Seeds and new life
by Pastor Peter Bean
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… a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die to make many seeds (John 12:24).
Read John 12:20–33
I’m a gardener. I have lots of packets of seeds. Some are beyond their use-by date, but most are still viable. If I leave them in the packet, they are of no use to me or anyone else. But if I plant them in the ground, invariably, they produce … flowers, vegetables and even trees.
Jesus paints an interesting picture when he talks about his death. He compares himself to a grain of wheat – a seed if you like. I once read about someone who asked: What if Jesus had not risen but had stayed dead? It is a hypothetical question because there are so many eyewitness accounts of him alive again, both in the Bible and historians of his time.
But if Jesus had not come back to life … well, life would not have the meaning it does. We’d still be living under the law, trying to please God and win his favour. We wouldn’t know about grace nor understand it. Forgiveness would be even harder to grasp and practice than it is now! But like a grain of wheat that dies and then brings forth many seeds, so Jesus’ death led to resurrection, with many positive results … many seeds being sown. Life and hope and peace for each one of us.
When I plant a seed and it sprouts, it is always a miracle to me; it reminds me of resurrection. How did that tiny seed become a carrot, a zucchini, a tomato? But it did, and we can enjoy the produce. If I let the plant grow long enough, it will produce many seeds. (In fact, expert gardeners will tell you the best plants are the self-sown ones!)
Each time I see a new plant, it reminds me of resurrection, possibility, hope and future. When we die, who knows what will truly happen? But it seems to me we will be like Jesus; we will come to life again, knowing life, hope and peace. It will be a miracle. It will be a resurrection. We will be children of light (John 12:36).
Creator God, Master Gardener, help us to die to ourselves and have new life in you. Through Christ, the one who was lifted up for us! Amen.
In the early months of the year, Peter is often out in the garden, watering, picking and pruning – chasing the birds away from his fruit! Or he is indoors – stewing, drying, preserving. Peter also enjoys walking his dog, riding his bike, reading and spending time with his family. To keep out of mischief, Peter says he is currently teaching himself to play the piano and is writing a paraphrase of each of the Psalms – now up to Psalm 56.
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