The Hope of Easter

The death toll for Americans in Iraq is approaching 3,000 and it is estimated between 61,000 and 65,000 Iraqi's have died thus far. 2 earthquakes and a tsunami just hit the Solomon Islands. Millions are living with and dying of AIDS in Africa. Most of those cases could have been prevented.

Closer to home, a child dies, a spouse is unfaithful, a mentor disappoints.

These are my thoughts as I look forward to Easter Sunday.

Has the Resurrection made a difference? Am I a fool to believe?

And then God inserts a guy like David Wilcox into my life who reminds me through song that there is hope.

SHOW THE WAY

You say you see no hope,
You say you see no reason we should dream that the world would ever change
You're saying love is foolish to believe
'Cause there'll always be some crazy with an Army or a Knife
To wake you from your day dream, put the fear back in your life...

Look, if someone wrote a play just to glorify what's stronger than hate,
Would they not arrange the stage to look as if the hero came too late
He's almost in defeat
It's looking like the evil side will win,
So on the edge of every seat,
From the moment that the whole thing begins

It is Love who makes the mortar
And it's Love who stacked these stones
And it's Love who made the stage here
Although it looks like we're alone
In this scene set in shadows
Like the night is here to stay
There is evil cast around us
But it's Love that wrote the play...
For in this darkness Love can show the way

So now the stage is set
Feel you own heart beating in your chest
This life's not over yet
So we get up on our feet and do our best
We play against the fear
We play against the reasons not to try
We're playing for the tears burning in the happy angel's eyes

For it's Love who makes the mortar
And it's Love who stacked these stones
And it's Love who made the stage here
Although it looks like we're alone
In this scene set in shadows
Like the night is here to stay
There is evil cast around us
But it's Love that wrote the play...
For in this darkness Love can show the way

God is Love. I John 4:8

The hope of Easter is that this world filled with sin and death is not all there is. It's that belief that motivates me to keep going. It's that hope that dictates my actions. It's the power of the Resurrection and the all encompassing, unconditional love of God that raises me up when there is evil all around me and shows me the way to a better life.

It's not always pretty. It's not always easy. But the Author of the story is God and the hero of the story is Jesus and He will never show up too late. What's too late when death has been conquered?

That's the hope of Easter.