Inspirational Sunday

“Do not be afraid…He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said.”
Matthew 28: 5-6

Rae’s Thought: There have been an alarming number of murder/suicides within this country in the last few months. These people, who had given up on life, chose not only to take their own lives, but also the lives of innocent people around them (including children). For some reason, these people felt there is no hope.

Our country is going through a major economic crisis right now. What’s worse is we don’t know for sure how long this crisis is going to last. Words like ‘recession’ and ‘inflation’ strike fear and terror (and cause depression) in many Americans. Companies are cutting positions, people are losing their jobs, families are being forced out of their homes…many Americans are losing hope.

When Jesus was crucified on the cross, over 2000 years ago, His followers and those that loved Him lost all hope. They were so sure He was ‘The One’ – the Messiah sent to save their people – and yet He was dead. The man they followed for the past 3 years (33 years for some)…the same man who warmed their hearts with His presence…was no longer there. The silence must have been deafening. No more parables. No more miracles. No more Jesus. I can only imagine how depressing that Friday and Saturday must have been. The future, in their eyes, was bleak. Their hope was buried in a tomb with a huge stone covering the entrance and huge guards protecting the area…or so they thought…

Imagine the emotions going through the three women as they went to the tomb Sunday morning to clean their Lord’s body. Imagine their pain as they walked the road leading to the tomb, remembering how He was beaten, laughed at, and nailed to the cross. Imagine their surprise when they saw no guards and the stone rolled away. Imagine their joy when they were told by the angel that Jesus, their Lord, had risen. Hope had been restored.

I know the Easter story is about Jesus’ crucifixion/resurrection for my salvation, but it’s so much more than that to me. It’s about hope, even in the bleakest of times. It’s about not being afraid, even when the situation looks bad (“Do not be afraid…” Matthew 28: 5). It’s about believing that God will do exactly what He said He’ll do (“He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said.” Matthew 28: 6). Despite what may seem like a desolate situation in the American economic crisis, I still have hope. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. My hope isn’t in the new president or American financial institutions. My hope isn’t in anything of this world. It’s in Jesus and I’m clinging to Him like a lifeline, refusing to let Him go. I have a RISEN SAVIOR who is taking care of things in the background for me. HE IS IN CONTROL, therefore, I still have hope.