Hope for a fucked up world

"This ol' world's too fucked up for any firstborn son" - Changes Come Over the Rhine


Absolutely love this song at this moment. First heard of Over the Rhine last summer when I got the chance to hear them live. This song was incredible. Mulling over this line this Easter Sunday.

Do I really believe that there is hope? Real, tangible, solid hope. Or is it one of my many super idealistic notions that don't fit reality? I mean I believe, sure. Why wouldn't I believe? It sounds great, right. God comes down to be death in our place. He is graphically slaughtered for all of humanity and we send cute little cards and play with colored plastic eggs. Yeah that makes all the sense in the world. I guess it would be a little easier to get my mind around if I actually saw others living out the resurrected life that follows ultimate death. I look around and I see a few, a small hand full of disgruntled soldiers trying to worship. But mostly I see a people that Jesus would crucify or would crucify him....maybe both.

I normally don't read the news. I find it way too depressing and depersonalized. Tragic stories of people I don't know and most likely will never meet. I gain my news from face to face interaction. If some national or international event stirs me I go and experience the events for myself. This is what I did when I went down to New Orleans after Katrina. I only watched one brief clip when it first occurred and it hit me so hard that I was down within six months and then spent a summer down there. This is not to brag, just to make the point that I don't watch the news. Like I said it's depressing. I can look at my own life if I want conformation to how fucked up this world is. Just for kicks I went to CNN and read the 5 top headlines.

1. 5 dead in Florida boating accident, official says
2. Family of suspect in Cantu slaying in shock
3. Thai riot police clash with protesters 7 min
4. Polar bear mauls woman at Berlin Zoo
5. Fewer children up for adoption in China

Sad huh? Pathetically sad. And the church wants me to put on a plastic face and pretend that everything is fine because today the Easter Bunny showed up after a nation was waiting for Santa to put money under their pillow for being good little boys and not hitting their sisters, or something to that effect.

I just don't buy it. The world has real pain, real wounds. Death, disease, hopelessness, suffering, famine, greed, lust, poverty. And that is just in my city, what of the rest of the world? Do I just forget about them like I forget about the guy living next to me?

Or does Easter present some kind of deeper hope in humanity?

Like I said, I want to think so. I really do, cause I don't think that I could stand too much more of this life. So I challenge any readers out there to do something along with me. If there are any like me that want to believe spend the next week pondering the lives of the disciples before and after the first Easter. Something changed drastically in their lives and that is the something that I am longing for. Their passion, their zeal is one of the main driving forces in my life. I need to be reminded of this. Join me in this search for truth if you dare.