Sojourners & Strangers

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. Luke 23:55–56 (ESV)

And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him." Mark 16:2–6 (ESV)

Hebrews 9:1–10 brings us to a decisive moment in the story of redemption—a moment that forces us to ask where our hope truly lies. In a world that celebrates self-reliance and ingenuity, especially in cultures like New England’s, the text confronts our confidence in ourselves.

On Good Friday, we remember what is of first importance: Christ died for our sins. This powerful meditation unpacks the weight of that truth—substitution, fulfillment, salvation. Not sentiment, but surrender. Not myth, but history. Come and consider the cross, where justice met mercy and love bled for sinners like us.