Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 147; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Luke 24:36-44; 1 Corinthians 15:41-50; Psalm 40
I love today’s lectionary reading from 1 Corinthians because it gives us a broader – more inclusive – understanding of new life in these days following Easter. That understanding is put forth for us in the opening words of the passage. Eugene Peterson paraphrases the words in 1 Corinthians 15:41 in The Message to read: “You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning. Just as there are different kinds of seeds, there are different kinds of bodies – humans, animals, birds, fish – each unprecedented in its form…” Verse 43 culminates these words by noting: “And we’re only looking at pre-resurrection ‘seeds’ – who can imagine what the resurrection ‘plants’ will be like!” This inclusive approach toward the resurrection that draws in pieces of the creation in addition to human beings is powerful because it helps frame for us what a proper spiritual appreciation of the created order could look like. For decades, human beings have run roughshod over nature – often using pieces of Scripture such as early passages in Genesis to prove that we have “dominion” over nature and therefore can do with it whatever we want. And we have. One need look no further than the global warming crisis to see where this approach has gotten us. I wonder what would have happened if we had picked up on the spirit of this morning’s passage from 1 Corinthians instead – and claimed all of creation within the context of resurrection and new life. What a different world we would be living in! While we cannot reverse the hands of time to go back and undo our collective approach toward God created order, I believe that we can make a commitment to live our individual and collective lives differently starting today. I would invite you to do just that. Find some time today to look around you at the “seeds” of the resurrection that surround you (human AND non-human), and then re-commit yourself to nurturing those seeds so that we might get a glimpse of what the resurrection “plants” might look like one day. Til next time…
I love today’s lectionary reading from 1 Corinthians because it gives us a broader – more inclusive – understanding of new life in these days following Easter. That understanding is put forth for us in the opening words of the passage. Eugene Peterson paraphrases the words in 1 Corinthians 15:41 in The Message to read: “You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning. Just as there are different kinds of seeds, there are different kinds of bodies – humans, animals, birds, fish – each unprecedented in its form…” Verse 43 culminates these words by noting: “And we’re only looking at pre-resurrection ‘seeds’ – who can imagine what the resurrection ‘plants’ will be like!” This inclusive approach toward the resurrection that draws in pieces of the creation in addition to human beings is powerful because it helps frame for us what a proper spiritual appreciation of the created order could look like. For decades, human beings have run roughshod over nature – often using pieces of Scripture such as early passages in Genesis to prove that we have “dominion” over nature and therefore can do with it whatever we want. And we have. One need look no further than the global warming crisis to see where this approach has gotten us. I wonder what would have happened if we had picked up on the spirit of this morning’s passage from 1 Corinthians instead – and claimed all of creation within the context of resurrection and new life. What a different world we would be living in! While we cannot reverse the hands of time to go back and undo our collective approach toward God created order, I believe that we can make a commitment to live our individual and collective lives differently starting today. I would invite you to do just that. Find some time today to look around you at the “seeds” of the resurrection that surround you (human AND non-human), and then re-commit yourself to nurturing those seeds so that we might get a glimpse of what the resurrection “plants” might look like one day. Til next time…
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