A Living Hope ~ Reflections on the First Letter of Peter

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.”
(Philippians 3:12)

The events of that first Easter–the resurrection of Jesus–form the centre of our faith. On Good Friday, the forces of darkness did battle with the love of God–and as Jesus breathed His last, darkness declared its victory–and hope, light, and love were defeated–or so it seemed! For the season of Easter–for 50 days–we celebrate that on the third day, God announced His great reversal and up from the grave Jesus rose, triumphant over darkness, sin, and death! The message of Easter is both simple and profound–Christ is risen–death could not hold Him; the tomb could not contain Him. We’re all familiar with the Easter story–we know it so well. The question is: Will Easter–the resurrection of Jesus –make a difference in your life this year–or will it be business as usual? To put it another way, how do we allow this story that we know so well to be more than just a story? What is the significance of the resurrection for our lives today?

In Romans 5:10 the Apostle Paul writes; “If we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his son, just think how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrected life.” The resurrection of Jesus celebrates more than just a one-time event that occurred 2000 years ago. According to Paul, the resurrection of Jesus is supposed to have an impact on our lives here and now–the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. As such, the question we have to ask ourselves is: “As a follower of Jesus, am I living the resurrection life? Am I living my life in such a way that acknowledges not only that Jesus is alive, but that He is Lord over all? Or Am I just going through the motions of living–wrapped up in the culture around me? Preacher Phillips Brooks writes; “The great Easter truth is not that we are to live newly after death, but that we are to be new here and now by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

This 7-week series based on the First letter of Peter will explore what it means for us to be Easter people, and to live our lives in light of Jesus’ resurrection.

SERMONS

Sermon: A Living Hope: Hope’s Foundation

Preacher: The Rev. Christopher Doering

Date: Sunday, April 28, 2019

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1-12

Handout: Part1.HO