Excerpt from 1 Corinthians 15:50-57

"Death has been swallowed up by a victory." (Common English Bible)

Reflection by William C. Green

Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, is known for readings of one of his most powerful poems, "And Death Shall Have No Dominion," inspired by Scripture:

"Dead men naked they shall be one…
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone…
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;  
Though lovers be lost love shall not;  
And death shall have no dominion."

If death has no dominion and is "swallowed up" in victory, no love is lost. All that it makes possible—or tries to—has enduring significance. And though lovers be lost at the time, they "shall rise again," as Thomas puts it, echoing the gospel's declaration of Jesus' resurrection, and our own.

It's often said, "No one is indispensable." And it is easy to wonder how important we really are and what lasting difference we actually make doing anything worthwhile.

This is not the spirit of Jesus. He shares a love in which no one is lost, no one is dispensable. Even what is considered the least, the littlest, or the lost is reclaimed and given a place alongside the best and most important.

If death itself is swallowed up in victory, that victory extends to all of us and covers the least thing we do in the spirit of love—including what you and I are doing this very minute. It all matters, even forever!

Prayer

May I live aware that how much I love and what I am doing right now makes a lasting difference. Amen.

About the Author William C. Green is Vice-President for Strategy and Development, Moral Courage Project, NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and the author of 52 Ways to Ignite Your Congregation: Generous Giving.