“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things…”

So says Andy Defresne to Red (Morgan Freeman), in the Shawshank Redemption. Red has spent most of his adult life in prison, been denied parole on many occasions, and has given up hope.

Many of you reading this feel the same. You’ve been waiting and waiting for an answer to prayer, for God to step into your situation and change it – but He hasn’t – and you’re on the brink of giving up hope.

This Easter we’re going to reflect on keeping our hope alive when everything seems against it, and we’ll be considering things like:

• What is hope?
• Does “all things working together for good” really mean all things?
• What does it mean to be joyful in the middle of pain?

On the first Good Friday, Jesus’ followers had given up hope, but the following Sunday, their despair gave way to joy.

I want to encourage you this Easter to not give up hope.

As Andy Defresne said, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

Pastor Rob