TROUBLED HEARTS AMONG RESURRECTED PEOPLE

Stafford Greer, Bearspaw Lead Site Pastor

The news cycle is especially good at drawing reactions from its audience. Media outlets know how to frame stories in ways that stir emotions, keeping us engaged and coming back for more. While this can be challenging during slow news weeks, recently it feels like the very fabric of what it means to live in a well-governed society—something we’ve known for the last 50-60 years—has been torn apart. The cycle of troubling news seems endless.

When we combine these distressing headlines with the everyday stressors of life—the burdens of work, financial pressures, concerns for our children, and the constant connectivity of our digital world—it can feel overwhelming.

I wish I could say that I’m immune to these anxieties, but the reality is, I’m not. Each day, I must intentionally surrender my fears and worries to Jesus rather than carry them myself.

Jesus’ words in John 14:1 can be difficult to embrace: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” With so much to be troubled by—job insecurity, cultural shifts, health concerns, strained relationships, the state of the church, politics—it’s easy to wonder how Jesus could give such an instruction.

The Apostle Paul speaks of the ongoing struggle between our redeemed nature and our sinful flesh. Though we are new creations in Christ, there are still parts of us being sanctified (that is, made holy and set apart for God). Even as followers of Jesus, we wrestle to align our hearts with the truth of our salvation.

During this Lenten season, we are reminded of our frailty and our dependence on Jesus to sustain and save us. If you attended our Ash Wednesday service, you heard the solemn words: “You are dust, and to dust you will return.” This reminder is not just about our mortality—it also points to a deeper truth: those who are in Christ have already died.

That may sound unsettling. We don’t want to be frail, mortal, or vulnerable to death. Yet, hidden within this truth is profound hope: as Christians, we are a resurrection people. The resurrection is where our hope rests, and it is the destination to which Lent leads us.

Jesus told his disciples a spiritual truth that we must embrace today: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).

While Jesus was referring to his own death, this principle applies to us as well. We are people of the resurrection—right now. This truth is even symbolized in our baptism. Paul writes in Romans 6:4 (NLT), “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”

When we truly grasp that we have already died and been raised with Christ, we can face life’s troubles with peace. As resurrected people, we are free. This freedom has enabled Christians throughout history to endure persecution, imprisonment, beatings, and even death. Nothing can be taken from us—we have already died.

Being a resurrection people also means that we can face life’s uncertainties with trust. Just as a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die to bear fruit, we can believe that every ending, loss, or trial will, in Christ, lead to something new. We live with the assurance that resurrection always follows death, and in that, we find our peace.