Death Doesn’t Have the Final Say

My father used to say, “All my friends have died.” Dad fought in World War II, and indeed before he passed away, many of his friends had died. I graduated from Duke University and from Methodist University, and it’s getting to the point that every time they send me a newsletter, they list people I went to school with who have died. Getting older is something we have no control over, and many simply avoid talking about it.

Paul reminds us in I Corinthians 15:54-55 that death doesn’t have the final say. There is something that follows and it’s: resurrection. In verse 12, Paul  says, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” If our hope as believers is limited to this world only, that’s just a pity (v. 19). One day we will see those who “have fallen asleep in Jesus (v. 18). We will see our parents, grandparents, friends we graduated with, friends and neighbors.

We live in a world that needs hope, and this is what we live for. When we believe in Jesus, we believe He has gone before us and prepared a place for us. When we believe in Jesus, we can talk about death and remind others that death doesn’t have the final say. We can believe and share that we are Resurrection People!

I Corinthians 15 – “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.”

By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Image: Adobe iStock