NEW LIFE
Spring bursts out all over, no half measures, no holding back as if unsure of itself. It comes! The Chinese say ‘Chun tian dao le!’ Spring has arrived. This is the miracle of Spring. It is new life waking up after a long winter of icy cold days. Spring turns everything around. A dry bleak ground hard with frost becomes soft and lush with green grass. And then, like a celebration of God’s creative imagination and artistry, Spring shows its true colours and joy. Daffodils, hyacinths, primroses, tulips, irises and many other flowers open their buds and cover the ground with their beauty and splendour. Trees, dark bare skeletons of winter’s lifeless wind and snow, suddenly look majestic in their buds, leaves and blossoms. Warm air wafts the scents of flowers and blossoms across meadows and downs, hills and valleys. Skies look bluer and the sun brighter. Birds wake up with the light and start chirping their songs. They flit about from tree to tree and when shadows fall in the twilight hour they gather together and sing full throated anthems to the Creator.
THE FIRST SPRING
Springtime is the recreation of the first Spring. Eleanor Farjeon, {1881-1965} composed the hymn, ‘Morning has Broken, Like the first morning...’ Everything that we experience now had its first morning, its first day, its first sunlight and flowers, its first Spring. The very first Spring could hardly be more miraculous than this one but as Farjeon points out the first morning was ‘Fresh from the Word of God.’ Behind that One Word is the Creator who brings everything to life.
GOOD NEW OF ANOTHER SPRING
There is another Springtime that is ready to break into our lives, our inner world of thought and feeling, dreams and nightmares. It is not a season that changes to summer, then to Autumn and winter. It is the newness of life the Spirit of God is waiting to breath into our souls. St. Paul says, ‘So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!’ {2 Corinthians 5:17} This Springtime comes into our hearts and dispels the winters of our sadness or sorrow, anger or bitterness. Like rain and sunshine that make the Spring possible so the gift of the Holy Spirit cleanses us from sin by the grace of Christ and leads us in holiness and truth, happiness and joy.
Spring bursts out all over, no half measures, no holding back as if unsure of itself. It comes! The Chinese say ‘Chun tian dao le!’ Spring has arrived. This is the miracle of Spring. It is new life waking up after a long winter of icy cold days. Spring turns everything around. A dry bleak ground hard with frost becomes soft and lush with green grass. And then, like a celebration of God’s creative imagination and artistry, Spring shows its true colours and joy. Daffodils, hyacinths, primroses, tulips, irises and many other flowers open their buds and cover the ground with their beauty and splendour. Trees, dark bare skeletons of winter’s lifeless wind and snow, suddenly look majestic in their buds, leaves and blossoms. Warm air wafts the scents of flowers and blossoms across meadows and downs, hills and valleys. Skies look bluer and the sun brighter. Birds wake up with the light and start chirping their songs. They flit about from tree to tree and when shadows fall in the twilight hour they gather together and sing full throated anthems to the Creator.
THE FIRST SPRING
Springtime is the recreation of the first Spring. Eleanor Farjeon, {1881-1965} composed the hymn, ‘Morning has Broken, Like the first morning...’ Everything that we experience now had its first morning, its first day, its first sunlight and flowers, its first Spring. The very first Spring could hardly be more miraculous than this one but as Farjeon points out the first morning was ‘Fresh from the Word of God.’ Behind that One Word is the Creator who brings everything to life.
GOOD NEW OF ANOTHER SPRING
There is another Springtime that is ready to break into our lives, our inner world of thought and feeling, dreams and nightmares. It is not a season that changes to summer, then to Autumn and winter. It is the newness of life the Spirit of God is waiting to breath into our souls. St. Paul says, ‘So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!’ {2 Corinthians 5:17} This Springtime comes into our hearts and dispels the winters of our sadness or sorrow, anger or bitterness. Like rain and sunshine that make the Spring possible so the gift of the Holy Spirit cleanses us from sin by the grace of Christ and leads us in holiness and truth, happiness and joy.