Easter Hope

Pastor Scott's Latest Wesley Chapel Times Article

“…those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles…”

--- Isaiah 40:31

Dear Friends,

I had my first airplane ride at 10 years old. It was not a jet, but a little island hopping Ford Trimotor plane from the 1930s. My dad and I were taking our bicycles for a ride around South Bass Island in Lake Erie. The fastest way to get there at the time was to ride one of these old airplanes that made periodic trips back and forth to that island every day. I was scared stiff.

I remember my stomach in knots at the roar of the engine rumbling through the cabin, how I grasped the armrests with all my strength when the whole plane shook and the wings actually flapped as we lifted into the air. I kept looking over at my dad for any signs of panic, but he looked calm and elated. When he turned and smiled at me, I knew we must be ok. Only then could I look out the window, marvel at the tiny figures on the land and the sunshine on the water.

An airplane is a sign of Easter hope to me -- a miracle that defies gravity, taking us into the beyond. This February, the poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti passed away. Many people on the internet have been sharing a particular poem of his called Little Airplanes of the Heart. It begins: “The little airplanes of the heart with their brave little propellers, what can they do against the wind of darkness?” It turns out that, like butterflies, they can fold their wings and hide until the dangers of the storm blow over. And then, “they flutter forth again into the new-blown light…”

When Jesus stepped out of the tomb, Easter hope was born into the world. Despite our fears and doubt, He comes to lift our hearts so they can rise again like airplanes once the storm blows over. May God grant you Easter hope all year round!