November Pastor’s Pen

The mortality rate for human beings is hovering at around 100 percent. Death is the great equalizer. It comes for us all. So, it makes sense that many of us have serious concerns or questions about death.

While we speak of death often at funerals, we rarely tackle the subject head-on in our Sunday routine. Yet, at the core of the Christian faith is a word about death and life beyond death. And people are looking for a word of hope amid grief and loss. One look at book sales or popular movies about death or life after death will tell you there is a hunger to know more. Sometimes, we try to satisfy that hunger with easy but wrong answers or words of comfort that make us feel better yet lead us further away from the truth.

This November sermon series will model what it means to speak openly about death and the Christian hope of resurrection and perhaps clear up some of society’s misguided notions. There are questions you will have, questions I have that I won’t have answers for. I want your expectations in check from the get-go. There are more questions than answers, not only about death but many matters of faith. But what we know offers us a sure foundation to be people of hope regarding what awaits us. Not just hope, but GREAT HOPE!

I want to encourage you to invite friends who have experienced loss or are struggling with death to attend worship with you in November. A personal invitation from a friend is the most effective outreach to share Christ’s love and hope. Pick them up. Meet them at the door. Sit with them. Tell them what we’ll be discussing. And then, commit to pray for them and me as we proclaim The Good News about Death.

November 5 – “The Other Side of the Curtain” and All Saints Day

November 12 – “Grieving with Hope”

November 19 – “How Many Shopping Days Left?”

November 26 – “The Last Word” and Christ the King Sunday

Pastor Mel