“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. What I am saying, brothers and sisters,^[l] is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”       (1 Corinthians 15:41-44, 50-53)

“…though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

“When I was a youngster, this was drilled into me by my grandmother. The idea was given to her by a certain slave minister who, on occasion, held secret religious meetings with his fellow slaves. How everything in me quivered with the pulsing tremor of raw energy when, in her recital, she would come to the triumphant climax of the minister: “You—you are not slaves. You are God’s children.” This established for them the ground of personal dignity, so that a profound sense of personal worth could absorb the fear reaction.” (Howard Thurman. Jesus and the Disinherited (p. 50). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.)

There is a concept in the Army – maybe in all military branches – where they take a new recruit and beginning with boot camp, they start the process of tearing them down. It is a process of stripping away the person they used to be, and to rebuild something new – no longer a recruit, but a member of the military. This in some fashion is the process that G-d does to us in the resurrection. G-d receives us in the corruptible form of human flesh, and rebuilds us into our heavenly form – which is of greater glory.

But this process does not wait for our death…it begins now. Paul says that, “…though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” Our eternal form is being formed in us right now, as we become more and more “In Christ” with each encounter, with the Holy Spirit working inside us, with each time we take Holy Communion and physically take Christ into our very being. And it begins with our Baptism. As Howard Thurman’s grandmother said, “You are God’s children.”  With Christ dwelling inside us, then we are becoming more and more Holy each day. Remember that with Christ dwelling inside, this is where our own personal dignity begins and continues to form us for our “eternal weight of glory”.

Pastor Dave

“Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance, but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct, for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13 – 16

“The core of the analysis of Jesus is that man is a child of God, the God of life that sustains all of nature and guarantees all the intricacies of the life-process itself. Jesus suggests that it is quite unreasonable to assume that God, whose creative activity is expressed even in such details as the hairs of a man’s head, would exclude from his concern the life, the vital spirit, of the man himself. This idea—that God is mindful of the individual—is of tremendous import in dealing with fear as a disease. In this world the socially disadvantaged man is constantly given a negative answer to the most important personal questions upon which mental health depends: “Who am I? What am I?” The first question has to do with a basic self-estimate, a profound sense of belonging, of counting. If a man feels that he does not belong in the way in which it is perfectly normal for other people to belong, then he develops a deep sense of insecurity.” (Howard Thurman. Jesus and the Disinherited (p. 49). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.)

When we think of the followers of Jesus, we think “What a joy it must have been to be in the presence of Jesus”. How quickly or conveniently we forget that most of the twelve original disciples died for their relationship with Jesus and the ministry they were called to in His name. Their closeness with Jesus did not bring them everlasting, outward peace. Even when they were originally called by Jesus, they did not go on to easy lives filled with roses and sunshine. The disciples experienced the length and breadth of fear, terror, doubt, questioning, arguing, and loneliness. Many of them were outsiders before being called and would have fought that stigma throughout their ministry. But in the midst of all of the fear and doubt — their hope was in Jesus, strengthened by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Howard Thurman writes: “The core of the analysis of Jesus is that man is a child of God” In other words, Jesus does not forsake us. Ture, I have witnessed those who, in their life experiences turn away from G-d at the first sign of trial or tribulation. When times get tough they believe G-d has abandoned them. They turn away from G-d because they believe that faith brings only comfort and peace. They are like the seed that is planted in shallow soil, once they are inflicted with the heat of the day, their faith withers and dies.

The Grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is most fully understood when the soil in which it is planted is good. If it is Good Soil, if it is planted in soil that has been enriched by G-d’s word, presence, love, mercy and grace, then the tribulations and the heat of the day will not whither the believer. My friends, G-d does not forsake us, but not every day will be sunny and warm. There will be times of famine, times of floods and times of scorching heat. The stronger our faith soil, the richer our faith will be, sustained by the Holy Spirit, and empowered with G-d’s Word and Sacraments.

Pastor Dave