In the introduction to his book of reflections on the last words of Jesus from the cross, Jon Meacham wrote, “… in the midst of great suffering, Job proclaims a great faith: ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.’ If Job could know, then at least we can hope.”(1)
When I look at the news, I don’t find the kind of hope on which I’d rest my faith.
When I look at the church, I don’t find that kind of hope either.
Instead, in this time of pandemic, I hold with Meacham who ends his book this way:
“We know this much: In the shadow of the cross, hope – not certainty, and surely not fear – is the truth that endures despite all the pain and the heartbreak and all the tears.”
I offer Meacham’s words – as much as mine – to say that I find hope in Jesus, and I hope that you do, too. I put my trust in the Realm of God he proclaimed, his way of love, his saving death and resurrection.
I hope that those who I’ve loved and lost, those who I love and will lose in the future, and someday I – will give up hoping, and will truly know that our Redeemer lives, and that we will live with him.
(1) Jon Meacham, The Hope of Glory: Reflections on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross (Convergent Press – Advance Uncorrected Proof – 2020)
