Devotion: Use this resource at home to guide your household’s daily devotions. You can do this alone, as a couple, as a family; in the morning, during the day, or at night. Find a routine that works best for you.

Pray: Light a candle and open your devotion time with a prayer.
God our creator,
you have knitted our bodies together
and breathed your life into us.
Help us to rejoice in what you have given us,
knowing that even better gifts await us
when we experience resurrection on the last day.
In Christ we pray, Amen.

Reflect: Reflect on the key verses from Sunday’s reading.
So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 1 Corinthians 15:42–43 NRSV

Study: Study the reading and consider the background.
Some strains of Greek philosophy taught that matter, including our physical bodies, was inherently bad, trapping “pure” souls. Death was seen as freeing the soul from the “bad” body. Paul insists that the resurrection Christ promises includes our bodies, but also explains that our new bodies will be different. He uses the example of seeds which do not look like what they become.

Read: Read the following daily readings to deepen your understanding of Sunday’s text. After the reading, ask the follow-up questions.

Read some more passages about resurrection and how we are being changed.

Sunday, 1 Corinthians 15:50–57 Death swallowed up in Victory

Monday, 2 Corinthians 2:14–17 The fragrance of Christ.

Tuesday, 2 Corinthians 4:16–5:5 The renewal of our inner nature

Wednesday, 2 Corinthians 5:6–10 Whether at home or away….

Thursday, 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 Caught up in the clouds together

Friday, 1 John 3:1–3 What we will be has not been revealed

Saturday, Hebrews 2:14–18 Jesus became like us

Connect: Connect in conversation with others in your household. Discuss the following questions, or simply check in with “Highs” and “Lows.”

• What was a high point of your day? What was a low point?
• Have you ever planted seeds and watched them grow? What surprised you?
• How do you feel about the body God has given you?

Do: By acting on what we learn, we make God’s word come alive. Do the following activity this week.
Plant one or more seeds and tend them. Consider sharing some of the flowers or produce that result with a neighbor or new friend.

Bless: Close your devotion with a blessing.
God of life, thank you for raising Jesus from the dead. Help us to live as your resurrection people. Amen.

Outline and initial directions from material which is Copyright © 2014 Clergy Stuff. Most of the content by Lorinda H. M. Hoover. Used and adapted with Permission. Find more at www.ClergyStuff.com. New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used with permission. All rights reserved.