If Jesus
Was entering
Nashville today
Would the crowds wave
Dogwood branches?
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
– Matthew 21:8-9
I walk outside
And look up at the tree
In my front yard.
Its branches, bare.
Leaves, long shed,
Were raked and carried
To the backyard months ago.
But I see buds growing in the branches,
Promising life that will return
In its season.
What message for me, for us,
In these months of fear and challenge?
That though we have lost
Hopes and dreams …
That though our plans,
Swept up,
Now lie in the bottom of dust bins …
We are alive, growing,
Dormant, but still grounded in earthy hope.
Step outside and look toward the sky.
Life and hope and promise
Are growing in hidden places,
Preparing to break forth
In beauty and strength.
All the Wonders 