While the leaves are already out on the trees in Maryland, the snow here is still above my office windows. Whoever said that life is fair?
“AT THE END OF OUR ROPE, BUT NOT AT THE END OF HOPE”
I think that for myself, I would characterize this past winter as snow, Bible Studies, snow, sermons, snow, hospital visits snow, snow, snow. Having grown up in the New York metropolitan area and then having lived in Florida, West Africa and the south of France for close to forty years, I can assure you that I have never seen as much snow in one winter as I’ve seen this year.
I am very thankful that with all the snow we’ve only had to cancel one Sunday service so far. It could have been a lot worse. Just imagine what the situation would have been if the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday cycle of snow had been coming on the weekend.
But now, spring has come, Easter is here, we’ve switched over to Daylight Savings Time and we now have an extra hour of daylight. Isn’t it great that winter is finally over?? With four feet of snow still on the ground there is of course an irony in that statement that is extremely perplexing. We can see once again that life is never that simply categorized. According to my brother the leaves are out on the trees in Maryland, while here the snow is still above my office windows. Whoever said that life is fair? We’ve come to realize over and over the inequalities of life. In 2 Cor. 4:8-12 we read: “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under the constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but it has resulted in eternal life for you.” The Life Application notes for this passage say this: “Paul reminds us that though we may think we are at the end of our rope, we are never at the end of hope.” What a wonderful, wonderful thought.
The message of Easter is the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The message of Easter is that because Christ rose we also shall rise again. As Paul said in 2 Cor. 4:14: “We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along with you.” Max Lucado in his book “No Wonder They Call Him The Savior” writes this: “The cross. It rests on the time line of history like a compelling diamond. Its tragedy summons all sufferers. Its absurdity attracts all cynics. Its hope lures all searchers… History has idolized it and despised it, gold-plated it and burned it, worn and trashed it. History has done everything to it but ignore it. That’s the one option that the cross does not offer. No one can ignore it! You can’t ignore a piece of lumber that suspends the greatest claim in history. Its bottom line is sobering: …if the account is true, it is history’s hinge. Period. … If not, it is history’s hoax. That’s why the cross is what matters.” That is why we work as we do to share this message with the world around us. This message of Easter is our reason for being as a church. Snow or no snow, this is the message we live for, work for and indeed are willing to die for. Life is not perfect. I know there are many who will read this who would much prefer their life circumstances be different then they are. We all face many difficulties, but we can nevertheless move forward because as Paul said: 2 Cor. 4:13: “We continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believe in God, and so I speak.”
We may face problems, but we do have the answer in Jesus Christ. Indeed, what greater message could there be than that expressed by Paul when he summed up his thoughts in 2 Cor. 4 by saying: “For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.” (2 Cor. 4:18). Praise God, we have been given the privilege of declaring this message to the world around us. This message is the light that we want to shine beyond our walls. This is the message that will change our world!