Dormant, Not Dead
John 12:24–26
“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”
I am going to intermix seeds and acorns because I like squirrels.
What Does Jesus Mean by “Die”?In church I've heard these words as a call to sacrifice.
Today I hear Jesus saying something different.
I hear Jesus talking about transformation.
I hear the Divine lover of my being talking about the mystery of becoming.
John 12:24–26
“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”
In church I've heard these words as a call to sacrifice.
Today I hear Jesus saying something different.
I hear Jesus talking about transformation.
I hear the Divine lover of my being talking about the mystery of becoming.
LET'S TALK SEEDS
A seed can look completely lifeless.
You can hold it in your hand and see no evidence of life.
But inside that tiny seed is an embryo—a beginning of a plant.
It contains what it needs to begin again.
Give it the right conditions
It wakes up.
The seed begins to germinate.
The shell cracks.
Roots begin reaching downward.
A stem begins reaching upward.
Eventually, something that looked dead becomes something unmistakably alive.
A seed can look completely lifeless.
You can hold it in your hand and see no evidence of life.
But inside that tiny seed is an embryo—a beginning of a plant.
It contains what it needs to begin again.
Give it the right conditions
It wakes up.
The seed begins to germinate.
The shell cracks.
Roots begin reaching downward.
A stem begins reaching upward.
Eventually, something that looked dead becomes something unmistakably alive.
- The seed carries possibility within itself.
- The breaking of the shell is not the destruction of the seed. It is the beginning of its becoming.
Seeds are miracles of creation with shells.
Sound familiar?
- The seed carries possibility within itself.
- The breaking of the shell is not the destruction of the seed. It is the beginning of its becoming.
Seeds are miracles of creation with shells.
Sound familiar?
LGBTQIA+ &
those who are othered by society
know about shells/closets
Hiding becomes a skill
Being fully yourself can be uncomfortable or dangerous.
So we build protective shells.
We learn what parts of ourselves are safe to reveal and what parts need to remain hidden.
We learn to hide -
Our gender.
Our sexuality.
Our relationships.
Our dreams.
Our truth.
know about shells/closets
Hiding becomes a skill
Being fully yourself can be uncomfortable or dangerous.
So we build protective shells.
We learn what parts of ourselves are safe to reveal and what parts need to remain hidden.
We learn to hide -
Our gender.
Our sexuality.
Our relationships.
Our dreams.
Our truth.
- Hiding doesn't mean weakness
- Sometimes protection is necessary.
But here's the problem:
Survival is not the same thing as living.
- Hiding doesn't mean weakness
- Sometimes protection is necessary.
But here's the problem:
Survival is not the same thing as living.
Shells
There comes a time when the shell begins to crack.
Maybe it happens when you come out.
Maybe when you transition.
Maybe when you finally tell someone a truth.
Maybe when you look in the mirror and say:
“I am allowed to be this person.”
That can feel scary.
Because when the shell cracks- change happens
The identity you constructed to survive begins to change.
The expectations of other people begin to lose their power.
The version of you that everyone else knew may begin disappearing.
And sometimes we mistake that transformation for death.
But perhaps what is dying is not you.
Perhaps what is dying is the shell.
The shame.
The fear.
The uncomfortable - comfort zone
The lie that you had to become for someone else to feel loved.
There comes a time when the shell begins to crack.
Maybe it happens when you come out.
Maybe when you transition.
Maybe when you finally tell someone a truth.
Maybe when you look in the mirror and say:
“I am allowed to be this person.”
That can feel scary.
Because when the shell cracks- change happens
The identity you constructed to survive begins to change.
The expectations of other people begin to lose their power.
The version of you that everyone else knew may begin disappearing.
And sometimes we mistake that transformation for death.
But perhaps what is dying is not you.
Perhaps what is dying is the shell.
The shame.
The fear.
The uncomfortable - comfort zone
The lie that you had to become for someone else to feel loved.
Speaking points:
- What is ending?
- Is it really me—or is it the shell?
- Is God taking something away or making room for something new?
- What if becoming yourself feels like dying because you have lived so long as someone else?
- What is ending?
- Is it really me—or is it the shell?
- Is God taking something away or making room for something new?
- What if becoming yourself feels like dying because you have lived so long as someone else?
GROWTH POTENTIAL
Seeds don't grow everywhere.
They need an environment where blossoming is possible.
Like us.
Some environments help us grow.
Others keep us buried.
Ask yourself:
- Where do I feel safe enough to be myself?
- Who allows me to tell the truth?
- Where am I nourished?
- Where am I constantly made to feel inadequate?
- What relationships give me life?
- What relationships make me shrink?
Maybe your soil is a community.
Maybe it is simply one person who says:
“I see you. I believe you. You don't have to hide from me.”
THANK YOU BELOVED
Seeds don't grow everywhere.
They need an environment where blossoming is possible.
Like us.
Some environments help us grow.
Others keep us buried.
Ask yourself:
- Where do I feel safe enough to be myself?
- Who allows me to tell the truth?
- Where am I nourished?
- Where am I constantly made to feel inadequate?
- What relationships give me life?
- What relationships make me shrink?
Maybe your soil is a community.
Maybe it is simply one person who says:
“I see you. I believe you. You don't have to hide from me.”
THANK YOU BELOVED
Squirrels carrying their acorns remind me of the seeds in today's passage.
Because I watch squirrels out my office window and have named them SOOO here come the acorns. Yes, ricky, barnaby and freddy are my front yard squirrels.Now, you may be wondering why I put squirrels in a sermon about seeds.
Well, stay with me.
Squirrels bury things.
Sometimes they bury food because they are preparing for the future.
And sometimes they forget where they put it. (ME AT 65-keys, spouse)
Which means that somewhere beneath the ground in my yard, there may be something waiting to be discovered. Hopefully not my keys.
And I wonder if we do the same thing.
We bury
I think God works thru encounters
An encouraging person
A sermon
A conversation or question
A moment of grace.
And suddenly something we buried begins to emerge.
Now, you may be wondering why I put squirrels in a sermon about seeds.
Well, stay with me.
Squirrels bury things.
Sometimes they bury food because they are preparing for the future.
And sometimes they forget where they put it. (ME AT 65-keys, spouse)
Which means that somewhere beneath the ground in my yard, there may be something waiting to be discovered. Hopefully not my keys.
And I wonder if we do the same thing.
We bury
I think God works thru encounters
An encouraging person
A sermon
A conversation or question
A moment of grace.
And suddenly something we buried begins to emerge.
Ask Yourself;
- What dream did I put away?
- What joy did I decide I wasn't allowed to have?
- What truth have I buried because someone told me it was unacceptable?
Maybe it isn't dead.
Maybe it's dormant.
- What dream did I put away?
- What joy did I decide I wasn't allowed to have?
- What truth have I buried because someone told me it was unacceptable?
Maybe it isn't dead.
Maybe it's dormant.
Jesus says the seed falls into the earth.
It enters darkness.
It disappears from view.
There are seasons in our lives when we feel buried.
Buried by grief.
shame.
rejection.
uncertainty.
Buried by other people's expectations.
Buried by our own fear.
But being buried doesn't necessarily mean being forgotten.
The seed is buried in the same soil where others might think it has been lost.
And perhaps that is where faith comes in.
Because God knows the difference between a grave and a garden. And I believe we do too.
Jesus says the seed falls into the earth.
It enters darkness.
It disappears from view.
There are seasons in our lives when we feel buried.
Buried by grief.
shame.
rejection.
uncertainty.
Buried by other people's expectations.
Buried by our own fear.
But being buried doesn't necessarily mean being forgotten.
The seed is buried in the same soil where others might think it has been lost.
And perhaps that is where faith comes in.
Because God knows the difference between a grave and a garden. And I believe we do too.
Whether we understand resurrection literally, spiritually, metaphorically—or some combination of all three—there is something powerful in the message.
Jesus believed that buried things could bloom.
that people could awaken.
that love was stronger than fear shame or rejection
Stronger than the tombs we build around ourselves.
Whether we understand resurrection literally, spiritually, metaphorically—or some combination of all three—there is something powerful in the message.
Jesus believed that buried things could bloom.
that people could awaken.
that love was stronger than fear shame or rejection
Stronger than the tombs we build around ourselves.
So perhaps there is something in your life right now that feels dead.
Perhaps you have stopped dreaming.
Perhaps you have stopped believing.
Perhaps you have buried a part of yourself.
Perhaps someone convinced you that you were too much.
Or not enough.
Or wrong.
Or unworthy.
Or outside God's love.
But hear this:
Don't mistake dormancy for death.
The seed may simply be waiting.
Waiting for water.
Waiting for warmth.
Waiting for light.
Waiting for the right soil.
Waiting for time.
Waiting for the courage to crack open.
And sometimes what we need isn't to become someone new.
“What looks like an ending may be an awakening.”
“What looks like burial may be planting.”
“What looks like death may be dormancy.”
Sometimes we need the freedom to become more fully who we already are.
So perhaps there is something in your life right now that feels dead.
Perhaps you have stopped dreaming.
Perhaps you have stopped believing.
Perhaps you have buried a part of yourself.
Perhaps someone convinced you that you were too much.
Or not enough.
Or wrong.
Or unworthy.
Or outside God's love.
But hear this:
Don't mistake dormancy for death.
The seed may simply be waiting.
Waiting for water.
Waiting for warmth.
Waiting for light.
Waiting for the right soil.
Waiting for time.
Waiting for the courage to crack open.
And sometimes what we need isn't to become someone new.
“What looks like an ending may be an awakening.”
“What looks like burial may be planting.”
“What looks like death may be dormancy.”
Sometimes we need the freedom to become more fully who we already are.
Close
Close
Perhaps the invitation of resurrection IS -
Not to become someone else.
But to awaken.
.
Carl Jung wrote:
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
AND
“The world will ask you who you are, and if you don't know, the world will tell you.”
Listen to that quiet voice that says:
“There is more life in you.”
“You are not finished.”
“You are not dead.”
“You are dormant.”
And when the warmth of grace reaches you...
When the rain of acceptance comes...
When the soil becomes safe...
When the shell finally cracks...
GROW
Reach toward the light.
Become who you were created to be.
Perhaps the invitation of resurrection IS -
Not to become someone else.
But to awaken.
.
Carl Jung wrote:
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
AND
“The world will ask you who you are, and if you don't know, the world will tell you.”
Listen to that quiet voice that says:
“There is more life in you.”
“You are not finished.”
“You are not dead.”
“You are dormant.”
And when the warmth of grace reaches you...
When the rain of acceptance comes...
When the soil becomes safe...
When the shell finally cracks...
GROW
Reach toward the light.
Become who you were created to be.
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