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Morning Devotion for the Season After Pentecost

October 23, 2023

The Invitatory

The mercy of the Lord is everlasting: O come, let us adore him.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:35-41

But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’ Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory.

Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones

I happened to see a number of advertisements for funeral arrangements recently and having just participated in a funeral I was taken by the high contrast between what the advertisements offer, the Rite 1 funeral service and what Paul offers. So many of the advertisements seemed to be in conversation with one another, in answer to the question: For whom is the funeral intended, the living or the dead? What the advertisements did not address and what the Rite 1 funeral service calls us to consider, along with Paul, is what is death. We, too, might wonder with the Corinthians: “What might a resurrected corpse look like?” Some of the Corinthians and some of us may not believe in an afterlife at all, while others may have hoped for their souls’ peaceful existence apart from the body, as some of us envision joining family members in heaven.

No one who has died can tell us about it. It is a mystery. How can we understand it? Probably not very well, if at all. Are there aspects of life and our experiences that may help us to pierce some of the mystery that surrounds death in order to understand the hidden things of God? How might we come to know the realm of God?

Paul has his task cut out for him in fielding such questions. In a moment of exasperation he seems to lose his cool. His initial response sounds exasperated, as if he is throwing up his hands and rolling his eyes, “Fool!” (Not Paul’s most patient, pastoral moment.) Recovering himself he pursues these questions by contrasting the limitations of this world with the qualities of God’s realm.

He begins with seeds. As a gardener I am naturally drawn to think about the differences between seeds and the plants they produce. Seeds both represent and signify the renewal of life. A common process—ever present in the natural growth from seed to plant, to food and shelter—mirrors the power of God, ever-available and life-creating acts, whenever they take root and grow inside of individuals. In contrast, the work and endeavors of human beings are impermanent. They come to an end, and differ markedly from God’s activity in the world. Only God can promise an enduring, imperishable life. For sin is a superpower that has taken dominion over the goodness of God’s creation. It is not limited to human transgression. None of God’s creation has remained untouched — uncorrupted — by sin’s reign — including our bodies.  

In contrast to what the world offers, this life intimately connects us to God’s gifts and glory. Eternal life is not mainly about never-ending-ness, but about strength,fullness and God’s enduring presence in life and his relationship to us. The ultimate point is not the eternal part but as the Rite I opening collect proclaims:

For none of us liveth to himself,

           and no man dieth to himself.

           For if we live, we live unto the Lord;

           and if we die, we die unto the Lord.

           Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.