Nothing to Fear
As I write, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is preparing for a rare press conference, in which a word or phrase, or even a gesture, may have the power to move financial markets. In these anxious times, everything from the Fed Chair’s choice of words to his facial expressions, his attire and even his posture could affect global markets! Imagine the power and influence of one who not only makes predictions about the financial future, but whose color of suit could actually change the mood and behavior of economies around the world!
At Easter, we celebrated one whose words of hope and life of love 2000 years ago, still have that kind of influence. When asked what the future holds, Jesus demonstrated by overcoming the sources of our anxiety. I hope for a brighter future, a stronger economy, and a cure for cancer. These are good hopes. But Christian hope isn’t mere wishful thinking. We don’t say, “I hope that God will destroy the forces of anxiety.” We say defiantly to those forces, “God has already destroyed you!” In the cross and empty tomb, we’ve already seen what “tomorrow” holds – and there is nothing to fear.
1 Peter 1:3 tells us that, in the resurrection of Christ, we are given a new birth into a living hope. Knowing the future – how it will all turn out – what might you do differently for God, what risks might you now take for God. We have a lot of good hopes, but many are built on fears – fears of failing, fears of losing, fears of dying. As those with a living hope, we may have confidence and certainty that the God who overcame our fear of death, will also overcome our fear of living.
Pastor Leonard
