Excerpt from Isaiah 25:6-9

"On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food…God will swallow up death forever."

Reflection by Quinn G. Caldwell

So, was it just human death that God defeated on Easter, or was it all death?  Do just humans get to participate in the end of dying, or does everything?

Humans have been convincing ourselves for some time that God loves us more than the rest of the Creation, but I'm not sure I buy it.  Especially since most of our evidence comes from a book we wrote—even if it did have divine inspiration.  When a blue whale or an earthworm or a blade of grass tells me in person that God loves me more than She loves them, I'll believe it.  Until then, I regard the claim as suspect.

Therefore, I believe that everything's going to participate in the end of death one day, lions and lambs, everybody.  But if that's true, then what are we going to eat at the banquet?  Because, you know, the way it works now is that something has to die if you're going to eat.  It's not only biology, it's a law of physics: matter and energy can't be created but can only cycle through the system.  Even if Isaiah's banquet's metaphorical, I still want to know about eating, because I can't quite picture enjoying eternity without snacks.

I don't have an answer here.  I'm actually asking.  If you know the answer, why don't you head on over to the Daily Devotional Facebook page and let the rest of us in on it?

Prayer

God, I believe this is the kind of conundrum you can totally work out even if I can't.  Amen.

About the Author Quinn G. Caldwell is Associate Minister of Old South Church in Boston, Massachusetts.

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