Our Living Hope

SUMMARY

On Remembrance Sunday, Karl Ihfe guides the Broadway congregation through a meaningful reflection on the Christian understanding of death and resurrection. Drawing from 1 Thessalonians 4 and John 11, Karl emphasizes that our hope isn't merely in a future event but in a person—Jesus Christ, who declared "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). This transforms our understanding from resurrection as a distant future event to a present reality in the person of Jesus.

Karl reminds us that Paul doesn't tell believers not to grieve, but rather that we "may not grieve as others do who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Christians grieve deeply because we love deeply, but our grief is infused with hope because death doesn't have the final word. The sermon culminates in a moving ritual where the names of departed saints are spoken, a bell is rung, and candles are lit—affirming that though we miss our loved ones, they are with Jesus, and one day "every name we're about to speak is going to rise again."

TRANSCRIPTION:

It's good to be with you this morning. Today is a special day. I've been looking forward to this Sunday for a while now. It's special for a number of reasons, one of which is that we have some special folks with us visiting today. Ken and Jane Dye are here.

Many of us know and love the Dyes, and we are glad that you guys are here. I always love having a fellow Broadway preacher in the house. We get to commiserate a little bit. So we are thankful for the ways that God has continued to bring new life in this place. And he invites us into deeper waters today.

Let's pray. Father, it is a gift to be together as your body. And we thank you for the Broadway family that means so much to us. The ways that you have spoken life and hope and truth. The ways that you have encouraged and challenged us.

You've grown us and helped us do things we could have never done on our own. And Father, as we gather on this day, we are mindful especially of the deep and powerful relationships that you've given to us. We're so thankful for those saints, those men and women, church mothers and fathers who have been so faithful to you and you to them. And we celebrate them, those in this last year or two that have gone before us into that great cloud of witnesses. God, would you comfort those, each one here today who's mourning remind us of our living hope, Jesus, that you are the living hope, that resurrection means that even though we may die, we don't, we stay with you forever, that we live even though we die.

Oh, God, may that truth sink deep into our hearts this day and it would capture us in such a way that we would live differently in light of that truth. God, as we open our hearts now to this time of remembering, we just invite you, spirit, to be present with us in a powerful and meaningful way. God, we offer our hearts to you now anything that would threaten to distract us from hearing what it is that you have to say to us. Oh, God, would you hear us as we offer our hearts to you in prayer?

Thank you, Father. Thank you for hearing, for knowing, for being more ready to give than we are to receive. God, would you help us to find ourselves in you again this day and help us to take our next step on our journey with you and Father. Now may the words of my mouth and the meditation of each and every heart be acceptable and pleasing unto you, O God, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

Well, this is Remembrance Sunday. As Jeremy mentioned before, it's the day that for the last 1200 years or so, the Church Universal has gathered together to remember those saints that have gone on before us. Now, if you are like me and you grew up in a church of Christ, this is kind of a strange thing. We didn't do this. We kind of viewed this like we viewed meditation.

It was kind of strange. It seemed a little weird to. Don't Catholics do that? You know? And the response that I have learned from that is, well, yes, but they eat breakfast, too, and I ain't giving up on that.

So I think this idea of celebrating the saints who've gone before us is actually really Biblical. And I hope that we can root ourselves in that this morning. Maybe part of the reason we've been suspect of it is our own mortality is learning how to deal with and grapple with our own life and death. And that we believe in the resurrection. We believe in the resurrection.

Sometimes we're not sure we believe until this moment happens. Right? Grief meets us at our front door, and we're now thrust into a new reality. As Terry reminded us just a few minutes ago. We gather at the table every Sunday to be reminded of the resurrection and the power that has come in Jesus.

Life and death and resurrection. And because of that, we have the power to live differently. I wonder if maybe this might help us reorient ourselves around that story again today, the story of the power of Jesus and the life that he's called us into. This is what this day really is about, is celebrating all that Christ has done in and through us and remembering those folks who shaped our lives, who had a small part, who played a small part in our lives. And though the world may not remember their story, we do because we've been formed by their life and their faith and their example.

And so we thank God for them. But we also celebrate who Christ is and who they are in Christ. So we remember not perfect people, but faithful people, faithful to the call that God had placed on their lives, faithful to the ministry that they lived out, most notably even to us, and to our own relationships with them. They fought the fight, they ran the race, they kept the faith. And so we celebrate this day.

It also reminds us of how large the church is. I hope it broadens our reality, our view that the church is something that's actually worldwide, and in fact, it spans space and time and into eternity. That we remember the way that God has been, continues to be and will be at work. What that preacher called, what Jeremy referred to earlier, this great cloud of witnesses that we know and are United all in Christ. So as we remember them, so we think about them.

