One of scriptures’ most famous resurrection treatises shows up in 1 Corinthians 15. People there—definitely curious, perhaps a little cynical, maybe burned by earlier religious pursuits—want to get their heads around how this back-from-the-dead thing works. Since it’s Christianity’s pivotal differentiator, Paul rises to the occasion and then some. Struggling to explain the inexplicable, he finally reaches for Isaiah: “He will swallow up death forever. The LORD God will wipe tears from every face; he will remove his people’s disgrace from off the whole earth” (Isaiah 25:8).
“Death” is a big idea in Isaiah—not just the end of life, but also the removal of the violent punishment and liberation from the place of death. Death is swallowed up in victory! Paul rejoices. That’s the essence of Easter—calling us out of the shadows of fear and shame, summoning us from dead places, empowering us to break through barriers that have entombed us in unhealthy ideas and beliefs. As Pat Carson leads us with a powerfully inspired word, today Gather celebrates resurrection as Coming Out Day for All. Join us on GTV (our new YouTube moniker) for a house-based festival of breakthrough possibilities. Make sure you’ve got space nearby for dancing! 5pm CDT.