This is Pastor Tim’s Article which appeared in the Evening Leader on Tuesday, April 11
I don’t think it is any coincidence that Easter is celebrated during our spring. Yes, I know that the historic context of Easter is Passover, but there is something to spring and the concept of resurrection that just seems to go together. Renewal and Resurrection are central themes to Christianity. Few experiences in this world personify that more than the world waking up after the winter shut down. The end of winter and the coming of spring are not quite as awesome as the hope of resurrection to eternal life, but it is definitely in second place. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate winter?
We are certainly at a dark point in our world today. Yes, there have undoubtedly been worse times to live through. The black plague, either of the World Wars, or the Great Depression would have been far worse than the conditions we live in today.
But our current age has one thing that those other eras did not have. Today, people are suffering from a lack of hope. I believe what has brought humanity through every trial and challenge we have ever faced has been the distinctly human capacity to have hope. My fear is the light of hope is going out. One symptom of this lack of hope is the modern-day phenomenon of going to public places to commit violence against innocent people who had nothing to do with the grievances of the shooter. We read think-pieces and listen to talking heads ponder about whether it is the prevalence of guns or the oppression of tradition that cause people to choose violence. I don’t think that either of those issues are the problem.
I believe the most dangerous threat we face today is the inability to define hope. What is it? We don’t have a culturally accepted definition of what hope is. What makes me hopeful might be oppressive to you, and what you see as hopeful might be harmful to me. Without the ability to agree on a single definition of hope, we have no way to teach our children and the upcoming generations how to be optimistic about the future.
Let me give you an example. In generations past, many people found their hope in Jesus. The power of the Gospel and the nurturing and caring of a church family is what gave hope to countless generations of people. Today, Christianity is considered toxic by some and irrelevant to others. Others want to find hope in self-definition through lived experience. The problem with that is by definition, you and I have different lived experiences. We see the world differently based on where we have been in the world. That difference easily becomes a divide. You will not allow my definition of hope to be taught and I will not accept your definition of hope.
So, we settle on a compromise: find your own hope and look wherever you want. The problem with such an individualized hope like that is it is hard to form a community around it. In order for hope to work, it needs a support system. Therein lies the problem. The internet has given people with any definition of hope the ability to form communities. There is no longer a community of people you know who come together for mutual accountability and growth. Now I can go to any social network in cyberspace and find people who will support whatever I want.
This has replaced hope with validation. These two concepts are not the same thing; in fact, they can be enemies of each other. During hard times, hope will persevere so long as it is nurtured. Validation vanishes during hard times, which means it is not there when you most need it. The apostle Paul said it best: Three things will last forever–faith, hope, and love–and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). These are the guiding principles of living a hopeful life. Validation destroys these things and does nothing for you when the world turns against you.
During Easter, we rightfully spend a lot of time talking about the hope of the resurrection. However, I think that in our day and age, we need to experience the resurrection of hope.