Dying before our death

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.
So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. ~ I Corinthians 15:35-47

The problem is not that you have a body. The problem is that you think you are separate from others - and from God. And you are not. ~ Richard Rohr

Cowards die many times before their death. ~ William Shakespeare ("Julius Caesar")

The heart is a'bloom, shoots up from the stony ground. ~ U2 ("Beautiful Day")


With all respect to Mr. Shakespeare, I think he's wrong.

Even the brave may die many times before their death. In fact, if they are really brave, they especially die before their death.

Resurrection - new life - is written into the plan of creation. We see it in plants and seasons. We see it in caterpillars and communities.

We see blooms sprouting from stony ground.

And we see hearts burst open in love after years of solitude, loneliness, and despair.

The Apostle Paul wanted to be clear that Jesus' resurrection was true. That is was real.

But when Paul seems to be comparing physical life to spiritual life, it isn't so cut and dried.

Spiritual life for Paul was one of wholeness and completion. It was the life that was lived in fullness after letting go of ego and selfishness.

It was the life we find when we "die to sin."

It is life that isn't just "then" but also "now."

It is the life Jesus refers to when he says that "those who want to save their life will lose it." We find ourselves and our true and fullest life when we let go of the control we try to wield over it.

It is the life that is real and not an illusion.

It is the life that is shared with God and with others.

When Paul refers to the second man from heaven, it is not simply some floaty, ghosty Jesus that says flesh is bad and spirit is good.

It is a "the Kingdom of God is at hand" Jesus. "The Kingdom is now" Jesus.

It is risen Christ. Flesh and bone and spirit and sinew.

Wholeness personified.

We get to die many times before our deaths. We.Get.To - every time we let go of the things that keep us focused simply on ourselves and wanting to be in control.

Not because we are cowards, Mr. Shakespeare, but because in dying we get to truly live!

Prayer: Teach me to live, Lord. Really live! Help me to kill off all the things in me that keep from living fully with you and with your creation. Amen.







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