Spring is a favorite time of year for me.  I’ve been busy doing a lot of gardening which gives me both comfort and satisfaction.    The past few months have brought an unusual amount of rain which has caused our desert to exhibit many shades of green and blossoms from many different types of trees and cactus.   Through the years I have considered this to be one of God’s greatest gifts to those who live here and visit this area.    Our weather has been outstanding, so I chose to visit a place that I had not been for years.  A special place that allowed me to bask in the desert scenery, while at the same time challenging me to remember vividly what this Lenten season is all about.

In a quiet neighborhood on the northeast part of Phoenix is a sanctuary I don’t believe many people know about.  (Probably more visitors that Phoenicians have been there).   It is Canaan In The Desert – The Garden of Jesus’ Sufferings and His Resurrection.    I’ve tried to recall the first time I went to the Garden, or even who I was with, but it has not occurred to me yet (my kids would say that’s mom’s ‘some-timers’).    Regardless if it’s your first or 100th time being there, the moment you step into the Garden a sense of peace and anticipation warms your heart.  A visitor described it as “a beautiful island of God’s peace and holiness“.

This prayer garden has pathways in a natural desert setting that guide you to an awareness of Christ’s suffering.  When you walk through the garden, the sacrificial love God has for you, for all of us, will move you.   Canaan In The Desert was established in 1968 as the US branch of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, which was founded by Basilea Schlink in 1947 in post-war Germany.   So, yes, you will see nuns on the campus where the garden is located.

The garden is designed so that you understand and experience each stage of Jesus’ suffering:

• Jesus In Gethsemane
• Jesus Arrested
• Jesus on Trial
• Jesus Bound to the Whipping Post
• Jesus Crowned With Thorns
• Jesus Carrying His Cross
• Jesus Crucified
• The End of Jesus’ Passion is Victory and Resurrection

Please join me as I take the next few weeks to share more on each of the stages.  For some of us we remember well those Sunday School stories, but have we considered what relevance they have to our lives today?   Do we know him well enough, personally enough to allow his experience to transform our own lives?  Jesus has been called “The Man of Sorrows”.  He was scorned, rejected, not believed, laughed at and mocked.   He bore unfathomable pain and anguish through humiliation and disappointment.    Don’t let that slip past you… not today.   Consider one more time, in a very personal way, what the Lord has done for YOU.

While visiting the garden, I stood back at a distance to watch two women seated on bench in front of one of the staging areas.   In a faint, very heartfelt voice, I heard one of them praying.   She was using this serene setting to speak to, listen to and undoubtedly experience God’s presence.    I doubt very few people can walk through the garden, or sit and take in the beautiful setting without sensing a deep connection or renewal, or for some repentance.    But never miss how the story ends… there will also be incredible joy (and perhaps a few tears like I shed) being reminded of the triumph of His forgiveness and the victory of His resurrection.

M. Basilea Schlink said it best on a small purple piece of paper you can pick up at the gate to the garden.  It says…

“If we behold the suffering of Jesus, it will make a deep impression upon our life.  Nothing will bring us closer to Jesus than reflecting on the Passion, for His suffering reveals His heart.   Only love could have made Him endure such pain.  If we want to know our Savior more deeply, let us take time to mediate on His amazing love.”

You are amazingly loved!