12 Days of Easter: Plant an Easter Herb Garden

The Last Supper that Jesus ate with his disciples was possibly a Passover Seder. Even if it wasn’t, they most likely would have had a Seder for Passover that week, and they had probably shared several Passover meals together. I haven’t personally had the privilege of participating in a Seder, but I very much want to have one. Maybe next year I can remember to start planning that early enough in advance.

One of the elements of the passover meal is the bitter herbs, which represents the bitterness of the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt. In a similar fashion, one of the things elements we meditate on when we celebrate Easter is the bitterness of slavery to sin – for which Christ came to free us.

Today, the kids and I planted an Easter Herb Garden for our windowsill. Though cilantro, basil and chives are not the bitter herbs for the Seder, nor particularly symbolic in any way, I wanted to plant herbs that we enjoy and that we would use.

The kids and I talked about why we were planting a little herb garden, but the lesson won’t end today. As they begin to sprout and grow, these “bitter herbs” will serve as a continual reminder of why God sent His son and why we need Him.

The “Roman Road:”

• “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12 ESV)
• “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23 ESV)
• “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 ESV)
• “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 ESV)
• “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9, 10 ESV)
• “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” (Romans 10:13 ESV)
• “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1 ESV)