Fifth Week of Lent – Reflection by Linda Locke, Regional Officer for Safeguarding (Liverpool Plus Mission Area)
Now the Green Blade Rises – Singing the Faith 306
Now the green blade rises (or riseth if you’re singing it in old money) is a familiar Easter hymn which is understandable considering the theme of death, dormancy and reawakening that run throughout the verses.
“Now the green blade rises, from the buried grain,
Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:”
The parallel between Jesus being buried like a grain of wheat, hidden, dark, and seemingly lifeless is hard to miss. As we approach Good Friday, the impending death of Jesus is ever present. A sense of foreboding and fear. The deliberate act of putting our saviour to death in such a horrifying manner.
I think of the farmer planting the grain. Not a random, unthinking act. The ground has to be prepared; the correct soil type; the careful distribution method; moisture levels just right, hopefully leading to a healthy growth of the precious crop. So too did Jesus prepare the ground for us, his followers, during his ministry on earth before his body was lovingly prepared for the tomb. The annointing, wrapping in cloth, protected as the stone in rolled into place. Secure, just as the buried grain.
I love the analogy of grain bursting into life with Jesus rising from the dead. Those first few green shoots rising. The image of fields flush with growth. The disciples who grew the first shoots of news of Jesus’ resurrection. The spread of the Word. Not just filling fields but filling hearts the world over.
The final verse is filled with hope:
“When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
When your touch can call us back to life again,”
To me, its message is far beyond that of “this is a Easter hymn”. We all have times of struggle, pain, and hardship. This is particularly resonant with safeguarding where trauma and painful memories can be lifelong. Our faith could be tested but the loving touch of Jesus can bring us back when all seems lost. There are times in our lives when we do need to find the love of our saviour that we feel has been lost to us. In this way, love is truly come again, like wheat that springs up green.