Gleanings – And Death Itself Would Start Working Backward
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
“I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast.”
Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
The Gospel is that truth in which we stand and by which we are saved. What it is? What is the Gospel? “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”
Sin is devastating in so many ways. We wreck our lives with it. We wreck other people’s lives with it. And others wreck our lives with theirs. Worst of all, we alienate ourselves from God and earn the profound wage of death. If that was the last word, we would be sunk, without life and without hope.
But that wasn’t the last word. The last word was full of grace and truth and came to dwell among us. He rolled up his sleeves. He entered our mess. He suffered at our hands. Our sin put him on a collision course with death. Though sinless he would suffer the fate of everyone he came to save. His slate became chockfull that ours might be wiped clean.
But that wasn’t the last word either. On the third day God raised him from the dead. Jesus lives. The tomb is empty. Not only sin but death itself has lost its power. As promised there is power in sacrifice. As promised in the face of a sinless sacrifice “the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.”
Sin has lost its power. Death has lost its grip. Wrecked lives are not a given. Life and hope rule. No wonder they call it good news. No wonder we say “Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.”
Being a follower of Jesus is living into the implications of this life giving beyond understanding good news.
Happy Easter!