Will we be ok?

People keep asking me, in so many words, "are we going to be ok?" And I just don't know how to answer that question.

We may not be. Some of us certainly WILL not be. I have no hope for the immanent systems of human scheming. Sometimes bigotry gets its way. Death will certainly rise up, give its battle cry, and put the 'least of these' on crosses.

But my deepest (though elusive) hope has never been to avoid death. The hope set forth in the gospel of Jesus Christ is resurrection hope—hope that even if we are not "ok," we may yet find fellowship with the crucified God and share in Christ's resurrection.

So, no. We may not be ok. In fact, we are called to stand alongside those who are DEFINITELY not ok. We may see death do its worst to us. But we do not have to fear, because even where hate achieves its victory, love endures. Our hope is not that justice will prevail, but that Christ will be raised from the dead. Our hope is not that human beings will make better choices, but that God will rescue us from sin. Our hope is not that the poor will become rich, but that God will lift up the lowly. Our hope is not that people will be kind to one another, but that God's lovingkindness will be everlasting.

Our hope is that in our NOT being ok, God is with us and God will get the last word... and that word will be the same as the first word: LOVE.