We give thanks for Jesus, who died for our sins to save us from eternal separation from God. Read Luke 23:44-49. Movies and books have given us many vivid pictures of what heaven and hell may look like. The Apostle John does his best to describe heaven with streets of gold and the crystal sea in the book of Revelation. He also describes an abyss that waits for Satan and his followers. But when you get right down to defining heaven and hell, I have learned that each can be defined quite easily. Heaven is an eternity with God. Hell is an eternity without God. The Good News that we are to proclaim is that God has provided a way for us to be in heaven. We proclaim the Good News every time we participate in Holy Communion. Jesus took the bread and gave thanks. The bread is the body of Jesus that was sacrificed for our sins. The juice represents the blood of Jesus which was shed for the forgiveness of sins. When we participate in Holy Communion, we are renewing our faith in Jesus as the one who saves us from hell, which is eternal separation from God. But we also rejoice in the hope that Jesus provides when he offers us eternal life.

Lord, we are grateful for your sacrifice. We humbly come before you asking you to forgive us our sins and redeem us from eternal separation from God. We give thanks for the Good News of eternal salvation through Jesus our Lord, Amen.