July 8

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption: 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. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)

As I go into a cemetery I like to think of the time when the dead shall rise from their graves. We read part of this chapter in what we call the “burial service.” I think it is an unfortunate expression.

Paul never talked of “burial.” He said the body was sown in corruption, sown in weakness, sown in dishonor, sown a natural body. If I bury a bushel of wheat, I never expect to see it again, but if I sow it, I expect results. Thank God, our friends are not buried; they are only sown! I like the Saxon name for the cemetery—“God’s acre.”