By Pastor Mark Moreno

Loss and Hope

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

This photo is of an ancient burial site in El Caño Archaeological Park, Panama. These sites are believed to date between 700 and 1000 AD. While it may seem a stark reminder of our own mortality, I believe there is more to it. In Ezekiel 37, we read,

“And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

You may do well to think that when something is dead, well, it stays dead. And yet, our God has a way of bringing life from death. I know that is hard to believe, because like you, I have lost dearly loved family and friends to the grave. I have been at funerals; I have shed tears, and I have felt that sting.

How amazing it must have been to see the valley of dry bones actually come back to life! Ezekiel tells us that it was an awesome sight and that there was a mass resurrection! The beautiful truth is that Jesus also fell into the grave, into the darkness of death.

Yet He did not remain there, for three days later He rose victoriously. Because Jesus did that, we no longer have to fear death or the grave. They no longer have the final say, because we will live even though we die.

I don’t know the last time you lost someone to the coldness of death, but I pray that you would know the truth that our God is a God of resurrection, a God of hope, and a God that puts His Word into our lives!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado