From Death Into Life by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
John 12:20-33
March 22, 2015
Last January, while everyone in Iowa was enjoying a deep winter blizzard, my husband and I visited a butterfly farm in Aruba.
I think this was the third such garden spot we have visited in our recent years of traveling.
I sometimes wonder what it is that makes butterflies such an attraction.
I realize that some butterflies can be quite beautiful, but I suspect it is more than that.
You see, we all know that butterflies start out as larvae, basically worms.
I marvel that a nondescript, even ugly worm can be transformed into a beautiful winged creature.
As I was able to observe the life cycle of a butterfly at the various tourist sites we have visited,
I was reminded that essentially the wiggly worms have to die in order be reborn as spectacular butterflies.
Their amazing transformation appears to us as a rebirth, a transformation from death into life.
Our Scripture lesson for today uses that same image of the transformation from death into life, to help us understand how Jesus saves.
I invite you to hear these words from John 12:20-33.
Scripture-John 12:20-33
Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to
Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see
Jesus.”
Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.
My Father will honor the one who serves me.
“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say?
‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
Prayer
Jesus, our Lord, every time we hear the story of your transformation from death into life, we marvel at the new life you offer us.
We don’t completely understand how letting go of our life in this world can usher us into new life with you, but we accept your offer.
May the death of our life in sin be the prelude to a fruitful and abundant eternal life. Amen.
Message
After a long and snowy winter, spring has finally arrived in Iowa.
Just a few weeks ago my lawn was covered in snow and ice, and now I see the beginnings of green grass, of green leaves on the trees, and of crocuses and daffodils poking through the brown earth.
A place that so recently appeared desolate and frozen is now alive with new life.
That is the miracle and glory of new birth referred to in today’s reading.
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From Death Into Life by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
John 12:20-33
March 22, 2015
What once appeared to be dead is now teaming with new life.
It happens right before our eyes every spring, and yet it still comes as a surprise to us.
The dark winter is over and the bright light of spring has arrived.
The world around us that seemed so hopeless, is now filled with promise.
We experience this unbelievable transformation every year, yet still we doubt.
How incredible is our Creator God, to continue to reveal to us that new life is possible!
Jesus wanted to help his disciples understand the death he was about to face.
He knew that as painful as his own suffering on the cross would be, that his followers would also suffer at the reality of his death.
How could he prepare them to face such a trauma?
What in their own limited life experience would help them understand the hope that his death would bring forth?
The image that Jesus shared was that of a kernel of wheat.
No doubt they had all seen wheat growing in the fields, had seen the grain plucked from the stalks, had watched the seeds being ground into flour for bread, but they also knew that some kernels were reserved for the next planting.
If a farmer were to grind every kernel of wheat his field produced, his harvest would be limited to single season.
The only way to insure an ongoing supply of nourishing wheat, was for some seeds to be held back, sacrificed, if you will, buried the in earth, so that the outer shell would break apart and the moisture would seep inside, and the new life that had been hidden within the seed could be revealed.
But how could the disciples understand this illustration?
How could they possibly believe that the broken and buried body of their beloved teacher would arise from its sealed tomb to inspire the rebirth of all humanity?
How could they possibly accept that they, too, the humble followers of this exalted Jesus, would need to risk their own lives by submitting to be broken and buried as Jesus was, for the sake of the lives of their families and friends and even strangers?
All of us who have chosen to follow Jesus have already reaped the benefits of the new life Jesus offers.
We don’t have to die to receive that gift, only our former, sinful selves must die, and then we are transformed, just like the butterfly, from an ugly worm into a beautiful child of God.
But, our transformation, our forgiveness, our new life comes with a price.
To accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior means that we will follow Jesus is to be led by his spirit.
As servants of Jesus, it is our responsibility to do his will.
A servant does not tell the master what he or she will do.
It is the master who directs the servant’s activity.
If we are followers of Jesus, his faithful servants, we are to serve as Jesus himself served.
In fact, we were saved to serve.
Unfortunately, many Christians like you and me want Jesus to follow us around
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From Death Into Life by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
John 12:20-33
March 22, 2015 blessing whatever it is we chose to do, instead of us submitting to his leadership and Lordship.
Imagine for a moment what Jesus would do with the life you have been given.
Would Jesus be spending his days watching television or reading Scripture?
Would Jesus be too busy shopping to find time pray?
Would Jesus be sleeping in or going out to brunch instead of attending worship?
Would Jesus find time to visit with the poor, the hungry, the sick and the grieving or would he be attending the big game, or surfing the Internet, or watching the news?
There is no way to become like Jesus without the willingness to serve.
This does not mean that you let others control what you do, but rather that your actions are controlled by the desire to serve God and others.
I read a story on the Focus in the Family web site this week about what it means to be a servant of God.
In the 61 years that George and Ruth, a married couple from Iowa, were together, they regularly delivered meals to shut-ins, scraped plates at church dinners and hugged strangers in nursing homes.
At the time the article was written, George was 91 and Ruth was 86, but they didn't seem to notice.
They still folded bulletins for Sunday worship, stuffed envelopes for church mailings, and squeezed the shoulders of neighbors in their assisted living apartments.
George and Ruth never ended world hunger.
They hadn’t cured AIDS or Ebola.
They just saw the needs around them and quietly, tenderly met those needs as best they could.
This is the calling we all have: to serve Jesus in whatever ways we can.
For some it might mean volunteering or donating to the food pantry.
For others it might mean writing a note of encouragement or sitting by a bedside.
For all of us it must mean constantly looking for people in need, and being willing to share the hope we have received through Jesus.
The church, followers of Jesus like you and I, are the fruit of Jesus’ death.
We are the tangible signs of his resurrection in the world today,
and it is by our actions that fruit will be judged.
It is my prayer that we will all come to lead lives worthy of Jesus’ great sacrifice.
Prayer
Saving Christ, we are deeply grateful for your willingness to suffer and die so that we might reconciled with our Creator.
We are equally grateful for your invitation to all people through our faithful work, so that the world might receive the same gift of hope we have received.
Help us learn to live out our faith by serving you in whatever ways we are able. Amen.
Benediction
Jesus compared his own death to the transformation of a seed, which though it appears dead, holds the promise of new life.
May we each go forth this day willing to endure struggle and put forth effort, so that we might witness to the new life we have each received. Amen.
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