In it, Lennon sings of his dream of a utopian society in which human division and violence and inequity are broken down to the point that "the world will be as one." Humanity has a virtually universal desire for a utopian existence. Maybe that is why Imagine resonates so profoundly with so many people.

We all agree that the world is not the way that it should be, nor that it could be. There are things which are wrong and broken in the world. We long for something or someone to improve our lot by overcoming the many problems which we face.

For Lennon, the solution was to simply remove the religion, politics and possessions, which he saw as the causes of division. Yet others look elsewhere for the solution to a broken world.

For many, good government is the great hope for improving our world. Others look to science, hoping that as our mastery of the natural world continues to advance that it will lead to the advances in technology which will overcome our issues. Still others see a good education system as the key.

I think it is fair to say that if these things could deliver the utopia which we all long for then "Western" nations would be well on the way. Western cultures are the most scientifically and technologically advanced cultures in history. Our access to information and education are unprecedented. We are living longer and are wealthier than any people in history. We enjoy a level political stability which is rare throughout history. We are freer and have more choice than virtually any people on the planet.

Yet for the advances we see, our utopian vision is no closer. We are surrounded by injustice, crime and violence. Mental illness issues rise. Wars and conflicts continue to roll on. Poverty persists. Human self interest prevents political action on significant issues. Institutions which were once a bedrock of our society become greedy and self-serving. Every step forward in one area of life seems to be met with a step backwards in another.

It seems to me that our best efforts are never going to deliver the utopia we all long for. Yet we still long for something better!

This longing makes perfect sense when we come to see that far from being a cosmic accident, humanity was created by God for something better. After all, Jesus shows us that the world is not the way God created it to be. It is broken and we suffer the weight of that brokenness.

Yet the message of Jesus a message which promises the renewal of all things. The Bible speaks of the creation groaning under the strain of decay and corruption, while also looking forward to a time when it "will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God."

This is achieved by Jesus who became subject to our broken world in order to over come it. Jesus lived a life which was every bit as effected by the brokenness of our world as our lives are. We see this supremely in his allowing himself to be subjected to the humiliating and painful death of Roman crucifixion. Yet death itself could not hold him! Jesus death on a Friday was shattered by his resurrection on the Sunday.

The resurrection is our first glimpse of the liberation of our world from bondage to decay. It brings the promise of a creation which is likewise brought from death to life, in which all that is broken will be made right, and those who come to Jesus will enjoy the liberated world which he has won for us.