More than two thousand years ago, Jesus gave His followers another kind of forecast. One they should have known they could be certain of. But things in their world got dark and scary really fast, and they lost their grip on that hope-filled forecast. Things didn’t play out the way they expected and as a result, they didn’t know what they could believe. Was it all a waste? Or, even worse, a lie? Had they been duped?

Today, on this side of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we know beyond any doubt that Jesus is risen, the power of sin and death has been broken, and that we have real hope. We know it, but do we really believe it? It’s easy to get overwhelmed by dark and discouraging circumstances in our world. And we tend to forget the hope that is irreversibly ours; that we can believe the best, even when things look dark.

I invite you to join us this Easter Sunday as we celebrate together and remind one another of the invincible HOPE that we have because the grave is empty and Jesus is alive!