April 19, 2026
Dear friends in Christ grace and peace to you. The message for this week comes from
1 Peter 1:17-23 with reference to Acts 2:36-39.
To some, we Christians might seem a bit strange. True followers of Jesus don’t buy into what the world would have us believe. The world we live in would have us believe that more is better. And in some cases that is probably true. But for example, if the world teaches us that more is better we know that having more cavities in our teeth is not better; unless of course you are a dentist who makes his living from your cavities. Peter reminds us in this week’s text that all the silver and gold that we pile up, all the wealth that we could someday inherit from our parents or grandparents won’t save us from death in this life. What does save us is the sacrificial blood of Jesus.
I had an interesting conversation recently in which the person I was talking to was talking about the issues among some of his family members issues that many of us are familiar with. The person I was talking to said: “you know, in the Lord’s prayer we pray forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” He paused and said: “why do we struggle with doing that?”
In the reading from Acts Peter is concluding his sermon on the day of Pentecost and has reminded the listeners that their Savior is indeed Jesus the one whom they crucified. Stunned at Peter’s remark they ask “What shall we do?” Peter tells them; first and foremost you must repent; secondly be baptized. How many times have we asked ourselves what shall we do when we are in a predicament? As believers in Christ, we turn to Jesus in prayer and ask him what shall I do? When we have erred and we know it, Peter reminds us that we need to fess up to our mistakes. Not only fess up and own our mistakes but to seek to make a change in our lives so that we don’t go to that place again. But that we as the words of the song says Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
When we are right with Jesus, forgiveness comes not only to us but it also allows us to forgive others; perhaps see things from their perspective. As Peter so deftly puts it, Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
May the peace of God be with all of you as you turn to Jesus with repentant hearts and may you find forgiveness and an inner peace.
Michael Isaacson
April 12, 2026
Dear friends in Christ grace and peace to you. The message for this week comes from
1 Peter 1:3-9.
As we journeyed through Holy Week, we watched as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, shared in the Last Supper with him, witnessed him being tried unjustly, brutally beaten, and hung on a cross like some criminal to die a lonely, excruciating death. We saw his body placed in a tomb that was sealed. And then we heard the wonderful news that Jesus had risen from the dead and had appeared to Mary on Easter morning. We gathered in worship on Easter morning to sing songs of praise and to rejoice in Jesus’ resurrection. Now what? What do we do now? We’ve paid our homage to the risen Christ; where do we go from here? Does life go on as it always did as if nothing significant has happened? Are the events of the past week a distant memory for us? Are we so caught up in what’s happening in our own lives, in the nation and in the world that we have already put the events of the past week behind us? Instead of being hopeful are we a people who flip each other off, cut each other off, and walk around with a scowl on our faces?
Martin Luther went through a phase like that once. His wife, Katie, devised a plan. She came down the stairs one day wearing all black and looking sorrowful. He asked her, “Who died?” She said, “God did.” Luther said, “Silly woman, God did not die.” Katie responded, “Oh, I thought by the way you were acting that he had.” She wanted to remind Martin that Jesus still lived. There was still hope. And I think that’s Peter’s point in our text for this week. No matter how bad life may get, there is still hope because we have the assurance that Jesus died for the sins of the world, and that Jesus died for us, and that God accepted His sacrifice. Because of what Jesus did for us there is more certainty to life than death and taxes; there is hope of eternal life. It’s this promise that has given us spiritual life and hope in this world of something that is permanent. Jesus once said, “Because I live, you also will live. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”
Easter is not a one and done event. Easter has lasting consequences; good consequences. Easter give us hope in a world that desperately needs something and someone good to hope in. Our hope is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our hope of eternal life, our hope that all the oppressed, wrongly imprisoned, wrongly persecuted and shunned will know Jesus’ love and be made whole again in the presence of our loving Savior Jesus Christ.
May the peace of God be with all of you as you continue to live in the joy of the Jesus’ resurrection hope.
Michael Isaacson
