1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NRSV)
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 on biblegateway.com
Verse 13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. Verse 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. Verse 15For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. Verse 16For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Verse 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Verse 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Devotion
My childhood best friend Judy died my senior year in high school from a life-long battle with cystic fibrosis. At her funeral, the pastor commented on her death: “God needed another angel.” I responded inwardly, “Not my God!” It made me so angry. What followed was a time of questioning. I had heard scriptures that spoke of immediate resurrection but also that the dead would rise on the last day. Reflecting on my confusion with my dad, an amazing faith-filled lay person, he simply said, “Meredith, either way we are good.” When we die, we will not be left behind, or be in a holding pattern, we will be with Jesus. His answer has comforted and guided me in life and ministry. We all grieve—but we do not grieve without hope, because, as my dad said, “Either way we are good!”
Prayer
Savior of the world, help us hold fast to your promises that in life and death we are held in your loving arms. Amen.
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