Posted on: Saturday, March 26, 2005

EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH

By H. Murray Hohns

Have you ever felt forsaken? That no one really cares about the difficulty, the hurt, the horror you face? Have you ever felt abandoned? That there is no hope?

We all live through moments like these. It's part of living in a broken world. Indeed it was the brokenness of our world that caused the son of God to bear that forsakenness on the cross one cold dark blustery afternoon so many years ago.

Most of us are aware that although he could have summoned legions of angels to his rescue, Jesus instead chose to give up his life for us and our sin. In that death, Jesus was forsaken by the Father who looked away as the sinless son of man, guilty of no more than confrontation with error and misunderstanding, suffered the ignominy and shame of a cursed death on a tree outside the city wall.

As the savior's life slid away, a number of strange things happened. The curtain that separated the holiest part of Herod's temple from the common part tore in half, there was an earthquake in which rocks were broken, and most amazingly, graves opened themselves and gave up their dead, holy men of old, who went into the city and appeared to many.

These phenomena were followed by a violent earthquake a day and a half later during which an angel came down and rolled back the stone sealing the grave of the savior who had already risen, removed his grave clothes and could not be held a moment longer. Death was defeated. The savior had risen, risen indeed, and he was alive forever more.

He first appeared as he arose to a relative few, but now he has appeared to hundreds of millions all over the world — a number so vast it cannot be counted. Each of those who number these hundreds of millions cannot be forsaken since Jesus bore their forsakenness on the tree. If you belong to Jesus, you cannot be forsaken.

The Easter season is the ideal time of the year to ask Jesus to become your savior. I invite you to taste and see the wonder of a God who loved you so that he gave his only son for you. You will find that this Easter Sunday will be the brightest warmest day you have ever lived as all things will become new and you will live forever with a new heart.

H. Murray Hohns of Makiki is a retired engineer and an associate pastor at New Hope Christian Fellowship. Expressions of Faith welcomes articles from leaders in faith and spirituality. Write to faith@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 525-8035. Articles may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.