As N.T. Wright and the gang have, by and large, succeeded in reminding Christians, our hope is not for a disembodied/spiritual locus of immortal existence in a place called "heaven." As the good bishop likes to say, "Heaven is important, but it's not the end of the world."

Our hope is resurrection. Bodily resurrection, of which Jesus' was the prototype, the "firstfruits."

Our hope, in other words, is for an embodied immortality.

But for many people, this is a concept they can't get their heads around. What does it even mean to be physically alive and yet immortal? I'd suspect that that failure to conceptualize the notion of an "embodied immortality" led to the gradual shift in emphasis from "resurrection" to "heaven," until eventually, most Christians simply assumed that going off to heaven in a spiritual form was the name of the game.

Well, maybe this'll help.

Turritopsis Nutricula may be the world’s only “immortal” creature. The jellyfish is able to revert back to a juvenile form once it mates after becoming sexually mature.

Turritopsis Nutricula is technically known as a hydrozoan and is the only known animal that is capable of reverting completely to its younger self. It does this through the cell development process of transdifferentiation. Scientists believe the cycle can repeat indefinitely, rendering it potentially immortal.

I'm not saying that this is how the resurrected body will behave. I'm not even saying that this provides a clue. Scientific data and observations are hugely important, but can only get you so far. I'm with Wittgenstein when he says "It is love that believes the resurrection."

But, for those of you old enough, remember how the emergence of the Big Bang Theory allowed people to conceptualize the alpha point of Christian faith?

Maybe this little gelatinous critter will allow people to conceptualize the omega point of Christian hope.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi