Dealing with unexpected change…..Some Easter Thoughts

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

“I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

 
After the Resurrection, the disciples weren’t quite sure what to do with themselves. They seemed lost and unprepared for the realities of their new world. We can understand their sense of being lost, can’t we? There are many different types of change that we face in our lives, there are some we are prepared for and there are those we couldn’t be prepared for, and both can be difficult. Sometimes these changes are thrust upon us, and sometimes we know they are coming for a long time. But, how does our faith help us through the many changes we go through in life?

 Recently I was reading a book that discussed the difference between continuous and discontinuous change. Continuous change is predictable and ordered. These are the changes we know are coming and our experiences prepare us to face. Think about the school system. Each grade builds upon the previous ones and prepares us for the changing requirements and opportunities that are to come. Changing grades is hard, but we should be prepared to face that change. Discontinuous change is change that takes place in a way that nothing that has come before prepares you for this change. A sudden death, a windfall, or being thrust into a completely unfamiliar context are all examples of discontinuous change.

As we read the story of our faith, we find that our faith is a story of discontinuous change. God acts and changes our entire understanding of the world Jesus Christ. As we encounter Christ everything we thought we understood about who we are, how the world works, and who God is are changed. In the passage from 1 Corinthians 15, Paul reminds us that the changing is not done. In the blink of an eye Christ will return again and everything we be changed, including us. God often calls us to a new path or a new opportunity that feels completely new in every way. We think that nothing in life has prepared us for that calling and it scares us. We ultimately seem a lot like the disciples after the Resurrection; either huddled up in a room with the door locked or going back to a life of fishing that sounds comfortable and familiar.

The joy of our faith, however, is that amidst all the changes, no matter what they are, there is one constant. God is unchanging. Malachi 3:6 says, “I the LORD do not change.” Jesus promised his disciples before he sent them into the world in Matthew 28:20, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The disciples had a hard time adjusting to the new reality of their lives because they forgot that although their lives were constantly changing, God never changes. God is always faithful, always present, always comforting, always encouraging, and always providing whatever it is we need for the life he has called us to. So as the changes, whatever they may be, keep rolling into your life, don’t lose site of the one constant in all of creation, God our creator. Rest assured of his promises and you may even learn to enjoy the ride, come what may.