Life After Death or the Living Dead

1 Corinthians 15:35, But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”

Life after death is such a fascinating subject. Our culture today loves the concept of life after death. Zombie movies are a dime a dozen and everyone has a different idea of what the “living dead” would look like. Do they move really slowly or are they quicker, like savage animals? Do they lumber around moaning and groaning or is it worse? Zombies aren’t the only living dead that fascinate us. Vampires do too. But vampires are sexy. From the Twilight books to the vampire movies, vampires are sexy and seductive and powerful and even, in some eyes, beautiful. But they’re all WRONG! All of this begs the questions that are asked in 1 Corinthians.

           How are the dead raised? It is not some mystical incantation or ancient reading of a scroll or a magical potion. The dead are raised by the power of God and according to His time. That answer doesn’t satisfy us very well. We’ve seen the dead raised in movies and it always has something to do with a ancient curse or a virus or something. But when we look into scripture, the power of God, the breath of God, the Word of God is the only way that the dead are raised. Ezekiel 37 shows us that the breath and the word of God brings dry bones back to life. In Matthew 11, it’s the voice of Jesus that raises Lazarus. Again in Matthew, this time Chapter 27, after Jesus’ death on the cross, God raises a number of those who had “fallen asleep” and they wander into the city. How are the dead raised? The power of God and by his will.

            With what kind of body do they come? This is another intriguing question. What will we look like when we’re raised from the dead? Zombies generally look pretty nasty. Their skin is falling off and they’re sometimes oozing gross stuff from various parts of their bodies. Vampires often look really cool and Goth and sophisticated, except for their pointy teeth. Again, wrong idea. Lazarus, from Matthew 11, was raised in the same body that he died in. The soldiers from Ezekiel 37 had bones, muscle, tendons and skin, a normal human body. The dead that arose in Matthew 27 were seen and recognized in the city. People knew them. And Jesus himself, when he appeared to his disciples was recognized by his body. He even still had the wounds from the crucifixion. Paul has this to say, “But God gives it a body as he has chosen…” We don’t get to determine what we will look like when we “come back.” It’s God’s will and God’s power.

            We are human beings with bodies and souls. That is the only way that I can be human. God created me that way. My thought is this: when Jesus comes back and raises all of the dead to life, I’ll still be human. A human that won’t ever die again. A human that won’t be sick again. A human that won’t cry tears of fear and sadness again. But I will be human. We don’t turn into angels or spirits of light or anything weird. Paul says that we will be changed and made imperishable. No zombies or vampires, just imperishable humans and what looks like, I have no idea.

 

Heavenly Father, we put our hope in the resurrection of your Son Jesus. Through baptism, we are given his resurrection to be our resurrection. As our bodies change through the years, we look forward to the day when we will be made imperishable, according to your power and your plan. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Don’t Be Afraid, It’s Easter!

Mark 16:1-8

And [the angel] said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”

What are so many people afraid of when it comes to church? I’ve heard it said that the roof might fall in. They might get hit by lightning. The church is going to ask for my money. The earth might open up and swallow me. But as near as I can tell that only happened once and it was back in the days of Moses, so I’m not so sure that we can use that excuse anymore. I’m here to tell you today, don’t be afraid. It’s Easter and Christ has risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Don’t be afraid. That’s what the angels told the women when they showed up at the tomb that morning. They went expecting to find a body wrapped in grave clothes, but what they found struck fear into their hearts. What they found was that the tomb was empty and there were these two guys there in blazing white clothes. They were scared! Some translations say they were alarmed. Some say they were terrified. Regardless of what translation you read this story in, the women were scared! And the first thing the angels say is don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid, Christ is risen!

You may have come in here this morning expecting to find one thing and instead found something completely different. You may have expected to find your usual seat open, but instead, someone new is sitting there. Or you may have expected to be called out because you haven’t been here in a while, but instead you were greeted with a warm welcome and a “good to see you.” Don’t be afraid. It’s Easter. And Christ is risen!... You are welcome here and we’re glad that you came through the doors.

The women were welcomed by the angels in the tomb. They didn’t have to roll the stone away and there was no body to be prepared. But they were still afraid. This went against everything they knew, everything they expected and it was scary. “See the place where they laid him,” the angel said. Normally, when you set a body down in one spot, it stays there. If you go to a funeral and someone invites you to see the body, what do you expect to see? A body! But in this case, there was no body there. Afraid? You bet they were afraid. Afraid because if someone had stolen it, they might be accused. If someone had desecrated the tomb, they might be next. Afraid? Only more so because there was a strange guy in a white robe sitting there telling them, “Don’t be afraid.”

It’s so much easier said than done, isn’t it? Don’t be afraid. Is there a time when Scripture allows for fear? Yes, when the apostle Paul writes about those who are breaking the law, either God’s law or man’s law. If you are doing wrong, you need to be afraid. You need to be afraid of punishment from the authorities. You need to be afraid if the life you are living is going against what God has laid out for his creation. Be afraid, be very afraid… or as Luke Skywalker said in Return of the Jedi, “I’m not afraid.” To which Yoda replies, “Oh, you will be. You will be.” If you are afraid of getting caught for doing something, stop it or get help to help you to stop it. You don’t need to live your life in fear.

Don’t be afraid. It’s Easter and Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. From Genesis Chapter 15 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: 
       "Do not be afraid, Abram. 
       I am your shield, ^[a] 
       your very great reward. ^[b] "

From Exodus 14:13 ³ Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.

Deuteronomy 1:29 Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them

Joshua 10:25 Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.

2 Kings 6:16- Elisha’s servant is afraid because they are surrounded by their enemies on horses and chariots…"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

Isaiah 44:8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid. 
       Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? 
       You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? 
       No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."

Every time an angel shows up in the New Testament the first words out of their mouths is: Do Not Be Afraid! To Joseph, to Mary, to Zechariah, to the Shepherds and at the resurrection to the women at the tomb, Don’t be afraid! Jesus, the one you are looking for has been raised, Christ is risen!

Alleluia, the message is for you and for me this day: Christ is risen. The one who was in the tomb, dead and buried is alive forever. Those whom he calls his children have nothing to fear, in life or in death because he has conquered death. And he is risen! So don’t be afraid. It’s Easter and Christ is risen!