Vantage Point
Life can be filled with confusion and incompleteness without the full picture. Often, I have no idea why God does what God does. All I know is that there are countless forces telling us to give up. Voices tell us that the task in front of us is too cumbersome. Some say that a better world is out of reach. Perhaps most accurately, people are notoriously pessimistic. As our societal problems compound, the more difficult it becomes to find hope. To be sure, there is a lot in the world to be concerned about. There is a lot of justice work yet to be done. A lot more prayer and a whole lot more love is needed. The appropriate response is surely not to burry our head in the sand or to automatically grab our rose-colored glasses. However, as followers of Christ and clingers to the Resurrection, we have a different vantage point.
Take a nice long look at the image above. Understand how much perspective can change when we see things in a new way and are able to view the full picture. Do you see the corner of that building? That corner is the Resurrection. The death and Resurrection of Christ fills us with hope that there is indeed a corner to turn that contains something left to be seen. The forces at work to prevent us from turning that corner are not of God. That which keeps us from dreaming and crushes our hope is not Godly. Anything that benefits from our fear is not of God. My sisters and brothers, turn the corner! Know the Good News of the Resurrection. Believe that there is a bigger picture and that God is at work.
I know what you’re thinking, “Pastor...you’re too hopeful.” To which I reply, “Now you’re gettin’ it!” Hope and optimism are two different things. Hope is a claim about the future. Optimism is a claim about the present. As Christians, we do not change our reality or ignore our brokenness, but we choose to envision something better. To be a Christian is to strive for the aspirational. To live more like Christ is to aim toward our fullest potential, even if unachievable.
The Church has an opportunity in front of us to be the hope that the world so desperately needs. We are not doomed. God is alive and well. God is working in the hearts of billions of people. God is working in your heart! I believe that because that is what is means to believe in the Gospel. People are inherently good because people are created by God. It’s when sin, death, and darkness loom large that hope is needed more than ever. Cling to the promises of the Resurrection. Hold fast to claim that new life is occurring all around us everyday. This life is one of abundance, grace, and unending hope.
Looking anew,
Pr. Lucas McSurley
