The Same, and Different (blog)

I'm praying we get lots of visitors to the SHLC table at Charter Day!  As Pastor Dan has said, we want people to know that we are here and that we are like them.Baptized as an adult, I joined the Christian church later than most.  I thought everyone at church was special and always did the right thing.Today I still believe that churchgoers are some of the nicest and most sincere people.  But I've discovered that church people, like everyone else, don't always get things right.Do you know what really makes us different?  Christians have a hope that can't be found anywhere else in the world.  And what a glorious hope it is!Our hope is in Jesus Christ.  We've put our faith and trust in him.We believe, and I'll quote from God's Word, The Bible:"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)Jesus came into the world so that people could know God and how much he loves us - all of us.  He was born in the flesh and grew up in a family, just like you and me.  Jesus was different from us though, because he was without sin.  He came into the world to suffer and die for our sins, so that we can be forgiven and live with him forever.  God raised Jesus from death to life, and now Jesus lives and reigns with him.  And Jesus promised that someday he will come again.This is our hope!And by the power of God's Spirit in us, we live out this hope every day, loving others and sharing the good news of salvation in Jesus.  This is what makes us, in the church, different.