Maple Springs Methodist Church was on an arterial street near our home in Winston-Salem, so that we often passed by it. It was always pleasant to do so, but two times of the year were special. The first was in the days leading up to Halloween, when they brought in a couple of semi-truck loads of pumpkins and laid them out across their lawn. Their youth then sold them to raise money for their activities and missions. Little children loved it, and you would see them running around all over the yard with parents trying to keep up. A lot of children who grew up in town had their picture taken at Maple Springs hugging a pumpkin as big as they were. 
 The second time was at Easter. On Good Friday they planted a large, very rugged cross in front of the church (I think they did this at the conclusion of a Cross Walk). It looked heavy and reminded those who saw it of the procession to Golgotha when the soldiers impressed Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross of Jesus (Luke 23:26). The cross was bare, but it nevertheless also reminded the viewers of the crucifixion over 2000 years ago and how Jesus suffered for us.

 For Easter Day the members of Maple Springs decorated the cross with flowers, and it was completely and densely covered. They used spring flowers such as Azaleas, Dogwoods, Jonquils and tulips, all of which are evidence of the earth coming to life again after the passing of winter. They also used Easter Lilies. Christian tradition has it that lilies were found blooming in the Garden of Gethsemane after the crucifixion, and they must have been a favorite flower of Jesus for He explicitly mentioned them in the Sermon on the Mount (Luke 12:27, KJV). [I wanted to include a picture, but Paulette and I don’t seem to have one. I did find flower covered crosses, some from other churches, on the internet, but none of them compared to the one at Maple Springs.] I loved the Maple Springs Easter Cross. It was a glorious and joyous symbol of the resurrection, while at the same time reminded us of the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins. What a witness it was to all who passed by the church.

 To learn about the first reports of the resurrection read Luke 24:1-10, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Jim
Today’s Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2024:1-10