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Commentary
GEN-X RISING: Hope in a world of worry Andrew C. Thompson, Apr 8, 2009
Andrew C. Thompson
By Andrew C. Thompson UMR Columnist
Easter is upon us. And we need its message of hope and resurrection now more than ever.
In the midst this world of trouble, we recall once again the promise given to us through Jesus’ resurrection: that “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
Those words convey a power to us that finds its origin in Jesus and hence, offers us the ability to overcome obstacles that we never could on our own. More than conquerors.
The gospel story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is bookended by a profound word of reassurance. When the angel Gabriel visits Mary to tell her she will conceive and bear a son, he calms her fright with the words, “Do not be afraid.”
Those words are repeated to Joseph when he receives his own angelic visit. And they are spoken again to the shepherds in the fields on the night of Jesus’ birth.
The message each time says in effect: “Yes, God is doing a revolutionary new thing. But this is a cause for joy and anticipation, not fear.”
Then on Easter morning, an angel again comes down to meet the frightened women at the empty tomb. “Do not be afraid,” the angel says in Matthew 28:5 before sending them back to preach the Good News to the disciples.
So at both the Incarnation and the Resurrection, God’s message to us is the same: You have no reason to fear.
These words of reassurance are always helpful in a world that can be frankly frightening to us. With our present economic turmoil, they are needed more than ever.
By now all of us have been touched directly by the recession in some way. Some have lost their jobs or have had family members who have been laid off.
For many older people, the stock market’s precipitous fall has led to a scary loss in their retirement accounts. And the government bailout of the auto, insurance and banking sectors means that we’re all on the hook for a quickly rising national debt.
Recent reports show a contracting economy and a rising unemployment rate. We all hope those trends will reverse soon. But in the meantime, you can’t help but be a little afraid about what is going on around us.
In one of the most popular Easter hymns of all time, Charles Wesley writes,
Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
At first glance those words might appear to be just a statement about life after death. And if it were only that, it would still be a beautiful testament to the hope we all have in Christ Jesus.
But that can’t be all it means, because Methodist teaching has always held that salvation begins here and now, when the grace of Christ starts to renew us from within.
The way Charles’ brother John put it was to say, “I believe God implants righteousness in everyone to whom he has imputed it.” In other words, God doesn’t just forgive you so that you can go to heaven. Rather, God’s power actually transforms you here in this life. So as we grow in Christ, we begin to see the world with new eyes.
Made like him, like him we rise.
We rise above the fear with which economic uncertainty grips us.
We rise above the temptation to think about housing markets and stock indices as the real gauges of value in our lives.
And we rise above the base impulse to look out only for ourselves when our neighbor is in need.
Transformed within, we can see and act differently without. We can even be more than conquerors through him who loved us, died on the cross and was raised on the third day.
Andrew C. Thompson
