Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)]
When hunting with my friend Paul, he always reminds me beforehand about hunter’s hope –hope that we will take time to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of God’s creation, hope that we will see a deer, or a turkey, or whatever game we’re hunting that day, hope that we might even harvest an animal that day. Having this mindset can lead to greater anticipation and excitement. It helps to reduce the disappointment and hopelessness after a long day of not seeing anything, or not getting another opportunity after a bad miss.
On this Good Friday, consider the hopeless feeling that so many probably felt as they saw Jesus hanging on a cross, or heard of his death as the news spread. It is right to ponder the sorrow and despair that so many probably felt on that day. I’m sure that some didn’t understand that Sunday was coming! I believe it is also necessary to consider our own hopeless state without the cross of Christ.
But thanks be to God that we serve a risen Savior! We are born again as today’s passage states to a living hope. Let’s be mindful each day that Jesus Christ died once for us and is risen again! Just as hunter’s hope can bring great excitement and anticipation, we should be even more excited about our Living Hope – the resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ!
Submitted by Marcus Steury
