THE FAMILY ALTAR
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall
into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth
forth much fruit." John 12:24.
When we view our fields and gardens with their flowers and
ripening grain in these summer days, have we eyes to see the great
miracle unfolding everywhere before us? Do we take to heart the
eloquent message every smiling flower, every nodding ear of grain
proclaims ? Our Savior points to that glorious message in our text.
It is the divine message of immortality. "Except a corn of wheat
fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit." That message of blooming fruitful
life issuing out of the buried seed has been hallowed and vitalized
by the death and resurrection of our Lord. He died on the cross
for our sins and was buried. But how long did He remain in
the grave? "The third day He rose again from the dead," all
Christendom confesses with joyous voice. Now He is no more
alone, but bringeth forth much fruit. In all the world, wherever
the Gospel of His redeeming death and resurrection is preached,
there the fields are white unto the harvest; there precious grain
is being gathered, gathered for eternity. Aye, there the angels
of God come and carry one ripe sheaf after the other into the
golden granary of heaven. "Because I live, ye shall live also."
"I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whosoever believeth in Me
shall never perish, but have life everlasting," our risen Lord
promises us. Sad heart, weeping at the graves of your loved ones,
bedewing the flowers on them with your ever-falling tears, look up
and take the comforting message to heart which even the flowers
in the graveyard have for you. They have bloomed into life from
buried seed. So the bodies of our loved ones sleeping in the graves
are all precious seed that shall blossom into life and beauty and
glory when God's eternal summer comes.
