The movie, The Matrix describes a world where the nature of reality is put into question.  It’s a world taken over by computers that keep humans in bondage by creating a false reality in their minds. People think they’re living the life of their dreams, but it’s all illusion.   A few humans have crossed over — they see the truth — in one scene, Morpheus, the leader of those who see the truth, has contacted Neo, a man still deceived…

“Let me tell you why you’re here,” says Morpheus. “you’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain…  But you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life. That there’s something wrong with the world.  You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me.”

Isn’t that what Easter is all about?  We come to church because we know something.  We can’t explain it, but we feel it.  Something is wrong with the world.  There has to be something more…

It’s the rumors of hope whispering on the winds of your soul.

But Jesus isn’t interested in letting us settle for rumors of hope.  2000 years ago, a group of people put all their hope in a rabbi named Jesus. He was filled with truth and life and joy, an unshakeable faith in his father that was so real, it was contagious… they began to believe that they could trust in him, put their hearts in his hands, let him guide their lives and fix their hearts.  And people began to hope.  As John Ortberg writes,

Lepers started to hope that they could be cleansed and prostitutes began to hope that they could be pure.  And crooked tax collectors, who were despised, started to hope that they could be honest. And the blind started to hope that they could see. The lame started to hope that they could walk. Sinners started to hope that they could be right with God. And lonely people started to hope that they could be loved. And weak people started to hope that they could be strong. Because you cannot get around Jesus very much… and not start hoping.

People started following this hope-filled Jesus…but the religious leaders didn’t like this and eventually in desperation they had Jesus arrested, fixed the jury, and hung him on a cross to die. And when he died, those who followed him thot their hope had died with him. They thought the tomb had been shut on their hope forever… But then one day, Jesus showed up on a seven mile stretch of road from Jerusalem to Emmaus.   (Luke 24). I think he did it to remind us…that he will chase us for as long as it takes — till we recognize him as the giver of hope…

If you want to hear the whole hope message, click