April 10, 2022 - A Hope that Restores Shattered Dreams - Pastor Paul Vallee

John 11 Shattered dreams are difficult to handle. One of the founding members of our church family came to faith in Christ through a very painful experience. She and her husband had just finished building their dream home when he arose from breakfast one morning to tell her that he was leaving her for someone else. She was so traumatized that she fell apart emotionally and became for a season hospitalized. It was there that a fellow patient challenged her to live life again, and she eventually found hope in learning to trust Christ. Tragedy and loss come in many faces: it can be an overwhelming health issue or a relational one like I just shared. It could be huge financial reversals or losing a loved one to death. When tragedy strikes, life can so quickly lose its lustre and meaning. We can struggle with the desire to move forward because life as we know it will never be the same. One of the great sermons of all time was preached by a Scottish minister named Arthur Gossip, who, the Sunday following the sudden and unexpected death of his beloved wife, entitled his message, ‘When Life Tumbles In, what then? It’s a question that we all need to answer in our hour of trial and tragedy. As we prepare our hearts during this Easter season, I want us to look at an event that triggered what was about to happen to Jesus, his own death and ultimately, his resurrection. The hour of the greatest victory was preceded by one of the most tragic moments, the cross.