“But Christ indeed has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1Corinthians 15:20-23)
I have sat by the bedside of two grandparents days (and even seconds) before they passed away. I can recall their flesh having given up on them, their strength withering away like the beating of their hearts. My weeping for them couldn’t prolong their life, my prayers felt empty. And while I am convinced their time here has not been in vain and that they have given all the love they could, a part of me wish they – and every other sufferer – didn’t have to face mortality in all its ghastly reality.
Can I believe, and act like I believe, that I will see my grandmother again? In much better shape than my last memory of her? Do I dare to dream of hugging my grandfather and dancing with him and his new creation leg (replacing the one that was amputated at the knee to stop the spread of gangrene up his body)?
No, the Christian faith isn’t a just-you-and-God-alone affair. Eternal life in Jesus isn’t about your ‘personal salvation’ alone. It’s really about everything. It’s your new life, your new body. A new life and body for your family and your community. A new life, even, for knowledge, for emotions, for animals, for flora and fauna, for the stars (and the quarks), for the cosmos.
New! Fresh! Nothing any eye has seen or ear heard! Up-to-the-eternal-minute pristine!
Thank you, Jesus. For the newness you will infuse into our souls and bodies.
Action:
1. How does the knowledge that we will receive new, glorified bodies impact the way you think and treat about your body here and now? How does it change (of at all) how you perceive a situation involving the death of a loved one?
~ contributed by Alwyn