Today we also affirm our hope, our hope and our trust. Our belief in the promises that the God who is faithful to them will also be faithful to us. And so we celebrate. These two passages, I think in fact lead us to that. These are some of my favorite when it comes to thinking about what happens when we die.

These words that Kaylee read to us for just a minute ago, promise this Jesus is our living hope. I love how Paul is writing to this young church in Thessaloniki that are struggling. What do we do? We've lost some folks and we're not sure what happens now that Jesus is our new leader, that we're his people. What about those who have fallen asleep?

Paul writes these words. We don't want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who've died so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. I love that Paul doesn't tell this church, you don't have to be sad. They're with Jesus. Don't worry, don't be sad, don't cry.

You don't have to grieve. He doesn't say that. He says, we grieve. We just. Our grief is hopeful grief.

Our grief is not hopeless. We grieve deeply because we love deeply. But we also, as Paul reminds us, we believe deeply that Jesus has conquered death. And so our tears are real, but so is our hope and so is our faith. It's not sentimental or just wishful thinking.

It's built on a person. Paul says, Jesus Christ, the one who has conquered death and has been raised again, is at the right hand of the Father. Paul says in verse 14, for since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. This is such an important part of the foundation of our faith as followers of Christ that death, it's powerful, but it is not ultimate. It does not get the last word.

Christ has gone through it and come out on the other side. And because of that, we have great hope. All who belong to him, we too will experience that hope. I think that was the hope that Jesus was trying to impart to Martha back in John chapter 11, as she's remembering and thinking about her brother, one of Jesus closest friends, and how he has died. And she hears that Jesus has finally come to be with them.

So she runs out to meet him and she says these words that I think at least myself what I might say if I were in her Shoes. And maybe some of you know that same feeling. Lord, if you'd been here.

If he'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died.

But even now, I know that God will do whatever you ask him to do. You get this raw, honest, unfiltered moment of Martha just pouring out her grief. You can hear the pain of the loss going inside, can't you? You can feel the sting. You can even hear a little disappointment.

Lord, where were you? Where were you? Where were you if you'd been here?

And yet, even through her tears, she clings to this faith. But I know, even now, even now, if you ask, he'll do it.

Jesus responds to her. Your brother will rise again.

Martha says, I know he'll rise again in the resurrection on that last day. She believes in this future resurrection. But it's this idea. It's this moment out far away that's in the distance, out there, somewhere, someday. Like many of us, we believe, like Martha was taught to believe, in the Resurrection.

And we believe it. Yes, it's that. That moment, that time, that space out in the future. We believe it mostly until we're confronted with it. And then we wonder in those moments.

Like Martha, she knows there's the resurrection at the end. But, Lord, if you'd only been here. I love that Jesus doesn't shame and embarrass her. How dare you? Who do you think you're talking to?

That's not how he responds.

Instead, he takes this future hope, this. This moment, this event out and he transforms it. He brings it right into the present moment. He says, I am the resurrection. I am the life.

Martha. Those who believe in me, even though they die, they will live. And everyone who lives and believes in me, they'll never die. Do you believe this?

See, Resurrection Church. This is a key moment for us in faith. See, resurrection is not just an event. It's a person. And his name is Jesus.

He is the resurrection and he is the life.

Those who believe in him, even though they die, they'll live. They'll be with him, Jesus promises. Why? Because Jesus is the resurrection. Paul would go on to the church in Rome, and he would say it like this.

He would say, if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. You see, hope isn't just a reality, a moment out in the future, it's here and now. Whether we live or we die, we belong to Jesus. I am my beloved, and he is Mine.

Martha needed to know that. She needed to know that. The saints in Thessaloniki, they needed to know that church. I'm convinced the saints here at Broadway, we need to know this.

Resurrection is not just one day. It's a person. And we've been invited to follow him. See, Martha and Paul remind us of this reality of the Christian faith. That hope is not the denial of death.

It's the defeat of it. And though it may sting for a while, we know death doesn't have the last word. It's not the end of our story. See, in Christ, every grave is temporary. So Paul paints this pretty vivid image to the saints that he's writing to.

He says, for the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sounds of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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. Forever.

Forever. What a moment, right? Right. It's not this lonely, ethereal spirit off to a cloud somewhere. No, he's saying, no.

Together, Christ will draw us. Together. We will be together. This great family reunion with Christ at the center. And all those who have gone before us in faith will be there.

And the family of God will be together again and whole again and alive again. And it will never be another way. So Paul says. So encourage each other with this message, Church. Encourage one another with these words.

Remind us, because there are some people here today, I promise, who are here. And it was the hardest thing they did all day was get out of bed. They go, can I do it again? And they need to be encouraged, say, hey, death does not have the end. Some of us grief is pounding on our door.

