’Tis the Season: Born to Die, day 5

…Contemplating what it means to follow Christ, born to die

Two days ago I wrote : “I am a follower of the child born to die, and I am invited to live into that grace-filled reality.” After I wrote it, I stopped and asked myself:  “How can the reality of death be grace filled?”

Grace is divine, unmerited, blessings and favor from God.  How on earth can being “born to die” reflect God’s blessing and favor for those of us who follow Him?

Because God knows something that we too often forget.  Death brings new life.  Physical death brings the new never-ending life of heaven.  Death to self (“I have been crucified with Christ…”) brings new life in God.  Death to the old life, ushers in the new.  And the new, the rebirth, does not come until the old dies.

Jesus reminds us in John 12:24 - Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

So… what part of me and of you is God graciously inviting to die, so that many new things can be planted?