Jottings for a Harvest All Age Talk or two

which could be used at Easter, too

(using some bowls of different varieties of seeds and the fruit or veg they grow into)

John 12:20-36 and 1 Cor 15:20-23, 35-44a

Some seeds, some of the things they grow into – come and have a look!

Amazing really

People plant, water, feed, take care of the crops

God gives the growth

Science can explain what’s going on but a wonderful miracle

A fantastic world God has made

Thank you to God

Listen out for what Jesus says about seeds:

John 12:20-36 (p1080)

Jesus is talking about the death he’s about to die.

V24: Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Death and resurrection

Life through death

Jesus’ death and resurrection bring us spiritual life, eternal life

* * *

Listen out for seeds & harvest

1 Cor 15:20-23, 35-44a (p1156)

V20 – Jesus’ resurrection the firstfruits of the resurrection

Like the first bluebell of Spring – soon the wood will be full of them – huge carpet of blue

Tells us that the resurrection is going to happen; Jesus’ resurrection guarantees our resurrection

V36b – “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies”

The same thing we were just thinking of from John’s gospel:

Life through death, death then resurrection

V37 - Paul says that we plant the seed, not what will grow from it – different from each other

V38 - And God gives each kind of seed its own different fruit or vegetable “body”

God’s great power changes these into that (seed into fruit or veg)!

Game / challenge – match the seeds to what it grows into

What is planted is very different from what’s harvested

Our resurrection bodies will be different from our bodies now

V42 - “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;

⁴³ it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory;

it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;

⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”

A wonderful transformation!

Spiritual resurrection bodies.

Gloriously changed, renewed, upgraded

2 things we can learn from seed and their fruit:

(1)    Life through death (2) A wonderful resurrection transformation