Our Living Hope

 

It’s the first week in April and the Easter Bunny is back. More and more, Easter is the season the Bunny takes center stage as the resurrection of the Lamb of God is shifted to the side.

Don’t get me wrong—I love chocolate and jelly beans as much as the next person, probably more. I’ve enjoyed my share of egg hunts, Easter baskets, and nibbling the ears off milk-chocolate bunnies.

But we live in a world where despair is deepening and suicide attempts are increasing, even among children. The approach of Easter—the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ—is the perfect opportunity to communicate the living hope we have in Him.

 

The Need for Hope

A common objection to moving beyond chicks and chocolate is that there’s enough violence in our world without rehashing the dreadfulness of crucifixion. And  children—especially younger children—are too impressionable to be exposed to the horrors of such a violent death. Since they do not really understand the concept of death, how can they be expected to understand the concept of resurrection? It’s easier to talk about marshmallow chicks and chocolate bunnies. We reason there is time enough later to teach them the realities of Easter.

Our world is starved for hope. From the youngest child to the oldest adult, we need hope to take us beyond such things as failure, suffering, temptation, division, and guilt, all of which are experienced by children as well as adults.

The living hope provided by Jesus’ resurrection brings joy and peace (Rom. 15:13), and endurance, comfort, and confidence (1 Thess. 4:13). It’s a hope that does not disappoint (Rom. 5:5). And we could all use more of those things!

 

I Don’t Know How

You may think, “I’m not bold enough to share this with other adults nor am I creative enough to teach these things to children. Besides, isn’t that the job of pastors and Sunday school teachers?”

Sharing our living hope doesn’t require a particular job title. We can:

 

Rely on the Holy Spirit.

As we seek to share our faith with others, we’re not alone. God’s Holy Spirit indwells every Christian, equipping us with wisdom, discernment, and boldness. The more we rely on Him, the more we will see His power at work in us.

 

Share the reality of our own experience—our testimony.

We don’t need a Bible college degree to talk about how faith in Jesus Christ has changed our life. This can be as simple as, “I once was . . ., but after believing Christ died for me, I am now . . .”

 

Be relevant.

Ask questions to identify the other person’s frame of reference. Then “speak their language.” As you share with other adults, take time to learn about their struggles and meet them at their point of need.

For children, even the youngest child has felt sadness when he is separated from those he loves. We can tell about Jesus’s death and describe how sad His friends were because they thought they would never see Him again. Then we can describe their joy when they discovered He was alive. Instead of being overwhelmed by the sadness that accompanies death, the child learns about the confident hope and joy we have because Jesus is alive.

 

Use the Bible.

While many excellent resources are available to help us share our faith, nothing replaces God’s Word to tell of His salvation. Don’t underestimate the importance of using the Bible. Offer to open the Bible together to read about what God has done.

For children, schedule a daily time with your child to read together. Limit the time based on your child’s age and attention span.

 

With a little preparation and a willingness to step out of our comfort zone, we can communicate the truth of our living hope to the adults and children around us. The Easter Bunny is cute, but the Lamb of God brings living hope!