Hope wins

For those of you who have been watching the news, you know that things have been rather eventful in Chapel Hill. Early Wednesday morning, a woman was found dead near the edge of campus, shot several times. On Thursday morning, the body was identified as Eve Marie Carson, a senior from Georgia, outgoing Student Body President for UNC-Chapel Hill.

The campus has been pretty much in shock, as the news is just starting to settle in... Eve was well-beloved on campus, and the shock of her death is painful and raw. Campus has been filled with grief, shock, anger, questions, fear, and sadness...

And I must admit, it makes me angry as well.

- It makes me angry that a 22-year old with so much promise could fall victim to a senseless crime.

- It makes me angry that Eve will not be able to graduate with her class in 2 months.

- It makes me angry that her murderer had the power to commit such a crime.

But these events also makes me sad...

Sad because the majority of the campus is forced to deal with this tragedy without hope. All of us together, Christians and non alike, can look at a situation like this and see that something is wrong. This is not how things were meant to be; death is a stark reminder of that fact.

We live in a world which is fundamentally broken. Broken because death has free reign. Broken because sin dominates. Broken.

But as Christians, we have the hope that this brokenness is not the final word. While sin and death might have power now, they do not have eternal longevity. Our God is a God who redeems that which is broken. Jesus was sent to the world for the very pains that we are feeling now. The good news, the gospel hope, which we as Christians have is this: Hope wins. Brokenness, death, and sin, are limited in their longevity.

Eve's death was wrong. It is not good in any way, shape, or form. But our God is a God who redeems what is broken... who offers hope that this is not the end...who proclaims the good news to all who can hear... The very first sermon that Jesus preached when He came to earth was from Isaiah 61:1-3... it is the good news that was true then, and is true now. This is our reason for hope:

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.... to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."

Jesus, the fulfillment of these words, who is redeeming that which is broken, promises that in the last day, this work will be completed "... There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelations 21:4).

This is our hope. In other words, that which is broken will be broken no more. Sin loses its power. Death will be no more. Crimes like this will be no more. This is the good news, friends! This is the hope that we have to offer.

This is the good news: there is hope and hope wins!