Christians do have a hope that those who sleep in death will be awakened and their joy will never end, and we yearn for that day.

The giver of life, the source of joy, stands weeping together with the human family as they grieve under the curse of sin.

Death may speak, and its voice may sound authoritative and decisive. Nonetheless, it is a mere whimper from the grave.

We will always need comfort until the reign of God, his kingdom, comes in full with Christ’s return, and our suffering and the sin that causes it is no more.

Jesus is coming again to renew all things. It may seem somewhat hidden right now, but make no mistake, hope abides.

This story of despair met with the hope of the gospel is rightly told by many during the holiday season.

Saying the words of the prayer together meant that if my voice became too weak or shaky, other voices would be around to support and continue the message.

Do not be afraid of seeing the depths of your depravity. Do not be offended, because the story doesn’t end there, and it’s completion is glorious.

It is true that no one ever grieves in the same way. We are all different in personality and chemical makeup. But what is the same, is that everyone, at some point, grieves.

For Luther, Jesus does something much better for those who grieve than simply identify with them: He brings suffering and evil to an end in His own death.

As I sit here on Easter Sunday, the light is coming into my living room. My dog is sitting sweetly in my lap, enjoy the light scratches on her ear and getting in my face as to stop me from writing.

He looked me straight in the eye and said these words, almost in a challenging way, “I hate God. I do."