The world we live in encourages fear and a degree of hysteria with respect to human death. Movies create imagery around the ideas of both horrible evil capable of causing suffering and death, and the celebration of eternal existence, again demonically inspired. Believers in the true living God, the Creator indeed understand that everlasting life is possible through Jesus Christ. If we die prior to the return of Jesus Christ we are asleep in Christ much as Lazarus was prior to Jesus raising him up. We have this same opportunity if we believe and follow the commands of God the Father and His Son.

Each day, upon awakening we have a series of choices. One such choice is whether in the next few moments we will succumb to an insidious and all too common enemy. I am referring to the reality that many of us allow our day and our thoughts to be governed by anxiety. We have a choice between anxiety and resilience. The solution is clear; the choice is obvious, though it comes down to a moment by moment correction that we must apply in our reliance on God. Jesus Christ offers the pathway and the opportunities to improve our outlook and our interactions. Together we will look to the scriptures for the guidance we require.

Often when one faces a trial such as losing a job, the feeling of hopelessness can be overwhelming. Our bibles can offer a pathway forward through the word of God. David was a man of great faith yet he was still quite human and knew he needed to rely on God to deliver him from the many dangers and plots facing him in his day. Today we too face trials and challenges and the sooner we learn to turn to God, the more secure we will be. This life offers no promises, yet through our trials we can come closer to God—our Creator and our Father.

This Sermonette makes the point that true chaos as we humans experience it is well within God’s plan for his creation. What appears to be chaotic and discordant is actually quite ordered and precisely designed by God. We are not unlike a small creature living among the branches of a great tree with seemingly endless limbs, sub-branches, and intricate leaves—each with their own complex structure that God planned and designed. When we are converted and we trust and believe in God our Creator—all falls into place with His order.

We are now able to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and have the opportunity for ultimate salvation if we follow the Truth, the Light and the Word. It is therefore a new Beginning thanks to Jesus Christ.

In this Sermonette, I draw the thread that is clear especially in Matthew in which our Lord utilizes the dual concept of the cup in different ways. First, to signify the coming new covenant between God and man. Secondly, our Lord, on the night of his betrayal expresses the most human emotion of asking the Father if the cup that would bear his death could pass him. Our Lord makes clear however that he will accept the Father’s will. We have all faced trials and human suffering—yet all pales in comparison to what Jesus faced on our behalf. Through his sacrifice we can have the opportunity for eternal life in the Kingdom.