Amaryllis and Paperwhites

I finally did it!  After thinking about it for the past couple of years and running out of time, this year I planned ahead and bought two plastic pots, potting soil, found an old basket and planted a Christmas garden in my kitchen.  Every morning, I’d check for any sign of growth.  By Thanksgiving, green sprouts had pushed their way through the surface.  Two weeks ago the Paperwhites started blooming and filling the kitchen with their lovely scent.  Last week, the reddish buds on the Amaryllis opened.  First one, then two, then three and now four, shaped like trumpets with golden centers, and there is another stalk with more coming! 

The Paperwhites remind me of Jesus, pure, perfect, sinless from the moment of conception and throughout His entire life.  Each flower reminds me of the star that lead the wise men from the east to Bethlehem where the prophesies of the Old Testament were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus, from the line of King David and born of a virgin.

The red Amaryllis reminds me of the blood God the Son, the Son of God, Jesus, shed for us.  He became sin and the perfect sacrifice to ransom our lives and make it possible for us to come before God boldly and filled with joy, indwelled by the Holy Spirit and the gift of eternal life.  Each blossom is shaped like a trumpet announcing the birth of the Messiah, the One anointed by the Lord God Almighty to save all those who believe in Jesus.