“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.”
Gardens for Easter
Easter is the great feast of the church, the week of weeks, a fifty-day festival of rejoicing. The resurrection of Christ is proclaimed with shouts of alleluia, and there is good news for everyone: death has been put to death, humanity has been restored, even the face of the earth is renewed with life, the desert flowering into a garden. The garden metaphor represents Easter perfectly. From the garden of Eden to the garden in John’s gospel where Jesus makes his first post-resurrection appearance, a garden is the place where God dwells, the place where God proclaims that everything is good, the place where God in Christ calls us by name.
Try these two activities to bring the Easter garden metaphor to life!
1. Make a Resurrection Garden
This activity brings the Easter story to life, while connecting the resurrection story to new life and growth. You can find pictures and instructions for making a Resurrection garden in various places online. One of our favorites is from Catholic Icing.
Supplies
Shallow dish, terracotta pot, rocks, dirt, large rock,
Plants, potted flowers, moss
Sticks, glue
(See the link for full details)
Directions
– Place the potted plants in the large dish, and surround with dirt
– Place the terracotta pot in the center for the tomb
– Add other items as you build and complete your garden
(See the link for full directions with step-by-step photos)
2. Grow Easter Wheat
The European custom of growing wheat at Easter, as a symbol of Jesus’ death and resurrection, is finding new popularity in our own times. It is a simple activity that can be done at home or with children in Church School during the waning days of Lent. Symbols of growth and renewal have always marked the Easter season. Consider one of the best known Easter hymns:
Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain, wheat that in darkness many days has lain; love lives again, that with the dead has been: Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.
Supplies for Easter Wheat
Pots or baskets (such as plastic berry baskets)
Plastic wrap for lining baskets
Potting soil
Wheat seeds (found as whole wheat at natural food stores)
Spray bottles with water
Plastic bags
Directions
– Take a pot or basket (lined with plastic wrap) and fill it almost to the top with soil.
– Sprinkle a thick pinch of wheat seeds over the surface of the soil.
– Carefully water the soil with the spray bottle and put the watered pot or basket in a plastic bag, sealing it closed.
– Keep in a warm place and check daily for sprouting.
– When sprouts appear, remove from the bag and put in a sunny location.
– New green “grass” will appear in 7-14 days.
Sharon Ely Pearson is a 30+ year Christian formation veteran, currently serving as an editor and the Christian Formation Specialist for Church Publishing Incorporated. Wife, mother, soon-to-be-grandmother, and author, she enjoys connecting people with each other and the resources they need for growing in the knowledge and love of Jesus.
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