Uncertain

1 Peter 1:3–4 CSBBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

Sometimes it feels like every ad or email we get begins with the phrase, "In these uncertain times..."I'm getting a little worn out with all the uncertainty. Now it is true, times are uncertain. For example, I can't remember when garbage day is anymore. I love the meme floating around that suggests that their biggest waste of money in 2020 was a daily planner. Uncertain times indeed.We are uncertain when we will be able to sit in a restaurant, get a haircut (ok, not an issue for me), get back to normal work, have a church service in a building, and the list goes on and on and on...But I'm thinking we could benefit from a refocus on things which are certain. Last Sunday, I shared a message from 1 Peter 1 as we start a new series. I fell in love with the two verses above. We have been given new birth into a whole heap of certainty.Our hope is living. We are certain we serve a living Jesus, who died and rose so we can have a certain hope. In that hope, we have a certain inheritance in heaven. Peter goes out of his way to make sure we know how certain it is. "Imperishable, undefiled, and unfading..."1 Peter gives us a lot of reasons for hope, he shares the effects of that hope on our lives, but these only become truly impactful when we fully embrace the certainty of that hope. So he makes it as clear as crystal.What does it mean for hope to be, "Imperishable"? When the stay-at-home order began I made a run to the store to pick up a few things we needed. One of the emptiest isles in the store (aside from paper products) was canned foods. Why? Because they are non-perishables...they are imperishable. If need be, that can of green beans will be there for years. Add an imperishable can of cream of mushroom soup and some imperishable frozen tater tots and you have my favorite childhood casserole ready to go even in the leanest times. When things are challenging, we need things that will last. And our hope is imperishable.What about undefiled? We have all been given direction to wash our hands before we touch our faces or our food. Why? Because the germs are everywhere. We don't eat food that has been on the floor (at least more than five seconds) because it has become contaminated. No longer good or wholesome. Our hope isn't limited by a five-second rule. Our hope in Christ is not only undefiled but undefilable.And unfading...As we round the corner on a month of quarantine, I am noticing a shift in behavior. People are less careful. Where early on a grocery run ninety percent of people were very careful about distance, that percentage is dropping. Why? I think the initial concern and care have faded the longer someone goes without seeing the disease first-hand. Most things fade over time. Paint colors fade as they sit in the sunlight. Excitement over a Christmas gift fades the longer the child plays with it. But our hope is unfading. It is as bright and full of life and joy as it was the day Jesus emerged from the tomb.That my friends is certainty. And for that certainty in uncertain times, I am grateful.