What are you wearing for Easter?

I come from a conservative southern Christian family. Growing up, I always had a new Easter dress, new tights and new shoes to wear on Easter Sunday. Of course, it was never an appropriate outfit to wear out in the field for the easter egg hunt but I didn't care. I carried this "new dress" tradition to my own children. Often I would make my daughter's dress myself. I can still see those patton leather shoes now! I never really thought too much about why we had the "new dress" tradition. And, I think I followed it because it was the way I was raised and it was just what you do for Easter. But now I think I have some fresh insight about this tradition.

Isaiah 61:10 (New International Version)

10 I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

It seems that God is very concerned about my clothes. Not the same way I am of course, but He has dressed me in a robe of righteousness and adorned me with jewels. But lets think for a minute about how our Lord Jesus was dressed when they crucified Him on the cross. The book of Matthew tells us that the guards around him divided up His clothes after they crucified Him. Not only did our Lord endure unimaginable pain when He died, but He suffered humiliation as well. And He did it willingly. But the book of Revelation tells us more. Even though the people who crucified Him saw his nakedness, God saw Jesus dressed in a robe dripped in blood. (Rev. 19:13) Why is this important?

Hebrews 9:22 (New International Version)

22In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Without that robe dripped in blood, there would be no forgiveness for us. Because Jesus chose to wear that bloody robe, God in turn clothes us in the robes of righteousness and the garments of salvation. We should all celebrate this fact by wearing our "new dress" on the day we celebrate the resurection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This Easter, as a symbol of my appreciation for what Jesus did for me, I'm going to wear something new. My money is a little tight right now, so it won't be a whole new outfit. But it will be something to honor my Lord.
What are you wearing for Easter?

The Gardener

I love gardening. More specifically, I love flower gardening. I enjoy most elements of the process - the tilling of the soil, enriching the earth with nutrients, planting the seeds, checking faithfully for any sign of growth, pulling weeds, spotting a bud getting ready to bloom. Then comes my favorite part - the explosion of the flower! What a great reward!

No one makes me garden. I choose to do it. I have a friend who doesn't understand my joy of getting my hands in the dirt at all. She says she'd rather mop a floor 10 times than to put her hands in dirt. I offered to let her mop my floors, but she declined:) She doesn't understand the joy I have and the emotional attachment I feel to my living and blooming friends.

However, I know someone who totally understands how I feel about gardening. Actually He understands in an infinite way - He's God, our Creator. In John 15:1 Jesus states "I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener". Jesus goes on to say that if we remain in him as a branch of his vine, we will bear much fruit. This means that God is the gardener of every Christian.

So what does it mean to have God as my gardener? It means He chose to create me.It means He prepares my heart to receive the seed of His salvation. It means He takes joy in providing the sun, water, nutrients and ammenities I need to be successful and happy. It means He is always doing what is best for me. It means He pulls out the weeds that try to choke me. It means He enjoys every minute of my life process and rejoices when I bloom. It means His love for me is unending.

Thank you God for being the Gardener of my life. Thank you for loving me in a hands-on way. Thank you for getting Your hands into the dirt and creating me!

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27