“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55
This year, April begins in the middle of Holy Week. Holy week begins with Palm Sunday and celebration. Crowds shouting “Hosanna.” Hope is in the air. But it does not take long before everything shifts. Cheers turn to silence. Silence turns to shouts of “Crucify.” By the end of the week, Jesus is nailed to a cross.
We live in a world where things turn quickly. Where hope can feel fragile. Where suffering and injustice seem to have the loudest voice. Just like that first Holy Week, the world can feel heavy, even overwhelming. But the story does not end on Friday!
In Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 15:55, we hear, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” That question only makes sense because of Easter morning.
The same Jesus who faced betrayal, violence, and death walks out of the tomb alive. Sin does not win. Death does not win. Darkness does not win. And because of Christ’s work on the cross, despair does not get the final word in our lives either.
Y’all, this is our hope. Not that the world is easy. Not that suffering disappears overnight. But that in Christ, nothing is wasted, and nothing is final except God’s love.
So, as we walk through Holy Week, let’s try and hold both truths together. The world may be broken, but eternal life is here and now.
Almighty and loving God, As we walk from palms to the cross and toward the empty tomb, steady our hearts. When the world feels heavy, remind us that death does not have the final word. Fill us with resurrection hope that carries us through every dark place. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.