The poet Alexander Pope wrote:
"Hope springs eternal in the human breast."
It would be nice to think that way, but the truth is, people often lose all hope. Watch TV for just a few minutes and you'll see at least one advertisement for a drug which combats depression. In spite of our increasing comforts and prosperity, hope seems to be a rare commodity in the post modern world. Whether it is a financial issue, a health problem or a relationship which is falling apart, people get so wrapped up by all that is going wrong that they see no possible solutions. The result is they often choose either suicide or a life of apathy.
There was a woman named Mary Magdalene who had been a part of Jesus' group of disciples for most of his ministry. Meeting Jesus had turned Mary's life around and as a result she stood by him till the end. Even on that first Sunday morning after his death on the cross, Mary went out at dawn with some other women to finish embalming Jesus' body. When she got to the tomb the body was gone. But instead of remembering Jesus had predicted he was going to rise from the dead, Mary plunged into despair, thinking someone had stolen the body.
Hopeless is the only word to describe Mary Magdalene at that moment. Where would she go? What would she do? The only one who had been able to help her had been brutally killed as a criminal. In her despair, all Mary could think about was finding Jesus' corpse so she could give it a dignified burial. It was a pathetic scene.
But the thick fog of hopelessness was cut with one word -- "Mary". The moment Jesus spoke her name Mary Magdalene had a future, a purpose, and above all, the certainty that everything was going to work out. Mary had a fresh start in life!
Wherever you are in life, the resurrection of Jesus Christ offers you that same fresh start full of hope. Jesus said, "Because I live, you also will live...In my Father's house are many rooms...I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." Being with Jesus for eternity--that's what the resurrection means to you.
Join us this Sunday at 10:00 am to begin your resurrection fresh start!
Hawaii Lutheran Church (WELS)
- Community Lutheran Church
- Honolulu, HI
- Community Lutheran Church holds protestant chapel services in Honolulu, Hawaii near Pearl Harbor, HI. We are next to the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hickam Air Force Base, and Fort Shafter Hawaii. Look for us directly behind the Salt Lake, Hawaii, Target.