February 13, 2022
1 Corinthians 15:12-20

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ… the last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
The resurrection of Jesus Christ and the resurrection assured to us is an affirmation of the whole life of Jesus.
The resurrection of Christ offers us hope when we cannot see the fruits of our labors today.
An affirmation of the significance of every human life.
An affirmation of our hope placed in the news that our sins are forgiven, a place at Jesus’ table is prepared for us, and that the anxieties of this life caused by pain and death do not hold the final word.
Paul is making an argument. He is not relying on testimony from the tomb, that will come later from the gospel writers. For Paul, not having seen the empty tomb himself, Paul did Jesus on the Damascus Road must be empty, and because of the FACT that Jesus is resurrected. And because Jesus is risen, we too can live with the hope given in the FACT that the same resurrection is assured to all of creation through the grace that goes before us. The grace that overcomes rumors to the contrary. The grace that forgives.
The rumors, according to Paul, are false. Christ is risen, and so shall we.

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