For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1 Corinthians 15 vs.3-8
We live in a world where we may often feel swamped by the vast amount of information that floods our senses every day unless we have chosen to live the life of a hermit cut off from the world. That information overload hits us from every direction via the venerable technology of newspapers, radio and television now augmented by social media, email, Youtube etc.
This means that we are potentially better informed about what is happening in our world than any generation before us but information overload is a serious danger and easily leads us to filling our minds with ‘stuff’ that is of little help or use. Add to that the phenomenon of ‘fake news’ and we are faced with the questions ‘What do I need to know?’ and “How do I know what is presented to me is true? In other words ‘what is it that really matters?’
As we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ today we are challenged to face up to those questions by the words above which Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth. Corinth had much in common with our present world. It was a cosmopolitan and multi-ethnic city where a pantheon of gods were worshipped and where there was a Christian church with many opportunities to share the good news of the gospel and also many temptations to move from gospel truth and to assimilate into the local culture. In this situation Paul tells the believers what is of first importance.
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve
A simple question on this glorious day of resurrection.
Do I really believe that these truths are of first importance?
Meaning that they trump all others! More important than who is in control of the so called super powers. More important than when we are finally freed from Covid19, important as those are to a degree.
The truths that Paul highlights are of first importance because they are all we need for godliness and our future hope.
Let’s rejoice in the power and wonder of the Resurrection today and every day and proclaim it to all.