“Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?
He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead.”
– Luke 24:5-6

What sports fan doesn’t enjoy a great comeback? A ninth inning grand slam disappearing into a sea of screaming fans to bring your team back from certain defeat. A Hail Mary pass finding its target in the end zone as the final seconds tick off the clock. A half court buzzer beater swishing through the net as the horn sounds sending a packed arena into hysteria. On the baseball diamond, there is always a glimmer of hope until the final out is made. In a tight football or basketball game, we don’t give up on our team until the last second on the clock has expired. Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Maybe we have experienced a great comeback in the past and we hope to witness a repeat performance. Maybe we just love our team so much that we simply refuse to give up on them until the game ends. Hope sustains us until all hope is gone.

There is no greater comeback in the history of mankind than Jesus’ resurrection. Some people of Jesus’ day saw Him as a radical and a troublemaker. Others viewed Him as a lunatic making outlandish claims about who He was. Yet to another segment of people Jesus was hope. They desired nothing more for Him than to be the King, the Messiah for whom they had been waiting so long. His life was filled with controversy, unexplained miracles and fear. His final week on earth was a whirlwind of great expectation and complete despair. His trial, crucifixion and death on the cross left followers confused and hopeless. The game was over. But wait, God was orchestrating a comeback for the ages. He was not going to turn His back on His people. In three short days, we are taken from a hopeless Calvary to a hopeful empty tomb. Jesus is alive! Nothing can hold Him back. Nothing can defeat Him, not even death. All hope is not gone. God has given us unending hope and His name is Jesus.

Lord God, thank You for giving me hope through Your Son Jesus Christ. As I go through this day, help me to live out the life He modeled.  Amen.