Gardens

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Gardens

In a beautifully prepared place for His creation

God walked with them in the cool of the day.


A subtle serpent’s hiss intruded, words whispered into listening ears 

That used willing hands created by God to pluck and eat fruit from the one forbidden tree,

And God removed them from access to His presence in His garden.


Cast out, they walked eastward into the dust of an earth now

Burdened by their sin, weary man’s existence now scrabbled from dirt made for more;

Displaced, they walked and waked and worked separate from God, sinful creatures, ruined; 

Thus Emmanuel came and walked and waked and worked in the dust with His creation.


’Til one day in another garden precious sweat drops fell, blood red on the ground 

That drank its promise and cried out to God for relief as

Jesus, awake, watching, cried out to God for His will to be done while mankind slept.

Satan slithered into that garden, too, kissing Jesus in the crowded darkness, whispering “friend.”

Jesus left the garden a willing Lamb of God led toward a cross to die for His creation.


Men carried Jesus into a garden tomb (green in its newness) and left him there.

Carved into rock, sealed with a stone rolled into place by men and away by angels,

The emptiness of the tomb revealed

God once more walking in a garden with mankind.


Jesus left earth for heaven, empowered to prepare a place for redeemed man to walk with God again,

Soon, in a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven

The Son will endlessly shine beside a river that will endlessly flow from a throne that will endure forever.


The fruit of the tree of life no longer forbidden,

They walk with Him and talk with Him and feast at His table.


Eden restored.


kbp 



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