John 3-16/Dogwood Legend
by Kathy White
Title
John 3-16/Dogwood Legend
Artist
Kathy White
Medium
Photograph - Photography--greeting Cards Or Notes Are Cheaper By The Dozen!
Description
The Dogwood flower is a small flower cluster. The flower cluster is surrounded by 4 large showy bracts that are often mistaken as petals. The four white "petals" aren't petals at all, but rather bracts, which are modified leaves. The actual flowers are the tiny greenish-yellow objects in the center of the thing people usually call dogwood flowers, but which is actually a flowering head. When the early spring flowers seem to present themselves before the leaves come out, they are actually modified leaves.
When the bracts of the dogwood flower are fully open, they measure about two inches in diameter. They bloom in either pink or white.
A Christian legend of unknown origin proclaims that the cross used to crucify Jesus was constructed of dogwood. As the story goes, during the time of Jesus, the dogwood was larger and stronger than it is today and was the largest tree in the area of Jerusalem. After His Crucifixion, Jesus changed the plant, so the legend goes, to its current form: He shortened it and twisted its branches to assure an end to its use for the construction of crosses. He also transformed its inflorescence into a representation of the Crucifixion itself, with the four white bracts cross-shaped, which represent the four corners of the Cross, each bearing a rusty indentation as of a nail and the red stamens of the flower, represents Jesus' Crown of Thorns, and the clustered red fruit represent His Blood.
The legend is only that....a favored story. But because of the look of the dogwood flower, the legend really does fit the flower's look so well. And if it makes you think of the story of how, as told in John 3:16, " For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.", then I see no problem with that! John 3:16 is one of the most beloved and memorized verses in the Bible. It holds a special message almost like no other.
THE LEGEND OF THE DOGWOOD---
In Jesus time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.
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Twas strong & firm its branches interwoven
For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.
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Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
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Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so
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Slender & twisted, it shall be
With blossoms like the cross for all to see.
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As blood stains the petals marked in brown
The blossoms center wears a thorny crown.
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All who see it will remember me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.
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Cherished and protected this tree shall be
A reminder to all of my agony.
------ Unknown-----------------------------------------------
Uploaded
January 26th, 2013
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Comments (10)
Kathy White
Thank you all for the congratulatory comments on our sales! And thank you so much to our buyer! We appreciate you.
Kathy White
Thank you to Susan Lee Giles for the feature of my dogwood photo in Women Photographers group homepage!!