By: Nathan Busenitz
The resurrection of our Lord Jesus stands at the center of our hope as Christians. Because Christ is risen, we know that His death on the cross accomplished its saving purpose as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin. Furthermore, because Christ is risen, we who are in Him have the hope of a glorious resurrection.
A fascinating Newsweek article from 1968 entitled Soul on Ice. The article reports the premature death of 24-year-old Stephen J. Mendel due to chronic illness. Before his death however, Stephen sought to safeguard his future by having his body frozen in the hopes he could one day be thawed and revived if a cure for his illness were ever found. In compliance with his wishes, upon his death his body was taken, infused with anti-freeze, packed with dry-ice, and placed indefinitely in a capsule. “A remote chance” of success was all Mendel’s mother was willing to grant this science-fiction-like endeavor. Nonetheless, she continued, “It was easier for me to bear because there wasn’t the same finality of putting someone away under the earth.”
This is a fascinating, albeit tragic, story. It highlights the profound hopelessness of those who do not know the Lord.
As Christians, we are also hoping for a future resurrection, but unlike Mendel, our hope is based not on a future defrost, but on the very promise of God.
For you as a believer, your resurrection is not the fantasy of science fiction, but the inevitable reality of biblical fact. It requires no ice, no anti-freeze, no liquid nitrogen; you can be buried, drowned, or cremated. Only one thing is important – that you possess a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. As a member of His family, you can anticipate with confidence the resurrection unto life (John 5:29).
Dear church on this Easter my hope and prayer is that you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your hope of the resurrection from the dead and that you are following Him in your daily life. If not, if you hear His voice in your heart today in service harden not your heart but receive the Lord’s forgiveness in your heart and come to faith in Jesus Christ and you too will have hope in this life and the one to come. Pastor Mark