gene’s faith was important to him. I was reminded of this a couple of years ago when we visited Gene in his new place in Pittsburgh. We went out to lunch and Gene rode in my car. On the way back from the restaurant, (OK, it was really a sports bar,) we spent that whole time talking about our faith. And Gene asked me what I thought of the Book of Revelation. And I said that I have always really liked that book of the bible. And he said the reason he asked me was because he was enjoying being part of a zoom bible study on the Book of Revelation through your church here. How nice that you all provided this way of staying in touch with Gene.
I told Gene that for a lot of people, the Book of Revelation is kind of weird and scary, but that for me it’s comforting because it reminds us that a day is coming when all of God’s people will be reunited. That’s how the book of Revelation ends and we have this great verse in Revelation 21:4 where it says that…
God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
I think of how different things will look when that time comes. No more tears, no more need for oxygen masks, no more hunger, no more pain, no more heartache, and no more death, for the former things have passed away. This is the good news of our faith and I’m thankful for my cousin Gene who reminded me of this good news.
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