Faith for Tough Times

For the Chimes Newsletter
By Pastor Gary Lewis

Easter Sunday is a message of hope in tough times. The disciples were scattered and afraid after Jesus’ crucifixion. For three long days it seemed their world had crashed down all around them. Even Peter, the designated leader, “the rock,” had denied even knowing Christ. In fact, he denied Jesus three times.

Cowering in fear, there’s very little doubt that the followers of Christ were looking over their shoulders for the authorities. If they crucified a sinless Jesus, it was a sure thing they would be crucified too. Matthew 28 is one of the four Gospel accounts of that first Easter Sunday.

Some women, who were followers of Jesus, show up at the tomb. They come there expecting to find the body of Jesus. They arrive with anointing oil and spices and they were going to prepare the body for long term burial. There wasn’t anything highly unusual about this trip. Although it was a somber ritual, it was a way for them to show their love for Jesus.

When they arrived the massive stone at the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away. There was an angel outside. This is where the story picks up in Matthew 28:5: “Then the angel spoke to the women, ‘Don’t be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn’t here. He has risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come see where his body was lying.’”

The first thing the angel said was “Don’t be afraid.” Scholars have concluded there are about 365 references in the Bible to “don’t be afraid” or “fear not.” Why did the angel say that to these early followers of Jesus? Well, if you went to a tomb expecting to see a body and the body wasn’t there all sorts of things would probably cross your mind. And most of those thoughts would send a chill down your spine. So there’s a practical reason why the angel said “don’t be afraid.”

If you go back three days prior, though, there’s another reason. On Good Friday, Jesus, the Lord, was arrested. In just a matter of a few hours, he was arrested, tried, crucified, dead and buried. Now, these women at the tomb might have thought their life was in danger at that very moment. So this angel said – “don’t be afraid.”

Don’t be afraid because the resurrection had changed everything. Easter teaches us a powerful lesson about having faith in tough times. A casual look at the economy, the on-going conflict in Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq and the unfolding disaster in Japan tells us we are living in a period of tough times. We need a strong dose of faith to overcome our fears.

Think about it. The Bible tells us the resurrection transformed the lives of the early church. Peter goes from being a denier of Christ to become the pillar of the new Christian church. The resurrection can change you, too.
Maybe you are facing some tough times. In the weeks following Easter we are going to look at where can I find faith to stand when things go sour? How do you face doubt with faith? How do you faith failure with faith? How do you face illness with faith? And then ultimately, how do you face death, itself, with faith?

Maybe you need an infusion of Easter faith in your life. This is going to be a great time to invite your friends, family and neighbors to Easter at First United Methodist Church. Make an effort to show God’s amazing love to the people you care about. Invite them to worship and I promise to share with them the Good News that ordinary people like us can overcome adversity in tough times. The story of Easter still resonates with a clarion call of hope.