For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
1 Corinthians 15:22-23 NIV
All Made Alive
The General Protestant Cemetery is an historic cemetery located in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The cemetery is designed as a Victorian garden cemetery with many of the oldest trees in the city. The earliest marker in the cemetery is for John Butt who died May 15, 1842. It appears that he had been buried in another cemetery and then later moved to the General Protestant Cemetery after it opened. The opening of the cemetery coincided with the establishment of the first commercial headstone and memorial companies on the island.
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Cemeteries are interesting places – part park, part museum, mostly ancestry. So many stories are represented by the grave markers. In a world that is marked by division and conflict, cemeteries remind us that ultimately death is going to take every single human being. The majority of the world mistakenly believes that death is the end. No wonder there is so little hope. The Bible teaches us something altogether different. 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 says, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” On the first Resurrection Day, Jesus burst forth from the tomb. Because he defeated death, the day will come when every man, woman and child will rise as well. Those of us who have trusted Christ as Saviour and Lord will rise to eternal life – those who have not trusted Christ face an eternity separated from God. Jesus loves you, and died to provide you with forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. Put your trust in Him and you will join Him for eternity.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley