[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.]

Original Title: Death Has Been Conquered
New Title: Look Up, Not Down

The Rev. Gary Paterson, a pastor in British Columbia, talks about the first worship service he led in his first pastoral charge. He was young and very green. It was the first Sunday in August a hot summer day in a small country church, some sixty odd people gathered for worship. Wanting very badly to impress his new congregation, naturally he gave it his all. At the end of the sermon, he thought to himself, “Well, not ba…