Looking at Death Differently

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

Wednesday, April 1, Jeannie and I will both take a day off work and travel to Charleston, West Virginia. It’s the one-year anniversary of her mother’s passing. She’s buried in the Charleston area, and Jeannie’s brother lives down there. We’ll go to the cemetery, offer prayers for comfort and thanksgiving, then visit her brother a bit. Anniversaries of the loss of a loved one can be hard. Jeannie’s Mom, however, knew the Lord Jesus as her Savior, and that makes a huge difference in how we cope.

On Sunday, April 5, we celebrate Easter. Because Jesus has risen from the dead, we now look at death differently. Because he lives, we too shall live. Just as he has conquered death, so we conquer death in him. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

So as this sacred holiday unfolds before us, may we never despair over loved ones in Jesus who have gone from this life to next. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4 that we grieve, but not as the rest of mankind who have no hope. The hope we have in the face of death is not just a sentimental hope, but a certain hope.

I’ve always seen Easter as marking the true beginning of Spring. According to the calendar Spring arrived several days ago, but the reality of the new season hits with Resurrection Sunday. The cold darkness of winter surrenders to the warm light of new life. That’s the way it is with the triumph of Jesus and all those whose trust is in him. The bitter sting of death gives way to glorious light of his indestructible life.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:55-57).

With a shepherd’s heart,

Pastor David