A Garden and a Grave

 (A Communion Table Talk)

This morning, I want to take you to two places that hold deep meaning in the story of our salvation:  a garden . . . and a grave.

The two don’t seem like they go together.  A garden is where things grow.  A grave is where things end.  But in the story of Jesus, they’re both central — and they both tell the truth of the gospel.

The Garden

Let’s begin in the garden.

In Luke 22:39–44, we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. It's night. The cross is just hours away. And the weight of the world — literally — is pressing down on Him.

Luke tells us:  “Being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (v. 44)

This was no peaceful stroll. This garden was not blooming with roses — it was heavy with the cost of our redemption. In that moment, Jesus wrestled with the terrifying reality of the cross.

And what does He pray?  “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (v. 42)

That’s where salvation began for us — not at the cross, but here — in a garden — where the Son of God said “yes” to the will of the Father.

Jesus didn’t just die for us — He chose to die for us.

The Grave

Then came the grave.

John 19 tells us that after the mock trial, the crown of thorns, the cross, and the final cry, “It is finished” — Jesus’ body was taken down, wrapped in linen, and laid in a tomb.

A borrowed grave — Cold — Sealed with a stone.

From the outside, it looked like the end.  But from heaven’s view — it was the planting of a seed.

Jesus had said in John 12:24:  “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Jesus was that seed.  The grave was not defeat.  It was the doorway to resurrection.

In that tomb, the Author of Life rewrote the story of death.

The Table

So here we are, gathered around this table — surrounded by reminders:  

The bread — His body

The cup — His blood.  

Each symbol calls us to remember what happened in that garden . . . and what happened in that grave.

In the garden — Jesus gave His will.

In the grave — He gave His life.

And because of both — we are given hope.

Romans 5:8 says:  “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

So today, as we take this bread and cup…

Look back to the garden — where love surrendered.

Look back to the cross — where love suffered.

Look back to the grave — where love was buried — and from which it rose again.

And then — look forward.

Because Jesus didn’t just rise — He promised to return.  

1 Corinthians 11:26 reminds us that every time we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim His death until He comes.

Let’s use this moment to take in . . . 

The garden,

the grave,

and the glory of the One who walked through both — for us.

Blood, Sweat, and Wood: The Gospel in Three Simple Things

If you are like me, sometimes, while reading the Bible, something small and unexpected grabs your attention. It’s not what I was looking for—but it won’t let go of me. That’s how I recently stumbled into noticing three surprisingly ordinary things that appear again and again in Scripture:  blood, sweat, and wood.

Together, they sound like the stuff of hard labor or maybe the name of a 70s rock band. But in the story of God, these three—blood, sweat, and wood—are not just physical materials or signs of hardship. They are sacred symbols, woven throughout the Bible, revealing the depth of God’s love and the shape of our salvation.

Blood:  The Price of Forgiveness

Blood is a recurring theme in the Bible because it represents life—and the high cost of sin.

From the earliest chapters of Genesis, blood was tied to sacrifice. After Adam and Eve sinned, God clothed them with animal skins (Genesis 3:21)—implying the first death, the first shedding of blood, to cover their shame. Later, the entire system of worship in Israel was built around animal sacrifices, offered to atone for sin (Leviticus 17:11). 

The message was clear:  sin leads to death, and forgiveness requires life to be given.

But those sacrifices were never meant to be permanent. They pointed to something greater.

The New Testament tells us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). And yet it also proclaims something remarkable:  “But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).

Jesus, the Lamb of God (John 1:29), shed His blood once—for all. His blood didn't just cover sin for a time—it cleansed it completely.

Sweat:  The Cost of Obedience

Sweat first appears in Scripture as a consequence of sin. In Genesis 3:19, God tells Adam, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food…”—a reminder that life in a fallen world would be marked by struggle, pain, and toil.

Sweat is the sign of effort—of real work and deep wrestling. That’s why it's so powerful to remember that Jesus Himself sweat in the moments before the cross.

In the garden of Gethsemane, as He prayed with intensity and anguish, Luke tells us: “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44). The weight of the world’s sin wasn’t just physical; it was emotional, spiritual, crushing. And still, Jesus surrendered to the will of the Father:  “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

Obedience, even for Jesus, came at a cost. And that reminds us: if you’re struggling to trust God or follow Him faithfully, you’re not alone. Jesus knows what it means to sweat under pressure, to pray in tears, to obey when it hurts. And He did it—for you.

Wood:  The Ordinary Made Holy

The Bible is full of meaningful symbols, but none are more unexpectedly sacred than wood.

God used wood to build Noah’s ark (Genesis 6:14), which became a vessel of salvation. He used Moses’ wooden staff to perform wonders, part the sea, and lead a nation (Exodus 4:2–4, Exodus 14:16). The Ark of the Covenant, built from acacia wood (Exodus 25:10), was the very place where God’s presence dwelled.

And ultimately, the cross—the most recognizable symbol of Christian faith—was made of two rough beams of wood. Not gold. Not stone. Just ordinary timber, splintered and stained.

That wood, lifted high on a hill, held the body of Jesus as He bore the weight of the world’s sin (1 Peter 2:24). What was once a symbol of torture became a symbol of triumph.

In God’s hands, even wood becomes holy.

An Extraordinary Message in Ordinary Things

Blood - Sweat - Wood - three simple, tangible things we might overlook in daily life. And yet, together, they carry the entire story of our salvation:

• Blood shows us the depth of God’s mercy.

• Sweat reveals the pain and perseverance of obedience.

• Wood becomes the altar where love and justice meet.

It’s no wonder that Jesus chose ordinary bread and wine—common elements—to represent His body and blood. He takes the simple and makes it sacred. He enters our world of blood, sweat, and wood—and redeems it with His love.

So the next time you come to the Lord’s table, or you find yourself sweating through a hard day, or you look at something plain and wooden—remember:  God is still in the business of transforming the ordinary into something eternal.