The Easter Garden


John's description of the resurrection places Jesus' tomb in a garden, and Jesus himself is mistaken for the gardener by Mary (John 20:15).

This encourages us to connect the story of the garden tomb with the story of the Garden of Eden. Many early Christians believed that through the resurrection of Jesus the gates to the Garden of Eden had been reopened and that those who were "in Christ" could now experience something of the presence of paradise in their common life together.

Early Christian churches were often decorated with murals and mosaics which depicted scenes from the Garden of Eden and the beauty and richness of God's created order. They wanted their worship and their Christian lives to point to the presence of paradise in the midst of their daily living.

We continue to fill our churches with beautiful flowers on Easter Day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, including building an Easter garden scene of the empty tomb. But perhaps there are other practical ways of creating signs which point to the presence of the new and restored creation now made possible through the resurrection of Jesus. Here are two suggestions:

  • During the Easter season think about using the land around your church for your own mini "Eden Project", looking at ways to encourage plants and flowers which promote biodiversity and create good habitats for wildlife.
  • Consider developing a community allotment in your neighbourhood - are their small plots or corners of wasteland which could do with some "tilling and keeping" (Genesis 2:15) in order to create local sources of food production?

Engaging with the Community

Concern for the renewal of all creation opens up other possibilities for enabling people to ‘experience Easter' in our local communities and beyond. Ideas include:

  • Working in partnership with other community groups to improve public places and buildings - perhaps through a ‘litter pick', or helping redecorate a community hall, or tidying up a recreation ground.
  • Supporting environmental projects overseas. Working with our partner diocese in India and Tanzania why not encourage people to send £10 for garden instruments for use in poor communities? Cheques can be made out to GDBF (Christmas/Easter Appeal) and sent to Canon Adrian Slade, Director for Social Responsibility, First Floor, St Peter's House, 2 College Street, Gloucester, GL1 2NE.