Physical pain is an alert notifying us that something is wrong. It is also a promise that something very good is coming. 

An emerging leader in a nearby church called one day. His father was dying. The family was trying to determine whether to have a traditional funeral with embalming and a casket or cremation. Since he was the closest thing to a theologian in the family, he was given the responsibility to provide guidance for resolving this question. That’s when he called me.

When I realized what he was asking, my first thought was how I wished he had called his pastor. He called me because he felt embarrassed at not knowing the right call to make. He didn’t want his pastor to see what he perceived to be a lack of maturity on his part. 

It’s good to begin at the beginning with this question. Consider Genesis 2:7:

“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”

Ezekiel 37 is also a good passage to ponder. John 11 advances the story. Of course, Jesus’ resurrection is the coup de grace for death.

Since these morning missives are deliberately brief and hopefully focused, let’s notice a couple of things. “God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”

God can do more with dust than we can with embalming. Egyptian mummies are nicely preserved. What is preserved are the earthly remains after the person died. While this is impressive, no one took dust and created a man or woman from it. We can preserve remains, only God can create life out of dust and wind. Which reminds me of a song from 1978. (Dust in the Wind by Kansas, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH2w6Oxx0kQ])

My morning aches and pains and my increasing reliance on medical procedures to keep me moving and standing up straight are a telegraphed message from heaven. Something better – much, much better – is coming. We will move out of tent into a house constructed by the Master Carpenter of all creation. 

There are a few dozen unanswered questions accompanying these Bible texts. There is one certain conclusion. Our resurrection bodies do not depend on the dust and wind of our present modes of existence. When God makes all things new, this will include a whole new you. 

My sore shoulder, stiff neck, and aching back make me smile in anticipation of God’s Body Shop Version 2.0. 

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I will live in anticipation of more than dust and wind.

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Our Father, thank you for showing us what you can do with mere dust and wind. Thank you for what you will do with all the resources of heaven for what comes next. Amen.