Chip had become an old man, and when he returned to the small town where he had grown up, hardly anyone recognized him.

It wasn’t because he looked so different. No, he’d been back to visit throughout the years. He had kept up with people he’d known in high school, and they were familiar with each other’s aging appearance.

What was different about Chip was that his character had changed. He had always been a “clever devil,” as some called him. He would come to town, hang out with the locals, wait for the right opportunity, and then say something political or religious or something else in a thorny way. Then he’d leave as people started bickering with one another. He seemed to enjoy stirring up disagreement.

But now Chip was different. He’d learned that cancer was going to take his life soon. And he’d met Jesus through a local ministry in his neighborhood.

So he came back to town a changed man. Though he was old, he was new. He was kind. Generous. Apologetic. He called himself a friend of Jesus. Everyone talked about it. What an amazing change!

Chip was a new creation, even as his body was dying. He was “in Christ.”

Chip was also an echo of Christ’s resurrection, the beginning of God’s big project of making a new creation where all who are “in Christ” can live with him forever!