March 2008

“Do You Have Hope?”

When was the last time that you went somewhere, did something, or even planned some event with hope being a factor in it. Perhaps it was the drive to the city when it was twenty below zero and you hoped the car would make it. Or the morning you were flying to your family destination and you flew into major turbulence, you hoped that the airplane would hang together. Or the time you were hoping to find a destination on the map, and you hoped the map was accurate.

Hope is so much a part of our lives that many days we don't even think about it. There are also times when we hope in friendship, hope in the safety of the country, hope that we will be healthy, or simply hope that the truth wins out.

But there are days when we are shaken to the very core and we wonder again about where our hope in life comes from. When the hard storms of life hit, we are forced to deal with the basic questions of life, death and eternal life. As we encounter both tragic and expected death, we ask the simple question again, "Where is our hope?" It is exciting to share the words that give life and hope.

1 Peter 1:3,4 "Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessing that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away."

Yes, we have a living hope in Jesus Christ. We do not need to fear the future or death. Jesus has given us this wonderful promise. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16. All we have to do is accept in belief this precious gift. This month we again celebrate the day that Jesus conquered sin and death. Easter morning changed everything.

Perhaps you remember the response of the little girl in Sunday School. The teacher asked the question, "What did Jesus say when he arose from the grave?" She thought for a moment and then said "TADA". The pronouncement, "Christ is Risen", has changed everything. We have a living hope in the Risen Christ. I pray that this Easter we will be able to live and share our Hope with the world.

Pastor Craig