Hope Shines Through The Darkness

 

Everyone needs hope to live, no matter who you are or where you live. Easter is the time of year that reminds each of us that there is hope. Maybe your hope has dimmed, and the light is barely shining. Many of you are burdened with troubles and find yourselves in the midst of a personal crisis, but so were the first Christians on that very first Resurrection Sunday morning. Just as those first believers found life to be a dead-end street with no future, you too may feel the same. They came to realize that Jesus really did die, but he also really did rise from the dead. For you this morning, it may feel like there is a three-ton boulder blocking your path, but on the first Easter, they found the stone already rolled away. The angel of the Lord had come and moved the stone, not for Jesus, but for those who needed to verify that Jesus was risen. Maybe it feels like all hope is gone for you. It is hard for you to find motivation, even to do the most basic things. Your joy is gone. You are not alone. It was this way for the followers of Christ after Jesus died on the cross. With Jesus’ death came the death of all their hopes and dreams.

The women who went to the tomb early on Sunday Morning did not go thinking they would find an empty tomb, but rather a dead body. However, the resurrection of Jesus changed everything. I invite you to take a look at the empty tomb, and you, too, will find that He is risen. Easter means Jesus is risen from the dead, and death could not hold him. That ugly monster of death, which has intimidated every person who has ever lived, has met its match. The prophets said that Jesus’ body would never see decay, and they were right: three days later, he arose from the dead. Easter means Jesus is alive. It means he is present with us. He is here! However, this is not just an announcement; it is a day to respond to God’s invitation to receive life. It is a day to embrace God with all your heart. I encourage you today to open your heart and allow God to speak to you. Jesus died for you, and he will transform your life if you let him. Because Jesus is alive, you can have hope for this life and the next.

Securely Connected to God

 

Admiral Byrd, the famous explorer, once found himself about 100 yards away from the safety of his South Pole hut when a sudden blizzard hit. With temperatures well below zero, visibility was difficult due to the blinding snow. There were no landmarks in the white expanse that would help him get his bearings. Yet he knew that if he didn’t find the warmth and safety of his hut, he would freeze to death in a matter of minutes. Admiral Byrd could not see his hut in the freezing conditions. He knew that if he struck out blindly, without a central reference point for a sense of direction, he would become hopelessly lost. Refusing to panic, the admiral assessed the situation. In his hand was a 10-foot pole that he carried with him to probe for holes in the ice as he walked. He struck the pole in the snow and tied his bright-colored scarf to it. Then he began looking for the hut, keeping the pole in sight, knowing that he could always return to it if necessary. He struck out, first in one direction, then in another, always keeping the pole and scarf in sight. Three times he returned to his point of reference; on the fourth try, he found his hut. His life was saved because he maintained a point of reference. 

 Such is the case with us when we venture away from God; we get lost in a world that is filled with mine fields of sin and destruction. There are times in our lives when we face heightened anxiety, loss, health and financial problems, and relational breakdowns with those we love. All this can create an emotional blizzard, blinding us to how to proceed in life. It is precisely in this moment that we cannot leave God behind. We must always keep in sight. The writer of Hebrews says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19). Our hope in God always brings us back to Him.

God never gives up on us, even though we give up on ourselves. The Apostle Paul encouraged the Philippians, saying: “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God does not do things halfway. What may seem to be a failure to God is simply a work in progress. Do not give up! Keep God in sight! Let Him be your anchor!