Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
What a bunch of pathetic schmucks! Right? Did this Jesus guy really come back from the dead? Sounds like zombie-talk…perhaps the origin story of The Walking Dead? (disclaimer: I only know this show has zombies; I’ve never seen it nor do I know any information about the storyline or plot). Paul strikes at the core of our Christian faith today. Jesus' resurrection is the linchpin to the whole ordeal. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, the Gospel is meaningless and all of us who believe in him are a bunch of deluded and gullible fools. If the resurrection isn’t true, then our faith is in vain. We might as well eat, drink, and be merry because this is it. If there is no resurrection, there is no hope. If there is no resurrection, then everything we thought we knew about God is a lie. If there is no resurrection, then all we have is this life. And the good news that Jesus is proclaiming in the gospel is not really “good news” at all.
Why can’t we just believe that God is powerful and follow Jesus’s teaching to love one another? Do we really need to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead? Do we really need to live in hope of Christ’s return? Well, yeah. Why? Because our God is a God of LIFE. Many of us are terrified of death, or at least have a healthy aversion to moving too quickly toward it. We wear seatbelts, drive on the correct side of the road, avoid grizzly bears, place warning labels on things that could harm us, and have all kinds of medical plans. Death is not our friend. It is the sidekick of sin; the wages of sin lead to death. “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor 15:17) However, we have faith in a God who refuses to leave us in the throws of sin and death.
The hope for life after death is timeless and spans across all religions. Our faith offers bold assertion that the crucified Christ conquered the grave and appeared to the disciples. The basis for the life of the church after Pentecost was that the risen Christ is alive and active in us. Christ's resurrection was victory over death, and through our baptism, we are promised a share in the resurrection.
We have the hope of heaven. Let us cling fast to our faithfulness and our joy in the resurrection. We cry out in the psalm, “Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full” (Ps 17:15b). Jesus preached and proclaimed this good news as he journeyed from one village to another with his company of followers in today’s gospel. And he is the fulfillment of the good news; Come Awake! He is risen and we shall also be raised with him.
Peace,
Brandon Meyer