A young man was walking through a park. He noticed a very elderly man sitting on a bench, crying. “Can I help you?” the young man asked. “You seem to be in distress. Is something wrong at home?” The old guy shook his head and replied, “No, everything at home is fine. I have a beautiful house. I have two new cars and a built-in swimming pool. I have a gorgeous 30-year-old wife. She’s a superb cook, treats me like a king, and loves me madly.” The young man asked, “They why are you crying?” The old man replied, “I can’t remember where my home is!”

That poor man had misplaced his home. Maybe some of us can relate to his shaky memory. But do you know what’s even worse than to misplace your home? It’s to misplace your hope. Sometimes we put our hope in the wrong things. Many people put their hope in Powerball. Or in fancy homes, nice cars, hefty bank accounts, secure pensions, spouses, friends, and other things of this world. We hope for a good life, for good health, for good luck in this world.

Hopes like those can fade fast, can’t they? They fade. They fail. Such hopes are misplaced hopes, ultimately.

On Easter morning, there was a group of men and women whose hopes had crashed and burned. Jesus, their leader and friend, was crucified, killed, buried. Their hope was dead, because Jesus was dead in a tomb. But then came the message of the angels, about the Lord’s resurrection. Soon they saw Jesus with their own eyes. Their Savior was alive! And their hope was alive, as well!

Where is your hope today? St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”  Is your hope only in the things of this life? Are you counting on health, wealth, success, and peace? I hope you get all those things, but let’s not misplace our hope. The message of Easter is for you today. Put your hope in the living Christ! He will never, ever let you down! Christ Jesus defeated death and rose up from the grave, and so there is hope for our lives and hope for eternal life! In Jesus, we Christians have the best reason of all to have hope.

In Christ,

Pastor Wayne Puls