We know it's coming. We need to be reminded. It's not the end of the story that we believe. Resurrection, hope, it's not just an idea. It's a person.

And so this morning, we get to name our grief, but we also name our hope and remind ourselves the way Jesus reminded Martha. It's not the last word. Jesus says, Martha, do you believe? I love her response. She says, yes, I believe you're the Messiah, the one who's come into the world, the one who has changed everything.

And though I don't always understand it, I believe it. That's my hope for us today, Church, as we get to remember now these names of those who have gone on before us. We remind one another. Death doesn't get the last word. One day, every name we're about to speak is going to rise again.

Every tear will be wiped away. Every broken heart is going to be put back together again. But between that day and this, we'll comfort each other with these words.

In Christ, whether we live or die, we are with Him. We are with Him. And nothing can ever separate us from that. Not even death.

This last year, some of you may remember, I went on a little thing called a sabbatical. And while we were there, we got to visit a number of churches. And one of the churches we went to was on the first Sunday in November, All Saints Day. I didn't know it was that day. I hadn't been paying attention to my church calendar.

And I showed up and we went to a church that is a church from kind of my distant past is the kind of church my mom grew up in. And they were celebrating All Saints Day, and they remembered the saints in their church. And they did a really special thing. They had this bell and they had these candles, and so they spoke a name and they rang a bell and they lit a candle. And I don't know about you, I wasn't prepared for that moment.

And maybe some of you won't be prepared for it this morning as well. And so we're praying for lots of grace. But God met me in a powerful way that morning as I remembered my mom. And he spoke her name and he rang the bell and he lit a candle. And it's just this reminder that death does not have the end of the story.

My mom lived her whole life for that moment when she got to meet Jesus face to face, like she bet it all on that. That wasn't a bad deal for her. Actually, it was a really good deal for her. And though I may miss her, that she's gone, and as you miss your loved ones, I'm encouraged and reminded, no, no, no. My mom is with Jesus.

Whether we live or die, we get to be with Jesus. And so this morning, as we speak these names, I'm going to invite Kaylee to come join me up here and. And she's going to be our candle lighter. But as I say the name, we'll have their name up on the board. And I'm going to ring a bell and Kayla's going to light a candle, and we're going to remember together the saints who have been so faithful to God's story and God faithful to them, reminding ourselves that he too, is faithful to us.

In just a moment, we'll have a part to play in that as we get a chance to call and respond. In fact, let's do that right now with this first slide. Let us remember with Thanksgiving those who have gone before us in faith, those who have lived among us, loved us and shaped us by their example. We give thanks for their lives, for the hope we share in Christ. We remember especially those who have departed these past two years.

And so we remember and give thanks for the life of Don Dawkins.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Alma Jo French.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Ron Zimmerman.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Floyd Easter.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Geneva Griffin.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Tommy Jones.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Howard Babb.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Judy MacDonald.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Latayne Nickels.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Harold Wren.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Kern Stutler.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Dr. Carol Anderson.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Jean Hale Davis.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Lynn Brock.

We remember and give thanks for the life of James Staggs.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Armando Raymond Cruz.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Don Hufstedler.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Sam Brittell.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Sheila Veach.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Bill Whorton.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Troy Shelton.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Loretta Pipkin.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Craig McDonald.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Clinton Baccus.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Bill Holbrook.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Terry Bell.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Jean Rackler.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Steve Holbrook.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Joy Maple.

We remember and give thanks for the life of John Paul Anderson.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Shari Felty.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Debbie Hillock.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Clifford Cone.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Richard Tucker.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Wendell Taylor.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Linda Coers.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Billy McWilliams.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Gay Banowsky.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Cindy Mullican Goodspeed.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Marjorie Mackey.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Margaret Beebe.

We remember and give thanks for the life of Joy Loveless.

We also remember all those who rest in your eternal care, Lord, known and unknown, but all precious in your sight. May their memory be a blessing and their witness inspire us to faith and love.

With them we await the day when every tear is wiped away and all creation is made new in Christ. Thanks be to God who gives us victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let's pray.

God of life and eternity, you are our refuge in every generation. You comfort us in sorrow and you promise that death shall not have the final word. We bring before you those who mourn that they may be comforted by your promise of life everlasting. On this day of remembrance. We thank you for the lives who've gone before us, for their faith, their love, their example.

And we pray, Father, for your church, that we may live as people of. Of the resurrection, bearing light in a world of shadows. We pray that, strengthened by the saints who surround us, that great cloud of witnesses, that we too may run with perseverance the race before us until we rest in your eternal peace. In that same cloud, may your spirit strengthen us to live in hope, trusting that in Christ we will all be made alive. And it is through our living hope that we offer this prayer.

Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.