2026 Pentecost Devotions III
Friday, November 6
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 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. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15 For 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. 16 For 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. 17 Then 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. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
“… 13 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. …”
As a pastor, one of the most heart-rending ministries I am asked to perform is the funeral of an individual whose family has no religious faith. Trying to provide hope and comfort to people who do not believe in the new life God offers is difficult at best. Generally speaking, the most I am able to do for such families is remind them of the love they shared with the deceased and promise that grief will eventually subside.
Paul reminds us that we are people of faith. We believe and trust in God’s promise that through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we too will be raised. Living in the light of that promise not only gives us comfort and peace, it offers abundant hope. We recognize and believe that as Christ died and rose again, we too will do the same.
The apostle’s message is one of hopefulness rooted in the grace of God. We do not earn or deserve the new life promised by God. It is a gift from the Almighty given purely out of love for each of us. Such love fills us with peace both before and following the death of a loved one. It is a reminder that God is the God of living, not the dead; and when Christ is raised to the glory of the Father, we too will experience new life. If we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will also be united in a resurrection like His.
Prayer: Lord, through Jesus you give the promise of new life to all who believe. Remind me this day of the hope that gives me for living life now and always. Amen.