Spring has Come!
This has
been a long hard winter. The cold came
early and the snow came late to northwest Iowa.
I lost track of the number of days the wind chill was under -20. And the number of potential thawing days
could easily be counted on one hand.
The only way I was able to cope with the dark
and the cold days of January and February was to start looking to the future,
looking carefully for signs that perhaps spring is on the way. Here is my short list of indicators that
new life is soon to spring forth:
·
People
start filling out their March Madness tournament brackets.
·
The
Taco House is open for business!
·
The
robins start strutting around my front lawn, despite a late season snow storm.
·
The
five foot snow bank by my driveway is now down to two feet.
·
The
sun is setting after 7pm!
·
Easter
is coming!!!
Perhaps this
last indicator of springtime is the best of all. Easter is the celebration of Christ’s victory
over the grave; it is a beautiful celebration that the cold chill of winter is
now overcome by the warmth of God’s power to create new life for all
people. And there are signs of this
victory all around us!
When I see
two people talking to each other after a long period of silence, I shout out
inside, “spring has come!”
When I see
someone beginning to heal from a broken relationship and they are starting to
smile again, I sing out, “spring has
come!”
When I see a
family hurt by unemployment, continue to find ways to give to their church, I hum
to myself, “spring has come!”
When I see
that young “twenty something” worshiping with us when many of his friends are
sleeping in on Sundays, I laugh out loud,
“spring has come.”
Can you add
to this list? Can you count all the
indicators that winter is now in the rear view mirror? Go ahead! Use all of your senses and take in the
amazing signs of hope and resurrection?
Look for the green shoots bursting through the hard crust! Listen
for the sounds of joy and good cheer!
Feel the embrace of new friends and old coming together!
The winter
is over. Springtime is here! Let the Holy Spirit open you up to all the
possibilities for spiritual growth and new beginnings. May the glorious resurrection of our Lord
Jesus change and transform the way you look at the world. May the Spirit give you the eyes of faith to
celebrate even the small victories, the tiny indicators that God is up to
something Big!
Friends in
Christ, may God truly bless your Easter celebrations! And if you are in town this Easter, come join
us for one of our many special Holy Week and Easter services. Come and join the chorus:
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Spring
has come!
