After 616 AD, the first Christian missionaries came to the courts of King Edwin in Northumbria, in the north of England. In his great hall, ablaze with the light of many torches, they presented the gospel. The king listened, then consulted his advisors.

One nobleman said: ‘Life is like a banquet hall. Inside is light…fire…warmth and feasting, but outside it is cold and dark. A sparrow flies in through a window at one end…and out through a window at the other end. That is what life is like. At birth we emerge from the unknown, and for a brief while we are here…with a fair amount of comfort and happiness. But then we fly out into the cold…dark…unknown future. [Can] this new religion…lighten that darkness for us[?]’

When we believe in the resurrection, we can answer, ‘Yes!’ An illness or a tragic accident can end life as we know it. But we also know that death isn't really the end. ‘If Christ weren’t raised, then all you’re doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It’s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they’re already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries’ (1 Corinthians 15:17-20 MSG).

When we put our trust in God, the end of life on earth is just the beginning of a glorious new life with Christ in heaven!

What Now?

Thank God that He’s our source of light and hope in the dark and unknown.