Hope
/By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. - 1 Peter 1:4
Even though I’m writing this on a very rainy and gray day, I’ve noticed that simply now being in the season of Easter has boosted my spirits. This last Lent was the “Lentiest Lent I’ve ever Lented,” to borrow the words of a colleague of mine. And although the world situation seems no less chaotic today than it was last week, and even though I can’t get out to walk in the sunshine and birdsongs, I feel more hopeful nonetheless.
I’ve got to chalk this up to the power of Easter. I’ve lived through so many Holy Week cycles, I know well that Easter always arrives - and here it is! There is something very hopeful about this, even as the world remains in sorrow and trouble, and even though I also know that Lent will inevitably return once again.
As Peter wrote in his letter, this is a mercy. The resurrection story bolsters us through hardship, birthing us into a new sense of hope. We are the faithful people of this transformative story, and we know, deep in our bones, the truth of it. After every dark night comes morning. After every crisis comes recovery. Even after death, new life is born.
Alleluia! we proclaim in Lent. The Lord is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Some years, perhaps, we can say those familiar phrases in the midst of joyful celebration, community and confidence all around. This year, we say them more with determination, asserting this truth even in the midst of a time of worry, isolation and doubt. For we know that Christ has risen over and over, and will continue to rise, and is even now risen in us.
