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Despite recent bus crash tragedy, there is hope

"Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.
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"Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song." Pope John Paul II

Being married to a Catholic, I have quickly learned that there's more to the year's calendar than the exotic nature photos or Far Side comics (depending on your ilk). Following the liturgical calendar has been an excellent way of reflecting on and participating in the life of Christ and history of the church. I now appreciate being chastised for wishing people "Happy Easter" on Good Friday. Leading up to the day celebrating Pentecost, the Easter season is 50 days long. I should mention, I walked in on First Baptist setting up their Easter celebration last Saturday as they seek to participate in the celebration of the church calendar (not all Protestants have been as calendar insensitive as me).

I have been dwelling on this idea of being an Easter People. What does it mean to be a church that has hope in what is dead coming to life? "In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..." (1 Peter 1:3). There is a living hope that believers of Christ have because of Easter, because of the resurrection of Christ. It's a bold claim to be certain and yet Paul reminds us that, "if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." (1 Corinthians 15:14). There isn't any sugar coating the audacious claims of Christians during the Easter season. We believe in the resurrection of the dead. The grave does not have the final say.

I just finished reading the sermon shared by the Humboldt Broncos team pastor. If you read Sean Brandow's honest and moving sermon you can hear both deep grief and deep hope. The sharp pains and strange comfort to those hold both the images of the suffering Christ and the empty tomb as their logos. The grave does not have the final say. Even if the resurrection doesn't take place within the time frames of our neat church calendars, or many rotations of our regular ones.

Even a cursory glance at John Paul II's life would show that if any had reason to abandon themselves to despair, it was him. He looked above myopic worldviews and lived a life truly defined by a hopeful, Easter vision.

1 Peter carries on from verse 3 talking of, "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade." The messages speaking light in the midst of darkness or hope in the midst of despair would be mere platitudes if it were not true... If Christ was not raised, your faith is useless.

I am only two weeks away from welcoming my firstborn into the world (and thus my last article for a while). For their sakes I am committed to a life of hope. I am committed to embracing the difficult, joyous truth of the resurrection. In whatever situation you find yourself today, even if you don't feel you are experiencing new life, do not abandon yourself to despair, Christ is risen.

Hallelujah.