This poem of hope was written originally for Easter Sunday 2019. It signifies hope in Jesus as reflected in Creation.

Up from the ash,
where once fire raged
leaving scorched black earth,
rise magenta-topped stems,
lithe and delicate,
bowing in the wind
then standing tall again, laughing
in the face of death.

Fireweed saviour,
you pave the way,
flourishing on disturbed earth,
bringing life again where once
death reigned.
A miracle of grace
riding on silky-haired seeds
carried by the wind
to landscapes in need of
salvation.

Resurrection Christ,
you germinate seeds of
new life in the burned and
barren places in our world,
and in the brokenness of our lives,
growing beauty, hope, and love
on delicate stems rising
up from the ash.

*Fireweed is one of the first plants to re-establish on land that has been burned by fire or otherwise cleared of other vegetation. It is native throughout temperate North America. It was common where I grew up on the Canadian Prairies and Rocky Mountains.

— Wendy Janzen, pastor, St Jacobs Mennonite Church, St Jacobs, Ontario, Canada

This poem is part of the Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday worship resource for 2020. Click here to see more.