Published On: Sun, Apr 1st, 2018

Finding Hope this Easter

By Jason Hatley

What do you hope for?  Depending on the day, you may find yourself saying anything from, “I hope traffic is smooth on my commute” to “I hope the Heat make the playoffs” to “I hope my children are safe at school” to “I hope the biopsy results come back negative.”  You may hope for things to go your way or fortune to favor you. And in the midst of all of these small day-to-day hopes what we’re really hoping for is a life of peace and prosperity and a better today than days past.

We need hope. And just like you can’t live without oxygen, I would contend that you can’t live without hope.  Hope brings life. But if we’re honest, hope – true and lasting hope – is in short supply in our culture today. We are flanked on one side by societal division, and on another by senseless tragedies. We are driven into a corner by frustrations about today and fears about tomorrow. It’s no wonder that today – perhaps more than ever – what we need most is hope.  And that’s the story of Easter; discovering hope in the face of insurmountable odds.

In the days after Jesus’ crucifixion over 2,000 years ago, his family, friends and followers thought all hope had been lost. It had died along with the man they’d believed to be the Messiah. Little did they know that three days later, on the very first Easter, Jesus would roll the stone away from the entrance of his tomb and step out to offer a level of hope never before known to man – the hope of peace and joy in this life and of victory over death.

Jesus continues to offer his resurrection hope to us today. This hope goes far beyond what you and I are likely to wish for on a daily basis. It is not only the living hope of his continual presence, but also the expectant hope of an eternity spent with God in heaven. As the Bible says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade,” (1 Peter 1:3). Because Jesus lives, you and I can walk in expectant hope of the abundant future we long for.

Easter is a perfect time to begin discovering more about the hope Jesus offers. This Easter at The Journey Church (next Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1), our theme will be “Finding Hope” as we kick off a five-part teaching series on how to experience joy, purpose, meaning, and – you guessed it – hope in our daily lives and careers. See our ad in this edition for service times and details. Plan to join me to learn how you can be filled with hope both in the midst of today’s trials and for a happy, fulfilling future. See you Sunday!

Jason Hatley is the lead pastor and Nelson Searcy is the founding pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton.  The Journey meets at Grandview Preparatory School (Spanish River Blvd near I-95) each Sunday at 9:30am and 11:00am, and will celebrate the Grand Opening of their brand-new permanent Ministry and Worship Center in Boca Raton in Summer 2018.   For more, visit www.BocaJourney.com. Each person who attends The Journey Church on Easter weekend will receive a free copy of the book “Unshakable: Standing Strong When Things Go Wrong” by Nelson Searcy.

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