Christian Reflection and Prayer

Jesus is my hope and trust

Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
For sin is the sting that results
in death, and the law gives sin
its power. How we thank God,
who gives us victory over sin
and death through Jesus Christ
our Lord!
1 Corinthians 15:55-56 NLT

Jesus lives, and so shall I:
Death, thy sting is gone forever!
He for me hath deigned to die,
lives the bands of death to sever.
He shall raise me from the dust:
Jesus is my hope and trust.

Jesus Lives, and So Shall I
Christian Furchtegott Gellert (1715-1769)

Just a happy ending?

What difference does Christ's
resurrection make? Is it just a
happy ending to an otherwise
tragic tale? No, of course not.
Jesus had to rise, as Peter
eloquently stated at Pentecost.
It was impossible for death to
defeat the Lord of life. The
Resurrection proves that Jesus
was the Son of God. Our faith
is built on this solid foundation.
As Paul wrote, "If Christ has not
been raised, your faith is futile;
you are still in your sins.…If
only for this life we have hope
in Christ, we are to be pitied
more than all men" (1 Corinthians
15:17, 19). But He has risen! And
as Jesus promised His disciples,
"Because I live, you also will live"
(John 14:19).

Without Christ, human life is merely
prolonged death. Everything is
decaying. But Jesus gives us eternal
life, which radically changes our life
on earth. Not only do we have eternity
to look forward to, but we have the
power to live in right relationship with
God and others right now in our daily
lives. Jesus is our hope for the future
and our trust for each day. Praise Him!

Our "Resurrection Week" readings are
adapted from The One Year® Book of
Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert Brown,
Tyndale House Publishers (1995).
Today's is taken from the entry for April 2.