When Fear gives way to Life!
When I was young, the only thing I feared at this time of year was the possibility that my dad would not pull through with a Darrell Lea Nougat Egg. Life was pretty good but it’s not that way for everyone. Many live in constant fear and our hearts continue to go out to those in Ukraine and other war-torn places throughout the world. But you don’t need to live in chaos to be afraid.
Usually, fear grips us when we don’t know what is coming or when we know that could come will be disastrous. We can never really know how circumstances will play out so we often find ourselves afraid and at risk. To that end, most of us prefer to be in control so we don’t have to worry about what might happen!
But it’s not just moments and circumstances that can cause fear - there is something bigger; even death. Many live life in fear of death itself; others live in fear because if this life is all there is, and they don’t make the most of it or can’t make the most of it or waste it or are forced to waste it, then they miss out. I suppose, if you live just for this world, then right now there is much to be afraid of.
Well, no matter what you fear, Easter is a game changer; the resurrection is a game changer. The resurrection announces to a world worried about life now that this life is not all there is. The resurrection announces that death is no longer something to be feared but that death is a gateway to life. Indeed, Jesus says that all those who come and trust in him, will have life to the full now and life everlasting.
So here’s the thing, if your hope and security are just in what you can see and touch you ought to be in fear - but the good news is, life does not need to be lived like that.
There is more to life. Grasping hold of “the now” as ultimate will always disappoint, because our world is broken, wounded and troubled. We usually don’t need to look too far beyond our own families and relationships to see that we live in a world constantly fractured by selfishness and ill-spoken words. Our selfishness and our ill-spoken words.
But, Easter can be good news for you; because in the resurrection of Jesus, God draws near to you and calls you to see the world the right way up. To grab hold of Christ who at the cross bore your mistakes and failures, bore them away to death and then rose to show that he bore them away forever. He rose to declare that you can be right with God, that the gateway to eternal life can be opened to you and that you can have the life that is truly life.
Trusting Jesus doesn’t mean you’ll never again be afraid. Rather, trusting Jesus helps you respond to life’s troubles wisely and to fear with perspective because your future is secure. For no matter what happens in this life, God has got you and he has prepared for all who will trust in Him something so much better. At the end of the Bible we read that there is a time coming when there will be no more death or mourning or dying or pain for the old order of things will have passed away.
We live in fear if we live with the old order, this world, the now, as our focus front and centre. But you can live with the certain hope of something new if you live with Jesus and his resurrection as your focus for life. That’s the Easter promise.
