Daily Word of Grace # 260 (June 10, 2021)
Christianity is a resurrection faith. As we state in the Nicene Creed, “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” One of the high water marks in The Book of Common Prayer is “The Burial of the Dead”, which begins with these two opening anthems. The first is directly from the New Testament: “I am the Resurrection and the Life, says the Lord. Whoever has faith in me shall have life, even though he die. And everyone who has life, and has committed himself to me in faith, shall not die forever” (John 11:25-26, BCP 491). Jesus spoke these words to Martha before raising her brother Lazarus from the dead. The second anthem is directly from the Old Testament: “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives and that at the last he will stand upon the earth. After my awaking, he will raise me up; and in my body I shall see God. I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him who is my friend and not a stranger” (Job 19:25-27, BCP 491). Job spoke these words before he was healed and restored after suffering unspeakable loss. The One who created you is the One who saves you, the One who restores you, the One who assures you eternal life—and because God always keeps his promises you can rest assured even before your experience these things. Death was neither the end of the story for Job, nor the end of the story for Jesus, and therefore will not be the end of the story for you.
Love and Prayers,
Dave