You won’t die, but you will be changed! - April 17

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 136; PM Psalm 118; Exod. 13:1–2,11–16; 1 Cor. 15:51–58; Luke 24:1–12

“Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed” says Paul in this passage from the first letter to the Corinthians. I simultaneously love and am terrified of this passage. We are Easter people which means we are people of the resurrection. What God has done on the cross has changed our lives. When we recognize this truth, our lives are fundamentally different. But how does this actually play out?

I feel like I have worked hard to be the person that I am. Life has shaped me through my experiences, trials and tribulations, failures, and successes. I am probably more comfortable with who I have become in the last few years than ever before in my life. That might just be a factor of the stage of my life that I am in, but to be fair I should claim it. So if someone was going to say, “I am going to offer you the greatest gift ever imaginable, but you will be different because of it,” I am not sure how I would respond. I want the gift, but I don’t want to change or to be changed.

Do you ever feel like you are right and all those other people are wrong! If we just had more people that thought like me, the world would be a better place! I hope you can hear the sarcasm, although, I think it is probably easier to take this position than we want to admit. It is possible that we even default here if we are not paying attention.

But Paul says that we will be changed in the resurrection. If we think that God is finished with us, then maybe you are already the person that God wants you to be. But if the Resurrection is something that is always working in our lives, a reality that is always at play, then the change is not yet complete. Who is God inviting us to be? What is God inviting us to do, be, or change?

- John+

Questions for Reflection

  • What are the nonreligious and religious beliefs of yours that you are absolutely certain about? What are you less certain about? Do these beliefs improve your ability to relate and love other people or do they create friction?

Daily Challenge

  • Listen for a moment when someone says something or writes something that really bothers you. Instead of picking apart their argument, spend some time reflecting on why they believe what they believe. Could mutual understanding be a goal instead of persuasion?

John Burruss