Sunday, March 31, 2013

Now the Green Blade Riseth...


This French carol is a favorite Easter hymn. 

Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain, Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain; Love lives again, that with the dead has been: Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green. 

Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain, He that for three days in the grave had lain. Quick from the dead my risen Lord is seen: Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green. 


In the botanical realm resurrection is routine. Every spring the plant kingdom returns to life. Seeds sprout. Bulbs flower. Shrubs bloom. Barren limbs are renewed with greenery. 

Our Almighty and Eternal God, who presides so creatively over springtime, can certainly bend the rules of zoology. If your intellect struggles with this miracle, may the great blessing of Easter settle upon your soul! 

~  ~  ~  ~

Betrayal, humiliation and torture. 
Death. 
The Father seems distant. 

Yet we witness the Son's determination and sense of purpose. 
Perseverance. 
The Father is not so far off. 

And there are witnesses to a resurrection! 
Triumph. 
The Father is in control. 

Believe and be transformed! God has established a New Covenant with humanity through Jesus Christ.  

From the Son... 
We witness a message of sacrificial love. 
We receive courage in our times of weakness. 
We are forgiven our lapses and misdeeds. 
We have the promise of eternal life and a restored creation. 

The Father, the Son, their Spirit...are very, very close! Amen.

Now the Green Blade Riseth: words | music