Mark 16:6-7 (NIV)
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus
the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place
where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead
of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
In 1973, archeologists uncovered a cache of date palm
seeds in ancient Masada, Israel. Scientists estimated that the seeds were
produced about 70 AD. The Romans called it Phoenix dactylifera -- "the
date-bearing phoenix" -- because it never died and appeared to be reborn
in the desert where all other plant life perished.
The seeds were stored at Israel's Bar-Ilan University
where they remained for the next thirty years. In November 2004, Dr. Sarah
Sallon approached the university and asked for some of the seeds.
"When we asked if we could try and grow some of
them, they said, 'You're mad,' but they gave us three seeds," Sarah said.
Sarah's friend, biologist Dr. Elaine Solowey also didn't
have much faith that the seeds would germinate, but Elaine carefully prepared
the seeds for planting. First she soaked the seeds in hot water to make them
once again able to absorb liquids. Then she soaked them in a solution of
nutrients followed by an enzymatic fertilizer made from seaweed.
Tu B'shevat, a Jewish holiday known as the New Year for
Trees, fell on January 25, 2005. Elaine chose that day to plant the seeds in
new potting soil, hook them up to a drip irrigation system, and then she left
them locked up. Elaine occasionally checked on the plants for a few weeks, and
in March 2005, she noticed a sprout. By November 2005, the sprout had turned into
a sapling that was 3 feet high with nine leaves. Nicknamed Methuselah, the
seeds is oldest seed to ever germinate.
God has the power to bring life to that which was dead.
His greatest triumph is the resurrection of Christ.
Dear Lord, thank You for the New Year and all that is
ahead of us. Thank You for the new life we have in You and that we as Your children
will be raised from the dead. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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