"Near the place He was crucified, there was a garden with a newly prepared tomb. Because it was the day of preparation, they arranged to lay Jesus in this tomb so they could rest on the Sabbath." (John 19:41-42 Voice Translation)
The Memory Garden - By Erica Hauke
Once there was a gardener,
Tending to her flowers,
Remembering memories gone by,
Some were funny,
Some were happy,
And some were of the loving kind.
Each flower was a memory of the loved ones called home,
To the Heavens up in the sky,
They each told a story of what God had done in each one of her loved ones lives.
They were a testimony,
A living one at that,
Of how God made old things new,
He broke the ground,
And planted seeds,
where flowers would soon bloom.
He took the weeds of sorrow and ripped them up from the ground,
And replaced them with seeds of gladness and joy that would surely resound.
All around the garden,
There were beautifully colored flowers,
Some were daisies,
Some were roses,
Some were purple, pink, and blue,
Some were sunflowers,
Some were lilies,
And some were forget-me-nots too.
Each flower held a special memory for the gardener as she gardened,
These flowers were a gift from God,
Filled with his healing power,
He certainly knew what he was doing when he created flowers.
The garden was a place of healing,
A place to meet with God,
A place where broken hearts were mended,
Where sorrow and grief were gone.
For this was where Jesus' presence could be found,
For the gardener knew,
That where there was life,
There death had lost its sting.
When Jesus died,
He was buried in a garden tomb,
And when all hope seemed lost those long few days,
Did Jesus conquer death on that third great day,
Yes, he conquered death and restored life and hope everlasting,
In a garden where hope felt not lasting.
So in this little garden,
She knew not all was lost,
One day soon she would see them again,
And all sorrow and grief would be gone.
Here in her garden,
She was given a gift,
A small drop of hope and life,
A promise of Heaven's garden,
A place of God's peace, joy, and light.
(John 19:41-42, John 20)
Dear Lord, Thank you for the hope and life that you bring us. Please help us to remember that there is healing in your spirit and freedom from our grief and pain and suffering because of your death on the cross for us. Teach us to abide in your healing power each and every day so that you can heal our brokenness and make something new within us. In Jesus name, Amen.
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