But it is clear that God has a future in store for Israel beyond what might otherwise be mistaken for the end. This close linkage of despair and hope is at the core of our own Holy Week. The story descends deep into the despair of Christ s suffering, denial and death, forsaken by all even his God. On Friday, when the sky turns black, the whole land is a desolation. The despair is overwhelming and all-encompassing.
Hope is, quite literally, dead.
Yet, somehow, it is not a full end. On Sunday the women go and see . . . and find the stone rolled away . . . and run to tell that Jesus is not dead and gone, but risen and ahead. Then the followers are slowly convinced, blown over and set alight by the Holy Spirit, moved to rejoicing, empowered by deep hope, becoming a church that is born through risking its life for the sake of God s promised future a future already taking shape in its surprising life together. I am pondering what this might have to do with us, here, now, when an e-mail arrives. I do wish there was a faith-based group that really took on these issues, felt the full weight of the threat and responded appropriately.