Experiencing God - Mission of Re-birth 79

"I tell you most solemnly, unless a grain of wheat falls in the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain, but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest".
Gospel of John

The question that arises from the above quote from the Gospel of John is: "What can a grain of wheat tell us about the purpose for life, and the Kingdom of God?" 

Jesus is speaking to the rural folks in Palestine, people familiar with the soil and farming.  These people knew that if they wanted an abundance of grain to feed their families and livestock, then a single grain would have to be planted into the rich soil where it would be broken down by the elements and die.  But from that decomposing seed, a sprout would appear that would eventually produce an abundant harvest. 

Father George Maloney, a Jesuit and contemporary writer explains it this way:

There is a basic law of growth that applies to all of nature including human development:  "Nothing lives, but that something dies". We cannot attain a higher level of human development unless we let go of a lower stage.  The child must let go of being a child in order to become an adolescent.  An adolescent must let go of being an adolescent in order to become an adult.  A single person must let go of the single life and all that it entails to enter the responsibilities of marriage and family life.  Closing old doorways always leads to the opening of new doorways.

Church is not primarily about fabulous buildings, wonderful music, perfect liturgies, fancy vestments, positions of ministries, or keeping everybody happy.  Church is about creating a human family that is able to live in accordance with God's plan for creation. In order to do this, we must be willing to let go of old ways of being in order to be born anew into the ways of Christ.  This requires that we die to a way of life lived on the surface of things in order to move into a deeper way of being with Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit.  This not only leads to our joy and liberation, but also gives birth to a society that gives witness to the presence of God in our midst. "Nothing lives but that something dies."

Christ, whom the Christian Church declares to be God's son, became the single grain who placed Himself in the rich soil of humanity, to die in order that a new sprout of humanity may burst forth, to inspire humanity in the ways it must grow.  Churches are missioned with the tasks of reflecting, teaching and acting in ways that will give birth to this new reality, this new life. When its focus turns away from this primary mission, it loses its way, just as we lose our way when our focus becomes something other than Christ and His Spirit.
"I tell you most solemnly, unless a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain, but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest".