A RESURRECTION EXAMPLE

The grayish brown dead looking substance covered the limbs of my pecan tree up and down the trunk. It ran up the limbs and followed a downward spiral of a limb that was broken. Now the tree's leaves were gone, it was noticeable.

At first I thought the ugly stuff was a parasite sucking the life-giving nutrients from the tree. I made plans to remove the unwelcome visitor. The tree's purpose for existing was to produce pecans and provide shade for my backyard in the summer time. It also provided a home for numerous squirrels. Myriads of birds rested on its limbs as they darted backward and forward, up and down, when the snakes, also living in the tree, chased them.

Winter turned into spring and I never got around to attacking the intruder in the tree.

The spring rains came with more volume than the dry parched earth had seen in several years. A hurried glance toward the tree one morning revealed fronds of vibrant green where the grayish-brown decayed stuff had been. A query to my neighbor revealed the green to be Resurrection fern. "It is not a parasite," he said. "It is an air plant. It receives its nutrients from the air and water. I've heard the substance can lie dormant for a hundred years and resurge into life again from a small amount of moisture."

"I've also heard," he continued, "this tiny plant has been taken on a Space Shuttle mission to watch its resurrection in space."

After my interesting discussion with my neighbor, I went to Wikipedia to see what had been written about this interesting plant. I found it is a member of the Polypodium Polypodioides Classification; the same family as orchids, bromeliads and Spanish moss.

It gets its water and nutrients from rain and dust and causes no harm to the tree that supports it. It does not reproduce by seeds or fruits but uses spores. They are found in clusters, called sori, on the bottom of the blade near the edge. The rhizomes can be cut and divided into new plants.

With all this information on hand, I knew I had to find a use for it. Immediately, I gathered some of the fern and placed it in a dry box for storage. My grandchildren would be coming to my house Easter weekend and I had a plan.

When they arrived on Good Friday, I begin to explain the Easter story to them. We talked about how Jesus had died on the cross; His body taken down and placed in a tomb. Then I told them the story of how he arose on the third day. I showed them the dead ferns and explained death to them.

Early Easter morning, I spread the ferns out on a table in the yard and gave each child a sprinkling bottle filled with water. We will sprinkle the ferns once each hour, I told them and see what happens. When our bottles were empty, I set the timer and refilled the bottles for the next hour. By the third hour a little green color could be seen in the dried, grayish brown ferns. By the fourth hour it was evident something was happening. By the sixth hour all the ferns were green and the children were filled with awe and excitement. The word resurrection had become real to them. Not only would the resurrection fern be of interest to them, but so would Easter.

Christ's body when it was taken from the cross, wrapped and placed in Joseph of Arimathea's tomb, was in horrible shape with blood stains, nail prints, bruises and slashes. The fern appeared ugly and dead when the children had observed it the day before. I also explained to them that water was a spiritual symbol in the Bible that represented the Holy Spirit. When they applied the water to the fern, it revived. The Spirit was alive again in His body on Easter morning, therefore, He lived again.

Jesus' death and resurrection had been a symbol to us of how his Holy Spirit can resurrect us from the death of sin and allow us to live again, vibrant and green as the fern was today.

One grandchild remarked: "that means Jesus went up on the cross, down into the grave and up again into our hearts."

I knew my example had worked.

From Ruby Haskins