An oil spillage pollutes the Gulf of Mexico, devastating marine life and the livelihood of millions of people. Day after day we watch it all happen on TV, an earthquake hits Haiti, thousands die and some of the world’s poorest people are left hungry and homeless. An American born terrorist flies home from an Al Qaeda training camp with a bomb in his underwear and tries to destroy not only the plane and its passengers, but much of Detroit as well. Then we have the economy, bankers, car makers and oil executives we all trusted, when questioned by a Parliamentary Committee, tell us they have no idea how we got into this mess. The reports keep coming and the “talking heads” in the media milk each moment and sensationalise each event because it increases their ratings, sells advertising and make lots of money, indeed, some of the news reporters have now become national celebrities. Yes! fear sells and is a major industry expanding all the time. Paradoxically, we are both the most prosperous generation in history and the most fearful one too. In the past you had to get your daily dose of anxiety from the evening news; today you can receive it around the clock
on your Blackberry and IPod, now you can’t bury your head in the sand and pretend that there is no bad news.

Sometimes however, we find that our own fears of the unknown become justified. Recently, a 65 year old man in London was killed when he went to help his 87 year old neighbour who was being robbed at knife point. When the police arrested the thug responsible, they found that he was out of prison on parole from a murder he had committed earlier. So should we also fear the inadequacies of our criminal justice system?

All around us we hear the voices of fear, so where can we look for hope? The Government, bankers, industry, academics. No, our only hope can be found in these words, “Look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.”