Blessed Sunday to you all!

I apologize for not writing last night. I lit my favorite pumpkin and placed it on the porch and we had such a lovely evening. We greeted trick-or-treaters, ate chili and cornbread and enjoyed family time last night. Our nephew and his daughter came over after her Halloween party and joined us for movies, popcorn and a snack or two from the candy bowl.

Today I began work on my paper due on Wednesday, I know I always ask, but please pray for me as I write. I am writing an ethics paper on how Christians should respond to things like the death penalty and other dark situations in our lives. I, however, am writing this paper through the eyes of someone who has experienced a traffic accident involving a driver under the influence who hit and then ran. (Does that sound familiar?) I have titled the essay “Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord…All others pay cash.” The first part of the paper begins with “It was a dark and stormy night…” I may not keep the title, but it helped me get started writing.

Revelation 21:1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

Today is remembered as All Saints Day. Pastor Joel told the story of two cemeteries today in his sermon. In Lutheran churches around the world, those who have died in the faith in their congregations within the last year were honored by the tolling of the bell and the lighting of candles. At communion we were offered the opportunity to light candles for those we love who have passed into the Church Triumphant.

To get to the Church Triumphant (that really was the name of the church), you had to pass through a cemetery. I thought, what a wonderful way to model how we go from our old life into a new life with Christ! Before we know Christ, we are known to Christ by His Word. We are all children of God whether we want to be or not. But until we personally allow Him into our hearts and we begin to walk daily with Him then we stand outside the gates of the cemetery and never see the inside of the church. When we enter into relationship with Jesus we must die to self and live for Him. So in a way we must pass through the cemetery of our sin and death in order to enter into the Church Triumphant. And even though we don’t enter into the Church Triumphant until we die here on earth, we must step in faith into the cemetery.

Doubting Thomas (now there is some bad press!) did not understand this going into the unknown. Thomas asked the Savior, “How can we go where you go? How will we know the way? Jesus answers, “You do know the way. I am the Way, the truth and the life. And I go to prepare a place for you.” Before we can step into the Church Triumphant we must be prepared. Preparation begins in the cemetery of our sin. We must offer our sin to Jesus and ask His forgiveness. Jesus then completely forgives our sin and calls us to continue to walk on the path until it is time to leave this earth and experience what John says is the new heaven and the new earth.

So my dear friends, let us walk with joy in the cemetery of our lives leaving behind our sin, our sadness, our pain, our sorrow and live triumphantly in the Church Triumphant in the presence of the living God in total peace.

Take joy in the journey friends and wear comfortable shoes. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.