Easter = Hope

In today's Easter morning sermon, my pastor talked about how Easter = Hope. In 1 Peter 1:3-4 it says, 'Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead....
When I was reading the news this morning there was a story about the Pope's Easter message. It said that Pope Benedict XVI sought to give a message of hope on Easter Sunday to victims of wars, poverty and financial turmoil, saying it was urgently needed to overcome the miseries that are plaguing Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the globe.
I was surprised on how negative and uninformed the comments to this story was. Here are a couple.
SOJJ said, "Funny how EASTER is all about the pope and not about the RETURN OF JESUS nor comments about that in the future!"

SOJJ also said, "This is quite backwards. The pope says EASTER
Jesus said,' Watch and be ready, I will come again and receive you'.
Our future is not about Jesus Birth, nor His death, But his return"

There were many other comments like this. I was amazed on how so many people do not understand the True meaning of Easter. Easter shows us how much God truly loves us. He sent His One and Only Son to die on the cross for our sins...Easter is the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.. This is the foundation of our faith. Jesus died so that we can be forgiven. He took the sins of our world and died and rose three days later..

There were three major points in today's sermon that I would like to share.
I There is always hope for us because Easter demonstrated that God is for Us. Romans 8:31-33 'What, then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?'
II There is lasting hope because Easter reveals the Poser of God's Forgiveness. Col 3:13-14 'Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.'
III There is hope because Easter demonstrates that Redemption is available. 2 Cor 5:17-19 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.

Easter is all about the Resurrection, the forgiveness of sins, Jesus dying on the cross, and yes HOPE.