An Old Hope
By Chris Leonardo |
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Easter asks us to remember that hope resting on the resurrection is a beautiful and real hope. It’s a powerful hope that doesn’t just let us be ‘happy’ or ‘hopeful’ but draws us to a story that is simply much better than the ones we’re writing for ourselves.
Jesus dying with our wrongs on his back and leaving behind an empty tomb reminds us that powers fighting our world from being made right are not the most powerful, no matter how hopeless the world may seem.
The hope of Easter lies in the cross and empty tomb, but it doesn’t end there. It continues with Jesus calling us to continue his reconciling work in the world, by bringing the entirety of his life and message to the entire world. In fact one of the most oft quoted pieces of the Gospel narrative centers on Jesus instructing his followers to continue his work and bring it to everyone.
And when he said, everyone, he meant everyone…
Yes, he meant them too...
The resurrection invites us to work in God’s world doing the work of God with God. To continue the peacemaking work of Jesus, to feed those who are hungry when we are in surplus and to befriend the friendless. What is wrong in the world is made right in Jesus, and what is wrong with you and I is made right in Jesus.
Easter also reminds us that we cannot ask for the world to change if we will not work to change it.
As we approach Easter rest your hope on Jesus and may that hope leave your fingers as you touch the untouchable, forgive those who’ve hurt you, feed those with empty stomachs, and the list goes on…
Do so not out of humanitarian duty, or out of guilt. Do so because you and I are untouchable. Do so because you and I have hurt people. Do so because as you and I are in the same boat as those we despise Jesus still extends forgiveness.
As Jesus does that work in us he invites us to continue that work in our homes, our cities, our world.
"Of course, in our incomplete world God’s gentle offer and demand press upon us as fearful things, almost threatening. But God’s offer and demand are neither fearful nor threatening. God in his gentle love longs to set usf ree from the prison we have stumbled into-the loveless prison where we refuse both the offer and demand of forgiveness. We are like a frightened bird before him, shrinking away lest this demand crush us completely. But when we eventually yield-when he corners us and finally takes us in his hand-we find to our astonishment that he is infitiely gentle and that his only aim is to release us from our prison, to set us free to be the people he made us to be. But when we fly out into the sunshine, how can we not then offer the same gentle gift of freedom, of forgivenss to those around us? That is the truth of the resurrection, turned into prayer, turned into forgiveness and remission of debts, turned into love. It is constantly surprising, constantly full of hope, constantly coming to us from God’s future to shape us into the people through whom God can carry out his work in the world.”
-N.T. Wright, from Surprised By Hope
 Chris Leonardo is the husband of Karli, the father of Ania and the associate pastor of the evergreen community in Portland OR. He listens to a lot of music, reads a lot, and is learning not to lean so much on his own understanding... |
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