Living Hope

John 20:19-31

When it comes to biggest fears, public speaking often shows up as a common fear. It’s hard to speak confidently to others when we’re afraid of messing up or our message not being received. It can be even harder to speak confidently to others about Jesus- afraid of how our words might sound or be received. Often, it feels easier not to say anything. Thankfully, we

don’t speak with our human confidence, but with the confidence of Christ- confidence in his resurrection, his power, his washing away of our sins. Armed with his confidence, we can tell others about him without fear or doubt.

Revelation 19:11-16

Ascension always stresses that Christ rules over everything for the benefit of this Church. But Revelation 19 stresses what that King is like now. It’s perhaps not what most listeners picture in their minds. All have seen artistic renderings of him. Perhaps it’s Jesus holding lambs. Perhaps it’s Jesus with little children. Perhaps it’s Jesus on the cross. But likely, none of them have this picture in Revelation 19 —Jesus as The Rider. Yet, this is exactly the image John’s readers needed to see. They were undergoing ferocious persecution. These believers needed to know that this is the one who is seated on the throne, reigning over all things for their benefit. Still

today God’s people need to know that Christ has ascended, and for those who are in Christ, Jesus is as gentle and caring as a shepherd. But for those who would harm Christ’s people, this is the Jesus they shall meet.

John 16:16-24

Conventional wisdom says that joy is a direct result of circumstance. Our disposition is nothing more than a product of the events, conditions, and relationships of which our life consists. Therefore, it would seem that for our disposition to change, our circumstances need to change. But Jesus offers us a joy that is superior. It is not a product of circumstance; it's a product of Easter. Easter proves that God can take what normally causes people to weep and turn it into what causes people to rejoice. Sin, death, and shame went into Jesus' tomb. Forgiveness, life, and glory came out. Our risen Savior gives us a joy that remains constant in the highest of life's highs and the lowest of life's lows. It is a joy that can never be taken from us.

John 21:1-14

In John 21 Jesus makes a resurrection appearance to his disciples for the third time. It might seem like they’d have gotten the picture by now, Jesus is alive! But the little details in this resurrection appearance show just how big of an impact Jesus’ resurrection had on his disciples’ everyday lives, their relationship with Him, and their work of spreading the gospel. The resurrection does the same for us today as we get to see the whole story of the Bible better and the story of our own lives better too.

John 10:22-30

On Mother’s Day we recognize that a mother knows best. It takes us awhile in life to realize that, generally, life is better when we follow our mother's wisdom. Our Good Shepherd, Jesus, cares for us and knows what’s best for us in an even deeper way than our mothers do. We will see life better when we understand our shepherd’s care for us and as we come to know and trust his voice. Listen to your shepherd’s voice and follow him. He’ll give you what no other shepherd can give you—eternal life.

1 Corinthians 15:54-58

From the moment that God started the progression of time, there has existed a certain pressure on getting things done. The existence of time makes it so that things are either done, in a state of being done, or still not done. This is an uncomfortable truth, because it means we are living in a constant state of needing to do more. Things in life always feel at least a little bit incomplete. Even if you finish one thing there’s always something else to do next. There’s a pressure death gives to everything in this life.

Jesus’ resurrection from death has direct and profound effects on this version of the status quo. Because he got the big thing DONE, our struggles with the little things are given new and hope-filled perspective.

1 Peter 1:13-21

1 Peter 1:13-21 contains many references to knowing, to ignorance, and to revelation. All of them are connected to Christ, crucified and risen. This knowledge does more than just make us more intelligent – it transforms us, and everything else we know becomes subject to it. We don’t need to proceed in ignorance. We can proceed with understanding from the Word that creates faith. We come to better understand our position in life and we come to better understand our position before God. Best of all, we come to understand just how much our

God loves us and gives up for us.

1 Peter 1:3-12

Sometimes hope can cloud observation. Sometimes hoping for a certain outcome can blind us to reality. There are times in life when we need to be realistic not blindly optimistic.

But Easter is not one of those times. At Easter, all our hopes are made concrete by the physical resurrection of our Savior—the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to us. On Easter, Christ’s empty tomb is the place where hope and observation collide.

Luke 19:28-44

You can look at your life in all kinds of ways. There is no limit to the number of approaches people take when they view their world. The truth is, though, that only one way can be best. Unfortunately, considering how you view your world may not be the central issue for you today. Despite the truth of the concept that there’s probably a better way to look at life, the reality is that most people aren’t thinking about the way they view the world at all. As such, they end up feeling as though purpose, hope, and truth are hidden, unattainable things.

So, today, ask a simple question: Can the way you look at the world actually bring you peace?

Luke 13:1-9

The heavenly Father is always present in the lives of his children. He sees every sorrow we endure. He also sees every sin that we commit, even if it’s only in our thoughts. He is always present. Yet, he is also always patient. God does not snap at us the second we turn from him. He gives us time to see the error of our ways. He assures us that the door back to him remains always open. By giving us room to share our struggles and shortcomings, he works in us the very repentance he desires and saves us from the judgement that would otherwise be ours.