Please read the Scripture passage before the homily.
In November, some cultures and religions remember in special ways those who have died. The Roman Catholic tradition does this. This is a homily based on Romans.
It is said that God did not spare God’ only Son. Some people have seen this as a sign of God’s cruelty. If this is cruelty, then what do make of the remark that God raised up Jesus Christ? This is also the God who acquits and who also makes us God’s children. God is the God who can defeat death and destroy death. This is not cruelty, but generosity to the nth degree.
We may face an uncertain or ominous future, but we can face it with courage and hope. In the resurrection of Christ, God has destroyed the power of death and made it a pathway to life that would never end. Nothing, then, can separate us from the love of God. We may face an uncertain future, but we can face it with hope.
Life cannot separate us from God. Death cannot separate us from God. The spirit world, good or bad, cannot separate us from God. Climate change, torrential rainfalls and tornados cannot separate us from God. Wars and violence in the world cannot separate us from God.
There is no condemnation anymore. Christ was condemned in this life, the One who died for the all. Since he was raised, we were all raised with him. There is no condemnation left; it is all gone. There need be no fear because Christ is interceding for us.
I dare anybody to try to condemn you or anyone else. The heavenly court will have none of that disorder. Christ, crucified and risen, is our lawyer and judge. He has scanned the charges carefully and has found nothing out of line. His sentence is life everlasting, not death, not punishment, but life with the fulness of joy for ever. In this time of year when many face death and grief, the Bible’s word is one of hope and freedom.