We think of the resurrection as belonging to spring when leaves burst forth and tulips and daffodils bloom. This afternoon I removed the stalks of the cleomes or starburst flowers. Each stalk produces several branches that hold far far too many pods hanging at the end of stems. And each pod holds far far too many seeds that spilled to the ground as I cut the stalks. Next spring the ground will be carpeted with tiny cleomes ready to grow and show off their beautiful blossoms, seeking to take over the world with prolific seed production.
My neighbor’s oak tree has carpeted part of our yard with acorns. A recent rainstorm deposited many of those acorns in drifts at the edge of a flower bed. If God so equips His creation to produce such abundance of life, will he not also give us the abundance of life in Jesus’ death and resurrection?
St. Paul’s words in I Corinthians 15 are often read on Easter Sunday, and at funerals; especially at the committal. They also fit well in the season of autumn.
I Corinthians 15:36-38, The seed you sow does not come to life unless it first dies, and what you sow is not the body that shall be, but a bare grain of wheat perhaps, or something else; and God gives is the body of his choice; each seed its own particular body.
He also wrote in vs. 22-23, As in Adam all die; so in Christ all will be brought to life; but each in proper order; Christ the first fruits, and afterwards, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.”
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