Welcome to this Easter Sunday edition of Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled This Changes Everything was written by Wynchalear.

Yuroslav Pelican, longtime Yale professor, considered one of his generation's preeminent authorities on Christian

history, was renowned for his extensive academic career. He published more than 30 books and

won the esteemed Kluge Prize as a lifetime award for his voluminous writings. One of his

students, however, recounted what he considered his teacher's most important

words, spoken from his deathbed. If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not,

nothing else matters. Pelican echoed Paul's conviction in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith.

The apostle made such a bold statement because he knew that the resurrection was not merely a one-off miracle,

but rather the pinnacle of God's redeeming work in human history.

The promise of resurrection wasn't only his

assurance that Jesus would rise from the dead, but his bold affirmation that other dead and

ruined things, lives, neighborhoods, relationships, would also one day be brought back to life

through Christ. If there is no resurrection, however, Paul knew that we're in

deep trouble. If there's no resurrection, then death and destruction win. But of course, Christ has

indeed been raised from the dead. Destroyed by the victor, death loses. And Jesus is the first

fruits of all the life that will follow. He conquered evil

and death so that we could live bold and free. This changes everything.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 1 Corinthians chapter 15

verses 12 through 26.

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that

there is no resurrection of the dead?

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