As the London Guardian wryly observed, "Whatever faults Maria D'Antuono

As the London Guardian wryly observed, "Whatever faults Maria D'Antuono may have, wasting time is not among them." The 98-year-old woman was one of the few survivors to be pulled from the rubble of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck central Italy this week. For thirty dark and interminable hours she lay trapped beneath the ruins of her home, not far from the L’Aquila epicenter. But they found her! And as the elderly woman was carried to safety amidst the cheers of the onlooking crowd, someone asked her what she had done to pass the hours while waiting and hoping for rescue. "Why, crochet, of course!" Her world comes down around her—but the 98-year-old matriarch survives with a hook, a ball of yarn and a heartful of hope. Not even an earthquake can bury hope! "There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it" (Mt 28:2). His enemies could have piled a thousand Mt Everests on top of the garden tomb of Jesus—but it would have made no difference. For not even an earthquake can bury hope. And when Christ came striding out of that quake-shattered crypt and declared over the pre-dawn rubble, "I am the resurrection and the life!" then at last humankind’s last hope was made forever secure. Death may bury us. But in the power of the risen Savior hope can still be resurrected.And is it any different for debt? Truth is that for too many debt and death are much too similar, leaving both life and hope entombed. Emotionally, financially you may feel buried right now in the rubble of this economic crisis. No way out of the collapse, no hope of rescue, no promise of resurrection. But don’t repeat the computation error of the eleven disciples, who neglected to calculate the power of divine omnipotence into their crisis. For only afterwards did they discover that no matter how heavy the stone that entombs us, the risen Christ can yet roll it away.So put your finger on this Easter promise and face your financial future with new hope: "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams" (Eph 3:20 Message). So why not ask him . . .  and crochet while you wait . . . and hope?