Easter is all about hope. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Peter had lost hope. He had denied that he ever knew Jesus. Visiting the apostles in the Upper Room Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. He showed them God’s plan from the beginning and promised to give them the Holy Spirit so that they could become a central part of that plan. From that moment Peter’s hope and faith were brought back to life. Having seen Jesus alive again and filled with the promised Holy Spirit, he had everything he needed to go out and build the Church. It was hope that enabled Peter to face persecution and misunderstanding. It strengthened and comforted him and as he wrote in 1Peter 13 praising and blessing the Lord for giving him and all of us a new brith to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. At the Last Supper Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, I am going to prepare a place for you” (Jn14). He promised that even though they would lose their faith, even though Peter himself would deny ever having known Jesus, He would still come back and take them to be with Him forever. Every thing Jesus said and did revolved around heaven. Every miracle He performed pointed to the way we will be transformed in heaven. Every sermon He preached told us how to live so that we could bring heaven to earth. He painted a picture of heavenly life that God wants us to begin experiencing right now.