All of Them!

Oh, Death! Where is Your Victory?

My wife created this piece about 10 years ago. She focuses our eyes on the object overlaying a skull. The flesh-colored image represents a broken consecrated Host. Blood oozes from His body. It is that very Blood and Body of Jesus that causes death and the grave to explode into small chunks and slivers quickly disappearing to dust.  In the lower right, a crucifix. The upper right, a gold crown of thorns.

Nancy reminded me this morning of an essay I wrote shortly after the sudden death three years ago of our good friend, Yukiko Howell. We'd seen her just a few nights earlier at our Monday night Bible study. A massive stroke took her from us two days later. 

I decided to repost what I wrote three years ago in hopes that it might now also comfort any of you who have buried someone very close to your heart.

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In Honor of Our Friend, Yukiko

O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?

(1 Corinthians 15:55)

What is more powerful than death?

It is final.

Complete. Relentless

Unchanging.

But what is more powerful than even death?

Jesus the Christ,

who splintered death 

into so many slivers

it will never

be put back together

again.

Never.

When Jesus led captivity captive,

He broke death’s grip,

Shattered its chains,

And set His children free.

Every one of them.

Free.

Forever.

Jesus said:

I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in Me will live

Even if he dies.

And everyone who lives and believes in Me

Will never die.

And then He asked:

Do you believe this?