Nature Sings Hosanna to our King!

Easter is one of my favorite seasons of the year because it reminds me about the significance of why Jesus died on the cross. He did it for you and me, even though we did not deserve it. His resurrection and salvation gives us hope for an eternal life with Him when we leave this earthly world! Holy week started with a celebration of how Jesus humbly arrived in Jerusalem and ends with the promise of a risen Savior. His death gave us salvation and the opportunity for eternal life in Heaven. Him rising from the grave proved that He is King of Kings and can conquer anything, even death.

John 3:16 tells us that God loved us so much that He gave His only son so that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life. Did you hear that? God sent his only son, Jesus, to live as man on earth and to die on a cross for our sins. His grace and mercy saved us from an eternal hell. He knew us and all our faults, yet He loved us anyway. While He was on that cross, we were on His mind. That is very humbling when you really think about the sacrifice that He made for all. What grace and mercy He has for us!

Grace is the favor and forgiveness that God extends to us, even when we don't deserve it. Grace is a free gift from God to us. All we have to do is ask Him to forgive us of our sins. Praise God that His love for us is unconditional.

Mercy is a reflection of God's love for us and how He doesn't punish us for what we do, even though we probably deserve it! God's mercy was demonstrated when His only son died on the cross for our sins. We deserved to hang on that cross instead of Jesus. But God extended mercy to us. I cannot imagine how God must have felt to see His only son die on a cross in front of people who could have cared less. What a sacrifice!

Easter is a sign of resurrection, new beginnings, and eternal hope. What is so amazing is that nature celebrates the resurrection of Jesus! A couple of weeks before Easter, the pine trees begin to prepare for the King's arrival. If you look at the tops of a pine tree, you will see a tall shoot that grows tall, toward the sky. Just days before Easter and in perfect time for Easter Sunday, the tip of the shoot begins to unfold on each side of the shoot, creating a cross. The pine tree shouts Hosanna to our risen Savior!

The dogwood tree also celebrates the Easter story. Although the Bible does not mention the dogwood tree specifically, the legend of the dogwood tree is that His cross was made of dogwood. The story continues to say that God cursed the dogwood tree. The dogwood tree will never grow tall again and the branches will be never be straight enough to cut long boards for a cross from its wood. The true beauty of the dogwood tree is actually in its flowers and leaves. The dogwood flower has four petal-like leaves, representing a cross. At the tip of each petal is a rust-colored indentation representing the scars from the crucifixion and the blood that Jesus shed for our sins. The center of the petal-like leaves is a green crown-like flower, representing the crown of our King. The dogwood tree shouts Hosanna to our risen Savior!

And then there is the elegant Easter lily, a beautiful white flower that also makes its grand entrance just in time for the Easter season. The Easter lily is mentioned many times in the Bible and represents purity, rebirth, new beginnings, and hope. Lilies were growing in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed prior to His crucifixion. In Luke 12:27, Jesus references the lily in all of its beauty. "Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

How does the lily represent the resurrection story? I am so glad you asked! The bulb is buried in the ground, representing Christ's tomb. The green leaves burst through the ground, representing new life, and a new beginning from a buried bulb. Beautiful white flowers begin to appear, representing the purity and innocence of Jesus. The very fragrant, white flowers are also shaped like Gabriel's trumpet, announcing that Christ has risen! During Easter, the lily shouts Hosanna to our risen Savior!

And finally, there is the humble, lowly donkey who carried Jesus into Jerusalem. The King arrived on an ordinary animal which served Him with honor and peace. In reward for the donkey's faithfulness and humbleness, God allowed the shadow of the cross to fall on the donkey's back. Ever since, most donkeys are born with a cross on their back, honoring its faithfulness to serve our risen King. God could have used the grandest horse in Jerusalem, but He chose the lowly donkey. An amazing example of how God can use the ordinary for the extraordinary!

This week, please pay close attention to God's message through nature as we celebrate Christ's resurrection. And just in time for Easter Sunday. Jesus died for us so that we could be forgiven for all of our sins. He died for all people, even the ones who have not been born yet! His death offers us salvation, but we must accept His free gift, a gift that will allow us to live eternally with Him in Heaven. May you have a very blessed Easter. Like nature, shout hosanna, our King is alive!