Resurrection is good, and not the zombie kind.
Celebrating Easter as we look forward to our own resurrection.
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
-Philippians 3:20-21
Easter is one of, if not the most significant calendar dates of the Christian calendar. It marks the day we remember our Lord Jesus Christ resurrected and overcame death. We say, "He has risen!" not symbolically or metaphorically, but literally. It is one of the most essential elements of what we believe in because if the resurrection didn't happen, we would still not be saved, and death would still be victorious.
Resurrection is a word that is not easy to believe and understand. On top of that, we often get it mixed up with how our media and entertainment portray it.
Take, for example, the many 'redeployments' I have made on Rebirth Island in Warzone. Rebirth Island is great because you will be redeployed as long as your teammate is alive. It's like having infinite lives as long as your team is breathing. So in a sense, you get to try and try again!
Or how about the more horrifying images of resurrection: we become the undead or flesh-eating zombies. [Back4Dead stills scares me]
In either case, we are at best the same as before or a more frightening version of ourselves. If eternal life is lived out in either of these options, I don't think any of us would want to have it because I don't want a worn-out rerun, nor do I want to be skinless.
So what is the resurrection that Christians believe in?
In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he writes,
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
-1 Corinthians 15: 42-44
When Jesus returns, we who are his people will also be resurrected. Those of us who have died will be raised to life again. But not in the same body or an animated corpse, but it will be a new body, a body that is like his. And if we read back to his encounter with the disciples after his resurrections, we find his body is neither worn out nor horrifying. Instead, he was recognizable [when he unhid himself from them], warm, and glorious.
This is what God's people should be looking forward to because this is what God is preparing for us. And so today, I want to encourage you with this truth: When Christ raises us from the dead, our new bodies…
…will be glorious, not frightening.
…will be powerful, not oppressive.
…will be forever but not ordinary.
…will be perfect physically and spiritually.
…will be for life, in ways we cannot imagine on this side of eternity.
Let us remember to live with this truth today. Amen.
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