The Dogwood Tree

“The Dogwood Tree”

by Anonymous

When Christ was on earth, the dogwood grew
To a towering size with a lovely hue.
Its branches were strong and interwoven
And for Christ's cross its timbers were chosen
Being distressed at the use of the wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
"Not ever again shall the dogwood grow
To be large enough for a tree, and so
Slender and twisted it shall always be
With cross-shaped blossoms for all to see.
The petals shall have bloodstains marked brown
And in the blossom's center a thorny crown.
All who see it will think of Me,
Nailed to a cross from a dogwood tree.
Protected and cherished this tree shall be
A reflection to all of My agony."

Every Easter, I look forward to seeing which flowers are blooming; in particular, I look to see if my nephew’s dogwood tree is opening its blossoms. As the above poem states, the dogwood is a reminder of Christ’s love for us. His death and resurrection on that cross roughly two thousand years ago forever opened heaven’s gates to every person who accepts the freegift of salvation. When you look at a dogwood tree, may the message of Easter penetrate your heart and remind you that “His nail-scarred hands hold Heaven’s gates wide open.”

“Wide Open”

NewSong

Heaven's gates were closed
And there seemed to be no hope
For fallen man
We were prisoners of our sin
With no way to enter in
But God had a plan
The Father knew there had to be
A perfect sacrifice
So Jesus came, a cross was raised
And when He laid down His life

Chorus

Wide open, wide open
They nailed His arms wide open
After three days in a cold grave
The power of sin was broken
Now with outstretched arms
He welcomes in
Everyone who trusts in Him
His nail-scarred hands hold heaven's gates wide open

For so long my eyes were closed
I couldn't see a way of hope
For someone like me
And in my despair I cried
There's got to be more to this life
Lord help me please
And the Father said
There had to be a perfect sacrifice
That's why Jesus came, a cross was raised
And He laid down His life

[Chorus]

For every weary heart that aches
For every dream this world will break
There's a promise in its place
God has made a way

[Chorus]

Songwriters: CHRIS ALAN MAXWELL, STEVE CALHOON, RICK LEE, ERIK SANKO

For non-commercial use only.