Resurrection Garden

I had never heard of a resurrection garden until a friend from church mentioned making one for this Easter season. After she described it I knew I wanted one for us and, especially, for our two boys to enjoy and focus on what Jesus did for us on the cross. I went straight home and looked up other’s resurrection gardens for inspiration. I immediately thought of the oversized bowl that sits on our coffee table and started envisioning a natural, textured, green garden using simple elements. And it really was simple! The boys and I headed to our local nursery where we purchased three succulents, a lavender plant, three plastic trays to protect the bowl, and some potting soil. I happened to have this planter that would make for just the right size tomb. Then we found a rock in our yard that coordinated perfectly to cover the entrance to the tomb. I used preserved forest moss to cover the soil and the plastic edge of the trays. I also finished with a stone pathway using these small rocks I typically use as a vase filler.

My four year old loved helping me plant and is so proud of our garden. We’ve had lots of discussions about Jesus dying on the cross, being buried in the tomb, rising on the third day, then spending 40 more days on Earth before ascending into Heaven. During this season of Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter, we have a purple ribbon on the cross, symbolic of Jesus’ royalty and our repentance. On Good Friday we’ll switch to a black ribbon and roll the rock in front of the tomb (per my four year old’s suggestion!) Then on Easter Sunday we’ll roll the rock away and place a white ribbon on the cross as we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. We’ve also put a wooly lamb in the garden, recognizing Jesus as the one who made the final sacrifice so that we are forgiven for our sins. We’ve loved it so much that I think this is a new yearly tradition for us!