I have a dear friend who becomes so engrossed in conversation while driving that they often forget to just “drive”! This quirk makes for some exciting trips. They have missed exits, headed the wrong way on the interstate, and driven right past our destination! Sometimes I interrupt and remind them to pay attention, but other times I just sit back and wait until the conversation finishes when I will hear the inevitable, “Where are we going?” We both laugh as they correct course. While it’s harmless enough to lose track of your destination when driving, the stakes are much higher when we lose sight of our destination as children of the King. Sometimes, it’s not that we have completely lost sight—our vision has simply grown clouded.

The followers of Christ witnessed some remarkable events. The Man they saw die before their eyes and whose dead body they had prepared for burial walked among the living again. He ate with them and taught them. They looked into His eyes and heard His laugh. They knew it was Him. Imagine their excitement as they told their friends, “He really got up. He really walked out of that tomb. I’ve seen Him!” Then, this same Jesus ascended to heaven before their eyes! Imagine how they tried to describe this event to a culture that had never seen something fly without wings. These were amazing events that the eyewitnesses would never forget.

All of these events were incredible, but there was one event that was the highlight of these testimonies: the resurrection. Resurrection fueled the early church. Paul explained how the resurrection is an essential component of our faith:

“And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:14

Jesus rose bodily, and that’s the template for our future and the renewal of the world. However, modern discussions often center on “going to heaven” as the primary point, leaving resurrection as a side note.

Think about it. Many folks start off with, “Are you going to heaven when you die?” as a way to witness. No mention of the resurrection. How many hymns can you think of that talk about heaven, and how many that center around the resurrection? I am not saying we should stop thinking about heaven. I am saying that we cannot stop there. The importance and centrality of the resurrection needs to be restored. Refocusing on the resurrection pulls hope back into real life.

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept…For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” 1 Corinthians 15:20 & 22–23

The creedal shape of 1 Corinthians 15 ties Jesus’ resurrection to ours. The complete vision is for us to be embodied and renewed, not simply escape sin and death. (1 Corinthians 15:44) Scripture affirms being with Christ after death but treats it as a waystation, not the finish line. (Philippians 1:23) The big finale is the resurrection and a new creation! (Philippians 3:21) Heaven is home base for our King now, and from there “we look for the Saviour.” (Philippians 3:20) One day, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and God will dwell with us!

So how does the resurrection change everything? What truths should we be internalizing as we wait for all of God’s promises to be fulfilled?

• Grief has an end. Death doesn’t get the last word and “is swallowed up in victory.” (1Corinthians 15:54)
• Bodies matter. God will raise them “in incorruption… in glory… in power.” (1 Corinthians 15:42–43)
• Creation counts. Our hope is not in escaping this world but in Jesus returning to make all things new. Our bodies will be remade “like unto his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:21)
• Work has weight. Because resurrection is coming, “be ye stedfast… forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
• Holiness is on the horizon. Citizens of heaven can “look for the Saviour” and live now in step with that future. (Philippians 3:20)

These truths remind us that we should actually be celebrating Easter and the power of the resurrection every day! Ministry leaders must teach the whole arc of Scripture; immediate comfort is real, but there is a greater goal. We are going to heaven, but it’s only the waiting room; the destination is resurrection in God’s renewed world under the risen King. This hope anchors us in God’s plan to rescue us completely and restore this world. We must preach the empty tomb year-round so that, when Easter Sunday comes, our hearts and minds understand the full weight of the resurrection and how it changes everything. We can give thanks to God, Who has given us “the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”! (1 Corinthians 15:57) He is risen indeed!