*you need a bulb (paperwhite narcissus are the easiest to force, they do not have to be kept in dark or chilled before being potted) and glass and rocks to "force" winter bloom. You also need paper and crayons for drawing.
isaiah 35:1-10
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing…
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God…Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water…A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called Holy Way highway;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God’s people;
no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.
Have you ever been away from home for a long time and couldn’t wait to get back?
What do you miss from home when you are away?
The family of Israel was a long way from home and thought they would never get back. There didn’t seem to be any roads leading home. God promises to make a highway home. This is a poem of what it looks like on that highway home.
Let’s read it again and draw the promises God describes for the Holy Way Highway.
In Advent some people are still waiting for these promises to grow. Plant this bulb and wait for it to bloom. Let it remind you that we are all waiting for God’s promises to come true. I wonder how Jesus will make that happen?