Thought for the week (From Cotswold Journal)

Thought for the week

3:00pm Thursday 17th May 2012 in S-U

THIS week I stumbled across a true story from the Middle East.

It concerned the funeral of a 28-year-old waiter in southern Egypt which turned unexpectedly from deep sorrow into jubilant celebration when the man woke up after being supposedly declared dead!

Hospital officials had pronounced Hamdi Hafez al-Nubi, from Luxor, dead after a heart attack.

Grieving relatives had prepared him for burial last Friday evening when a doctor sent to sign the death certificate found his body was still warm and discovered he was very much alive.

With the doctor’s assistance, both al- Nubi and his mother, who had fainted, were revived and soon were celebrating with bewildered guests.

The beating heart of Christian belief is found in the still more wondrous story of another Middle Eastern man who died, was buried and yet rose again. One whose transforming love is experienced by millions to this day.

Jesus of Nazareth is the One who conquered the grave and now stands in victory, opening the gate of glory and promising to accompany, in life and death, all who will simply trust Him.

Jesus gave up his life in an amazing act of love and sacrifice. He died, as he had lived, reaching out to the lost and to the lonely and offering hope to those in the depths of despair.

And now, He stands ready to welcome all who will acknowledge their need, no matter how great or small. He offers real life to those who feel themselves barely alive.

Jesus is alive and in Him you too can live again, and experience life in a whole new light.

REV MARK JENNINGS, Minister, Pershore Baptist Church.