In the beginning, when God’s Spirit hovered over the waters,
And His voice called forth light from darkness,
There was no shadow of death in the garden of delight.
Eden, resplendent with life, pulsed with the very breath of the Almighty.
Adam and Eve, formed from dust and rib, walked in perfect communion,
Their steps in harmony with the Creator’s heartbeat.
The trees of life and knowledge stood as a testament to God’s intention:
Eternal fellowship, unbroken by the specter of mortality.
“Be fruitful and multiply,” came the blessed command.
But lo, the serpent’s whisper pierced the holy silence,
And with it came the first tremor of death’s unnatural intrusion.
“You will not surely die,” spoke the father of lies.
Oh, the tragedy of that fateful bite!
The fruit, once forbidden, now tasted of ash and separation.
And the Lord God said, “Dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
Thus began the long exile from Paradise,
As cherubim and a flaming sword guarded the way to the tree of life.
The ground, once fertile, now brought forth thorns and thistles.
In the sweat of his face, man began to eat his bread,
Until he would return to the ground from which he was taken.
The unnatural enemy, death, now stalked the sons of Adam.
Yet even in this fallen world, glimpses of Eden persisted:
In the beauty of a newborn’s cry,
In the majesty of mountains reaching toward heaven,
In the promise whispered to Abraham under starry skies.
Through the ages, the prophets spoke of a day to come,
When death would be swallowed up forever,
And God would wipe away every tear from all faces.
Isaiah proclaimed, “Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.”
Ezekiel saw a valley of dry bones spring to life,
And Job declared, “I know that my Redeemer lives.”
But who could have foreseen the way in which life would triumph?
Not in the clash of armies or the wisdom of sages,
But in a humble manger in Bethlehem.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
Full of grace and truth, the light shining in the darkness.
Jesus, the author of life, walked the dusty roads of Galilee.
He touched the leper, and death’s corruption fled.
He spoke to the dead girl, “Talitha cumi,” and she arose.
He wept at Lazarus’ tomb, then called him forth to life.
Yet the greatest victory was yet to come,
For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve,
And to give His life as a ransom for many.
In a garden, not unlike Eden, He prayed in anguish,
“Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.”
But love compelled Him forward to Calvary’s hill.
There, on a cross between two thieves,
The Prince of Life tasted death for everyone.
“It is finished,” He cried, and breathed His last.
The earth shook, the rocks split, and the curtain was torn.
Creation itself groaned at this seeming triumph of death.
But Sunday was coming, and with it, the dawn of new creation.
On the third day, as women came to anoint His body,
They found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty.
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen!”
Death, the last enemy, lay vanquished at His feet.
The firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep had arisen,
And in Him, all shall be made alive.
Now we see as in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.
For this perishable body must put on the imperishable,
And this mortal body must put on immortality.
Beloved, do you hear the trumpet call?
Do you feel the stirring of resurrection power?
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!
Therefore, let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
The pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
Let us run with perseverance the race set before us.
Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
We fear no evil, for He is with us.
His rod and staff, they comfort us.
In this world, we will have trouble, but take heart!
He has overcome the world, and in Him, we too are overcomers.
Neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
So let us press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God,
Knowing that our Lord has conquered death.
For to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
In the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet,
We shall all be changed, and the perishable will put on the imperishable.
“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man!
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
And death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,
For the former things have passed away.
The tree of life, once lost, now stands by the river of the water of life,
Its leaves for the healing of the nations.
And they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
Therefore, beloved, stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
For we know that in the Lord, our labor is not in vain.
Follow Him through green pastures and beside still waters,
Through valleys deep and mountains high.
Let your roots grow down into Him, and draw up nourishment from Him.
For He is the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in Him, though he die, yet shall he live,
And everyone who lives and believes in Him shall never die.
Do you believe this?
Then come, and know the power of His resurrection,
That when Christ who is your life appears, you also will appear with Him in glory.
Amen and Amen.
