And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as God has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
1 Corinthians 15:37-38
Dear friends,
I have noticed something happening in the garden in front of my home in Lunenburg. Green shoots are now appearing, promise of a beautiful spread of daffodils, very special to us because they came from my parent’s farm house in Vermont.
I remember when we planted them in the yard at our new home twelve years ago. We brought them with us when we moved in a snow-filled December. The bucket was transported with all our other things and placed in the garage. When spring came, I found the bucket and stuck my hands into the dirt to find a bulb or two, holding my breath to see how they looked and fully expecting to find a handful of dried up, lifeless bulbs. Could they have survived the cold of winter in a bucket in the garage? To my surprise, every bulb I pulled out of that bucket looked healthy and alive…so alive that roots had started to grow and each had a bright green tip starting to sprout from the top of the bulb! Into the ground they went, and every spring since they’ve graced the front of our house to joyfully herald spring’s arrival.
The miracle of resurrection. Elena Huegel, our friend and missionary, once reflected on her experience of this resurrection miracle as she visited a piece of land on the Duqueco River in south-central Chile. She wrote, “As we approached the sloping hills covered with trees, my heart began to race with excitement. I caught sight of the snowcapped volcanoes in the distance and the river gently winding its way through a valley patched by trees and open spaces. The first thing we smelled, just inside the property gate, was a dead horse. Even from a distance, its rotting stench and disgusting appearance marred the awe-inspiring scenery. But as we walked past the carcass, I experienced an extraordinary shift in perspective…soon the dead horse would completely decompose and become part of the nutrients to give the soil new life. Nothing would be wasted, and nature would complete its efficient and enriching clean-up work.” *
As Elena saw on her hike in the mountains of Chile, we too can see resurrection in our lives. What may seem to be an old bucket of dried-up bulbs, may turn out to be new life waiting to sprout and bloom for another season. “What may seem to be the desperate and irreparable stench of death, may actually be the healthy process of transformation giving birth to reconciliation, hope, harmony and well-being. What may seem to be the end of the story, the shattering of dreams, may be the prelude to the glories of the resurrection.” *
In this resurrection season, may we rejoice in the miraculous power of God’s love and light to bring new life to that which is dead in each of us!
Blessings for March,
Karen Nell
*From Global Ministries’ Latin America/Caribbean Spring 2013 newsletter, “From a Dead Horse“ by Elena Huegel, former missionary with the Pentecostal Church of Chile, environmentalist and Christian Education Specialist.