But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised 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 natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
—-1 Corinthians 15:35-49

~~~~~

Seed Sown
By Jennifer Kane

Beneath the hush of earthen veil,
a seed lies still, so small, so frail—
yet cloaked in death, it holds a spark,
a whisper folded in the dark.

“But how,” one asks, “will life arise?
What form shall bloom beyond goodbyes?”
The question echoes deep and wide—
but truth is sown where shells have died.

For what you plant is not yet whole,
not stem nor leaf, but hollow soul.
It must surrender—crack and fade—
to rise anew, reborn, remade.

A torus turns, the mystery flows,
from dust to green, the dying grows.
In every death, a coil unwinds—
and life ascends from what it finds.

Downward roots in sacred grief,
upward shoots in bold belief.
The form is changed, the life made new,
as light breaks through the morning dew.

So too the soul, when death is sown,
shall rise with glory not its own.
A husk must fall, but do not weep—
for God shall wake what He lets sleep.

From dust to breath, from grave to sky,
the seed must perish—then it flies.
The body broken, yet not lost—
the bloom redeemed through sacred cost.

This is the shape of death and rise:
a spiral path, a sweet surprise.
What once was buried, still shall be—
but crowned with immortality.

~~~~~

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:35-49

Creation is full of mysteries, but some of the most profound are hidden in plain sight. Take a seed. It appears lifeless—small, hard, unimpressive. But once buried in the earth, it dies to its former self and transforms into something far greater: a thriving plant that bears fruit and multiplies.

Paul draws on this image in 1 Corinthians 15 to explain the resurrection. He says we are seeds. Our physical bodies are temporary, perishable containers. But what is sown in weakness will be raised in power. What is buried in dishonor will be raised in glory.

This mystery isn’t limited to seeds alone. God has embedded this pattern throughout all of creation:

The egg and sperm must “die” to their individual identities to become a human life—something neither could be on their own.

A star, burning bright for eons, must collapse—sometimes into a black hole or pulsar—revealing power and phenomena beyond our imagination.

Even the very shape of creation, the toroid—the spinning, self-renewing structure seen in magnetic fields, galaxies, and energy flows—testifies to this cycle of death and rebirth, compression and expansion, humility and glory.

God made everything with this rhythm in mind: death that gives birth to life, surrender that reveals power, hiddenness that leads to revelation.

“The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable… It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” v. 42-44

This isn’t just poetic. It’s cosmic truth. It’s the DNA of the universe, written by a Creator who longs for us to grasp the joy of resurrection. Our bodies and lives are not the end of the story. We were made for more—to bear the image of the heavenly man, Jesus Christ.

“And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.” v. 49

You are a seed. And you are becoming something glorious.

Take time today to reflect on the following:
Where in your life are you clinging to the “seed” instead of trusting God for the transformation?
What are you afraid to surrender, even though it could lead to something far greater?
Can you see the patterns of God’s resurrection work in creation around you?

Go outside. Look at a flower, a tree, the stars. Let creation preach to you today: Death is not the end. It’s the doorway to glory.

~~~~~

Father, Thank You for writing the story of resurrection into all creation. From seeds to stars, You show us that death is not the end—but the beginning of something greater. Help me to embrace the transformation You offer. I want to die to my old self and be raised in Your image. Make me like Jesus, the heavenly man. Let me trust You as I surrender everything—knowing You are making all things new. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

June 23 2025

P.S. *I wrote this on July 23 and forgot to post it. I only just realized, I apologize for the double post out of order, today.*