Happy Easter everyone! I hope you had a wonderful day on Sunday celebrating Easter. I imagine, though, for some of us it was very difficult. It just wasn’t a normal Easter for any of us. I definitely felt that, and I’m sure you did too. But still, the reality of what we celebrate has not changed. Jesus is alive! If you are in Christ you are alive with Christ! And to that we say, “Hallelujah!” Because Jesus is alive, seated on high, reigning, and waiting to return, we are full of hope.
But what does that hope look like? I think, in times like this, hope looks like comfort. Hope brings comfort to our souls in the midst of loss. I was recently reminded of the opening question in the Heidelberg Catechism. The Heidelberg is one of the great confessions of faith that came out of the Reformation, first printed in 1563. Here is the opening question and answer:
What is your only comfort in life and in death?
- That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live unto Him.
As the cases of COVID-19 rise, the pain of the pandemic is not as distant as it once was. But during this Easter season (officially between Easter Sunday and Pentecost), I pray that the Lord will fill us with hope … hope that brings comfort in the midst of the pain and loss. Hope that brings comfort to fearful and anxious souls. Hope that soothes those who are mourning. Hope that breathes life into those feeling distant from God. And hope that overflows out of us, who belong to our “faithful Savior Jesus Christ,” into the lives of our neighbors, family and friends.
I encourage you to spend some time meditating on this opening question of the Heidelberg Catechism this week. See if you can find the Scripture texts that affirm this statement (there are many). And if you’re looking for a song that will reinforce this message, I encourage you to listen to “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death” recorded by Keith and Kristen Getty (thanks Sarah Ellis for introducing this song to me).
This is a season of hope. It’s the season of Easter. It’s the season we celebrate resurrection life. But, if you’re like me, you have to fight for hope. It’s been given to us in Christ, but we need to speak it and sing it and pray it and hear it over our lives again and again. As I said on Sunday, may the Lord fill us with hope. May you live today, and every day, with resurrection hope.
Blessings,
Jeremy
P.S. Another way for us to spread hope is to be generous with our resources. If you received a stimulus deposit in your bank account that is not needed for daily living, I encourage you to use it as a blessing to our ministry partners. Local agencies caring for those in need could really use our help.
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