The Resurrection Body

"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."

Anybody who has thought about heaven, has likely wondered about what life will be like in this place as well as what our resurrected selves will look like. St. Paul's thoughts are: those answers are unrevealed until it's season. God alone knows. These questions are not important right now, we should be concerned about sowing the right seeds, the seeds of a selfless life in the promise of eternity. That attitude will surely surely produce something beautiful.
 

Describe an event in your own life where a selfless act made a difference and produced a feeling of fulfillment in you. Perhaps you felt like you were part of something bigger, even something cosmic. So, maybe we should not be so goal oriented as Christians but rather pay attention to the journey--our attitudes, actions, and words...

 

Consider starting your message with an example from nature such as the mustard seed Jesus referred to in Matthew 13:31-32--a tiny seed that grows into a large tree. We would never expect a tiny seed like that to become something so impressive down the road. Or you may want to start by painting a picture of the goal oriented culture that surrounds us. Maybe the Corinthian church was caught up in this type of philosophy as well and forgot about how important the journey is.  Next, you may want to recall a personal story where you felt like you were part of something bigger than yourself, something of eternal value. A possible conclusion of this message is that self-less living as a servant should not be fueled by a pie-in-the-sky theology, but rather be modeled on following in the footsteps of Jesus who gave us the ultimate example. There is a deep seated joy in participating in Christ's acts of love, forgiveness, and service that cannot be achieved by any type of promise. It is real, it is now, it is rewarding and humbling at the same time. It connects us to God and to each other spiritually and emotionally.