Fearghal Kelly - March 29, 2026
Hope beyond the grave
Genesis 23 Watching Abraham arrange the funeral for his wife Sarah, we know he would have experienced the grief of love, but we also see his hope. After she died in her old age, he buried her in the land God promised to them. This is where Abraham and Sarah lived when they split with Lot. He built an altar there. God visited him there to tell him that Sarah would conceive. It’s where Abraham would be buried, and so would his grandson Jacob. Later it’s where Caleb the spy would seek a home (Numbers 13-14; Joshua 14:6-15) and where David would be anointed as king (2 Samuel 5:1-5). All this proves God would be faithful to every generation after their death. But the practice of burial raises the question: What about you and I beyond death? Do both our body and soul matter in the end? The Christian answer is yes! God will raise us up in our bodies on the last day to enjoy life with him forever in the land (the world!) he promised. For more about Christ Central Church Portsmouth visit: https://christcentral.church Or via socials: www.facebook.com/christcentral.ch www.instagram.com/christcentralchurchportsmouth To connect with us email: hello@christcentral.church or give us your details at https://www.christcentral.church
From Series: "Genesis - God's people in God's plan"
The Bible has clear instructions in parts, but most of it is story. Stories of people messing up. Stories of people discovering God’s grace. Stories we can learn wisdom from. The middle bit of Genesis tells the story of three generations who discover what it means to be God’s people in God’s plan for his world. And they don’t always get it right. Their stories include: marriage problems, death and grief, parenting struggles, choosing a spouse, sexual immorality, deception, reproductive ethics, unjust employers, relationships that distort God’s design, the strength of friendship, birth, infertility, abuse, betrayal, forgiveness, aging, value of life from womb to tomb, loneliness, racism, politics, war, buying land, wealth management, and learning wisdom from all the ambiguity of ordinary life trying to trust God in a fallen world. We face many issues in life where we have to ask: What does it mean to be God’s people in this? What’s God’s plan for it?
