Be Prepared: Hope, Readiness, and the Return of Christ

As the church year draws to a close, the readings turn our attention toward the end times and the return of Christ. This sermon draws us into one of the most pressing questions of the Christian life: are we prepared? Drawing from Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, we are reminded that grief and uncertainty do not have to define us. When loved ones pass and the wait for Christ's return feels long, Paul's words cut through the despair with a steady and grounding truth -- we do not grieve as those without hope. Our hope is anchored in the resurrection, in the promise that those who have died in Christ are not forgotten, and that the fullness of salvation is still ahead for all of us. Body and soul, reunited and perfected, dwelling with Christ in a new heaven and a new earth. That is the horizon we are moving toward, and it changes everything about how we live in the meantime.