Welcome to Grace for All. My name is Bill Green, and I am your host for today.

1 Corinthians 15:12-22 CEB

So if the message that is preached says that Christ has been raised from the dead, then how can some of you say, “There’s no resurrection of the dead”? If there’s no resurrection of the dead, then Christ hasn’t been raised either. If Christ hasn’t been raised, then our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. We are found to be false witnesses about God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, when he didn’t raise him if it’s the case that the dead aren’t raised. If the dead aren’t raised, then Christ hasn’t been raised either. If Christ hasn’t been raised, then your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins, 18 and what’s more, those who have died in Christ are gone forever. If we have a hope in Christ only in this life, then we deserve to be pitied more than anyone else.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. He’s the first crop of the harvest of those who have died. Since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came through one too. In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ.

Trust in Christ’s resurrection is what makes much of life bearable, for we know that in the midst of hardship and loss, these are not the final words written for our lives. There is something better waiting for us. This understanding can be transformational.

I recall doing the memorial service for a dear church member who lost her battle with pancreatic cancer after a number of years. Doris planned her service and made sure her husband, and children and grandchildren were on board with her less than conventional ideas. She wanted it to be a celebration, even more a party. She told us all, I accepted Jesus as my Savior more than 70 years ago. You need to know that I have been waiting all my life to meet my Savior. So my dying is your loss but my gain.

All coming to the service were told to wear bright colors as if attending a party. Doris, with her husband, had lived many years in New Orleans. Over the years they had collected boxes of Mardi Gras beads at the parades. When you arrived, you were greeted by the ushers who placed these beads around the neck of each person. The music at the service was all upbeat, and the message that she had helped craft was about Eternal life in Christ. After the service, we gathered for the reception. A three-piece Dixieland jazz band was playing music. At one point, glasses of sparkling cider were passed out to all. Her grandson then said to all, “Let’s raise our glasses in praise and celebration of the new and eternal life Grandma has received.”

Now her memorial service might not be to everyone’s way of thinking, but it does share an important truth, one that Paul the Apostle also shared in his letter to the Corinthians. Our belief in the gift of eternal life is the foundation of our faith, and everything else builds from this. Without it, as Paul would say, we are to be pitied. But with a firm belief in the resurrection, we can look death in the face and see it, not as an end but a door to what we have been promised, eternal life.

We need to live each day with this thought and view. Realizing that God is with us every step of the way and that we have been promised a most wonderful gift, the gift of eternal life, allows us to face anything with hope, courage, and, as my friend Doris showed, even at times joy.

Let us pray:

Loving God, we are so blessed to have been promised the gift of eternal life. Let that promise fill us and encourage us this day and every day until we may claim it for ourselves and see you face to face. AMEN.

This devotional was written and read by Bill Green.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.