The Day No One Believed

The Day No One Believed
April 4, 2021

I must admit. I am a sci-fi guy. I love science fiction…from space to superheroes. Just the thought of either sparks my imagination about the possibilities.

 OK, I’m not looking to start a fight here, but hands-down, the best superhero is Superman. If you’ve ever watched some of the more out-there episodes of any of the more modern Superman stories, DC Comics has done a good job of building a multiverse…or multiple parallel universes, where almost everything is the same, but not quite. So, in our universe, Superman is the ultimate hero. In another, the same Superman might be evil, or just Clark Kent, or a chef...imagine a world without our Superman. It’s a darker place, no matter how it plays out.

Now imagine a world without the resurrection of Jesus. You don’t really have to think hard about how much darker our world would be. Sure, those who call themselves Christ-followers haven’t always represented Him well and have done some terrible things throughout history. But they also lead the charge when it comes to compassion – fighting poverty, hunger, human trafficking, social justice and on and on. In fact, most of our modern compassionate organizations were founded because a Christ-follower allowed the resurrection of Christ to change his or her life and motivate them to live out Jesus’ values to a broken and hurting world.

The resurrection is the source of all…HOPE.
 
Hope… the dictionary says it means to want something to be true or to happen; to wish.

Often the strength of our hope is based on the strength of our desire.
 
Maybe you’re hoping there’s enough money to pay the bills, or that your kids will take good naps today, or that your boss will notice how hard you’ve been working. We hope for all kinds of things.

But what happens when the things that we’re wishing for don’t work out? When people lose hope, they lose their ability to dream for the future. Despair replaces joy. Fear replaces faith.

The men and women who were disciples of Jesus hoped that He would deliver them from the tyranny of Rome and usher in a new kingdom, a new freedom. They celebrated His arrival in Jerusalem just days before the annual Passover celebration, joyfully waving palm branches, dancing in the streets, and declaring, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!” Their hope was sky high. The promised Messiah had come! And then, in less than a week, dancing turned to disillusionment, dreams turned to defeat, and Hope was dead.
 
But then came Sunday.
 
In the Bible, hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised; and its strength is in His faithfulness. He has proven Himself faithful; His promises are trustworthy.
 
The tomb is empty. Christ is risen…just as He said! He has broken the power of sin and conquered death. Through Him we have a freedom that’s greater than we imagined, a HOPE that is sure, and a future that is secure!  We have reason to celebrate!