1 Corinthians 15:12-28 All or Nothing

 

Observation: Paul writes to Christians in Corinth, who are struggling with the first, and I'd say mots important question of the Christian faith. "Did God really raise Jesus from the dead? Really?" Paul does not equivocate. He doesn't give any wiggle room. If Christ has not been raised, there is no point to any of this. But in fact Christ HAS been raised from the dead. 

Application: As Paul says, the resurrection of Jesus is an "all or nothing" moment for our faith. Many have tried, not just in modern times, to find meaning in the story of Jesus' rising as a metaphor for the new life of spring, new hope after hard times, healing after hurts, or any number of other things. Sure, the Easter story can work as a metaphor. But so can any other story. If Jesus didn't rise, then I might just as well find solace in Lord of the Rings or any other piece of writing, fiction or nonfiction, that comforts my soul in this life. If Jesus isn't alive, then any story that gets your through the night is as good as the next. 

But, with Paul, we proclaim that Jesus did rise. He is alive. He is active in our lives today. And God will raise us too. 

A word from one of my favorite poems, John Updike's Seven Stanzas At Easter :

Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, sidestepping, transcendence;
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the
faded credulity of earlier ages:
let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mâché,
not a stone in a story,
but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow
grinding of time will eclipse for each of us
the wide light of day.

Prayer: Lord, I can't pretend that my faith is unwavering. I won't pretend I never doubt you, or question sometimes how your rising speaks to the sorrows in my life or the lives of those in my care. It's true. Sometimes, I do. Thank you for showing up in my life anyway. Thank you for appearing to me through the words and actions of friends, family and siblings in Christ. Thank you for rising in my heart, even in times I thought it was broken beyond repair. In your strong name I pray. Amen.