"All the major Christian creeds affirm belief in resurrection of the body. In other words they affirm the belief that what God in spite of everything prizes enough to bring back to life is not just some disembodied echo of a human being but a new and revised version of all the things which made him the particular human being he was and which he needs something like a body to express; his personality, the way he looked, the sound of his voice, his peculiar capacity for creating and loving, in some sense his face."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 235)
A central tenet of the Christian faith, is no doubt resurrection. It is the center of the Easter message. It is what makes Christianity different from the other major world religions. It is also one of the hardest to prove. One either believes it on faith or doesn't. I can't see much wiggle room.
But what any one Christian believes about resurrection can vary. I find that this definition by Buechner works for me. It comes pretty close to what I say about resurrection and heaven when I preach at funerals. The how will we recognize our loved ones. I do not believe that the body we end our earthly pilgrimage with is what gets resurrected. That comes to close to Dawn of the Dead.
Resurrection and heaven for me must reflect who we were when we were at our best. The person most people would recognize in their minds eye if they were to encounter us again. That means doing the things that gave us life. Behaving in the ways that made us uniquely us.
I can't prove resurrection to anyone. I do believe it, and don't feel compelled to prove it. I know I've seen hints of it in my ministry. I look forward to the day when I witness it for myself.
Blessings,
Ed
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