By Pastor Don Schatz

It is Always In-Season

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6:4   English Standard Version

Several weeks ago I planted some new grass seed where a raised bed once was.  We tend to think of spring as the time to plant new things in the yard.  But it all depends on what one is planting.  Many plants, grass included, benefit from late summer/early fall planting.  They grow, and in moderate climes like the Pacific Northwest, over the fall and winter their roots sink deep into the earth, establishing them in their new growth.  They wait for spring to take off, bloom, and sometimes to bear fruit.

Just so, new life in Christ occurs at any time, not just of the year, but of life.  Like seeds sown in the ground, St. Paul says that in baptism we were buried with Christ, in order to spring forth in new life through the Spirit’s blessing.  Moses wrote in Psalm 90, “You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning” (v5).  Think about that verse.  It might not surprise you to learn that Psalm 90 is traditionally read at the graveside.  The mortal seed of the body is buried (planted) and it shall rise again in the morning of the resurrected life, as grass is renewed each morning.

Your favorite color does not have to be green to embrace this truth about yourself:  The Lord God has made you anew, renewed your strength like eagles, already sewn you into death with Christ in your Baptism, and filled you with new life.  These things are true about you and for you, through the movement of God’s gracious love in Jesus.  That is something to remember today.  That is something to believe today, and every day.  There is nothing ‘old’ about you.  In Christ you are new every day.  And forever.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado