"Believers know that Jesus came back to life in a garden, and He has thereby made the whole world fruitful. We therefore look at cemeteries as gardens, as planted gardens. We read the names of believers on their stones the same way we would read how a gardener labeled his row of sweet corn." -- Douglas Wilson, Bone of My Bones
Psalm 126:5-6
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him
We lay our loved ones down like a gardener planting his seeds. We tenderly, carefully pick the place and label it with the seed that was planted. One day the graven gardens of the world will spring to life. But until then, we wait.
James 5:7-8
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
We bury our beloveds by faith, watching and waiting for the rain and sun that God will send.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
We are at His mercy until that which is planted begins to grow. We sow in tears and wait in hope. We die in order that we may live. We believe in the resurrection as a reality stronger than death. We see resurrection by faith as a future more certain than the cemeteries we see at present.
John 12:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
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