Key Verse: Jesus said to her, “I am
the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, Even though he
dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
John 11:25-26
Our God is a God of hope. He sees
His people in their suffering and offers hope to those who have none. The
people in Israel had been in slavery, in Egypt, for a long time. They had been
away from the land of Canaan for more than 400 years. They had not come to
Egypt to become slaves. They had come to Egypt originally to preserve their
lives in a time of famine.
Over time, however, like the frog
in the pot, their refuge enslaved them and made their existence a bitter cross
to bear. They cried out to the Lord in their anguish. They remembered the
promise that He had made to their Father Abraham and they clung to the hope
that, even after so long, God would still hear and rescue. We see that their
hope is rewarded. God tells Moses that He has indeed heard. He will not only
rescue them, but He has prepared a new home for them with blessings beyond what
they could ever imagine. For the people, the Exodus was like a physical
resurrection or rebirth on this earth. In gaining freedom, they were blessed
with the opportunity to start over with a new way of life, a new hope.
He saw the anguish of Mary and
Martha as well over the death of their brother Lazarus. They too had little
hope, but in Jesus, they found what hope they could in their situation. They
hadn’t thought that Jesus would actually raise Lazarus from the dead! Just as
God went beyond what the people of Israel could imagine, so now, Jesus went
beyond what the two sisters could imagine by restoring their dead brother to
them, alive.
It is said that during the
Reformation, Luther was reported to have brought an evergreen tree into his
home during the winter as a reminder of spring and the life to come, retaining
the teachings of St. Boniface. So now, let’s add green to our portrait of
Christ, for He is the hope that springs eternal when we trust in Him.
The hope that Christ offers is
beyond what we mortals can imagine as well. Who can really describe heaven and
living with our savior forever? Who can imagine the possibilities, the
accomplishments that can be achieved, when we trust in Him and obey His promptings?
We have hope because of Christ. He is “the God of Hope.” (Rom.
15:13) He is our resurrection and our life. Following Him is never
predictable as we humans would like it to be. That would be to walk by sight. He
calls us to walk by faith. When we walk by faith in Him, leaving the details to
Him, the possibilities become endless for what we may do for Him.
“May the God of hope fill you with
all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by
the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans
15:13)
Hymn: “Lord of All Hopefulness”
Comments
Post a Comment