Breakthrough Within: In-Between Hope and Despair

3.9.2025

1st Mini Easter

[Texts]

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

Romans 10:8b-13

Luke 4:1-13

Lenten blessings to you, holy and beloved siblings in Christ,

Last Tuesday, during a continuing education class, a slide resonated deeply with me as I reflected on the meaning of these 40 days in Lent. The slide featured an image of light shining through a cracked egg with these words: "If an egg is broken by outside force, life ends. If broken by inside force, life begins. Great things always begin from inside."

That image is very similar to the one I created for the bulletin cover and my blog - instead of an egg, I used a cocoon.

How true it is! Great things always begin from within. Breakthrough within is just like the new life Jesus spoke of when teaching Nicodemus about being born again, or the transformation we often discuss as Christians. For example, in 2 Corinthians 5:17, we read: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!” This verse beautifully captures how our faith in Jesus transforms us.

Let us picture entering Lent as stepping into a cocoon. Lent is not only a reminder that we are dust, and to dust we shall return, but also an invitation to accept the necessary death of our old selves, the "first Adam" which is in us. In that way, we might emerge transformed into new life through the "second Adam."

We all know the story of the first Adam. In Genesis 3, after being tempted, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Their eyes were opened, and they gained the knowledge of good and evil, as the serpent had said. Realizing this, God prevented them from eating the Tree of Life by expelling them from Eden and cursing them with the reminder: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Yet, in God’s boundless love, God sent Jesus, the second Adam or known as the last Adam, to reverse this curse. As St. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Jesus, the "last Adam," is a life-giving spirit that contrasts with the first Adam as a living being. This old, living being must die so that we might be reborn in the Spirit of God through believing. “Believing” matters to God tremendously and is emphasized throughout the Bible, including the reading from Romans 10:8-13 that we have for today.

This brings us to our challenge: What does it mean for you and me to be new creations in Christ as St. Paul affirmed in 2 Corinthians 5:17, while the old selves lingers within us? How can we, like Jesus, resist temptations that hinder transformation? And how can we be the ambassadors of Christ to be the extensions of God’s kingdom if we ourselves are not going through a transformation journey, the experience of breakthrough within?

Most of us are drawn to quick fixes—external solutions that, like hammers, shatter the egg from the outside, disrupting transformation and cutting short the new life God has intended for us. Our constant busyness drives us forward, leaving little space to cultivate empathy, the empathy not only for those we love but also those we dislike and hate.  Sally Kohn, the author of The Opposite of Hate, defines that the opposite of hate is not love or even liking those we don't agree with. It is not giving up one's passionately held ideals — or, I would add, one's ingrained biases and prejudices. Instead, it is about fostering connection, treating others with dignity and respect as equal human beings.

Sally Kohn, the author of The Opposite of Hate, defines that the opposite of hate is not love or even liking those we don't agree with. It is not giving up one's passionately held ideals. And I would go further to say held biases and prejudices. It is connection-treating others with respect as fellow human beings.

Practicing empathy for each other often is the best common ground where people are able to listen to each other and give time to process differences or disagreement between two parties.

The devil’s approach obviously is transactional: an offer of instant results. While having a sense of scarcity—in food, power, or control—desperation tempts us to react impulsively, reaching for immediate relief. This appeals to our culture, where we quickly discard what no longer serves us at present time.

Jesus' approach, however, is transformational. He honors God’s Word that sustains life. He trusts God’s Power that serves life. And he treasures God’s Authority that saves life. None of these are quick fixes; they stem from Jesus’ relationship with his heavenly Father. From a scarcity mindset, we may overlook this vital relationship. Yet, it is through this relationship that Jesus invites us to transformation.

Today, we witness the divisions caused by reacting out of scarcity in this nation. Without relationships founded on honoring, trusting, and treasuring God, reconciliation cannot flourish. We, the people of God, are called to be people of hope. People of hope raise transformational questions as Jesus did; people of despair raise transactional questions just as the devil did.

Imagine this: what might the world become if all Christians not just in this nation but in the world embraced Lent as an annual opportunity for transformation by embodying Jesus' way of resisting temptation?

So, what is the good news from this first Sunday in Lent, amidst the tension between hope and despair?

There are two hopeful messages. First, as descendants of the first Adam, we know both good and evil. Though this knowledge brings despair and doubt, that is normal. Nonetheless, the knowledge also reminds us to return back to God, who awaits our rebirth. Second, as new creations through the second Adam, we are never alone on the path of transformation. God in Jesus walks alongside us, with the help of the Spirit that constantly whispers life-giving possibilities in both good and bad times.

Breakthrough Within. Life begins. Transformation takes its place. It is a gift from God, not something to be forced or imposed. It is as miraculous as the resurrection itself.

Mini-Easter blessings to you, holy and beloved children of God. Amen.