Cross of Christ Lutheran Church - Liverpool, NY (WELS)

Jesus gave us our task in this morning’s gospel reading: “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Is our mission Sisyphean? Is this some kind of punishment God is giving Christians? The job feels endless. There are always more people to tell. Worse, the job can feel pointless.

When you've just had the worst day of your life, it’s normal to react like any reasonable person would react, with numbness, grief, denial, anger, and plenty of questioning and doubting. But the reality of Easter morning means that isn’t where our reaction has to stop.

We know Christ. We know what he’s done for us. But we need to be reminded again and again how worthless everything else I have is in comparison. This idea is constantly trying to sneak into our thoughts: “I’m really not so bad.”

The song of Isaiah chapter 12 is a song of praise to the Lord. For me, on some days, reading through a psalm of praise like this leaves me feeling like a fraud, a hypocrite. How can someone like me, who has done the things I’ve done, praise the Lord?

Does God send disasters to punish people for sins? Or is that not how it works at all? Which do you prefer? Which makes the most sense? More importantly, what does God tell us?

When it comes to your faith, there are no shortcuts. You can’t dodge and avoid the challenges you’ll face. Life as a Christian will often have you walking against the crowd. You can’t go under it; you can’t go over it. You have to go through it. Thankfully, you don’t walk alone.

Almost everyone knows David and Goliath. What is this story really about? Let's reexamine it from a different angle.

Don’t look for heaven on earth. Look for a Savior.

What makes a story of good versus evil so enticing even when we know the good guys always win? Is it possible we like it so much because love winning the day is a fantasy? In real life, acts of love and kindness don’t overcome evil. Acts of love and kindness are overcome.

Imagine a world where mankind has cured most illnesses. We have developed a near unlimited source of clean energy. We’ve moved beyond petty infighting and wars. The only thing left for man to do is explore the final frontier: space. This is the world the creators of Star Trek imagined humanity is progressing towards. It's a fun show to watch and an interesting future to think about. But can I hope my life will reach such a state? Can we trust in the spirit and strength of mankind to ever be that good?