Month: March 2016

This week we will be reading Hebrews, James and 1 Peter.  Only two weeks and a day to the finish line!

Our survey of the New Testament on Sundays has been awesome!  Our focus as we read is: What is God’s vision and mission for His church?  We’ve discovered how the words “Seeking, Saving and Serving” capture essential mission features and how they tune our hearts and minds to harmonize with the heart and mind of Christ.

As we complete this journey through the New Covenant message together, we enter the valley of decision: What will we do with what we have seen and heard?

Easter is a great time to consider this question.  As the witnesses of the empty tomb were told, “Come and see where they laid Him.  Now, go and tell that He is risen.”  We have come to the place in our study where we have seen His vision and mission.  We have heard His call and received His commission.  Now comes the moment of truth.  May His mission be ours and His vision proclaimed through us as we follow Him: seeking His kingdom and His face, enjoying His saving work and sharing it with others, and ever serving one another in love.

Spring’s glorious awakening is upon us! Don’t you just love it? This year I will have experienced 59 Springs and I can’t remember a single one that I have not enjoyed with exuberance. God chose Spring for the resurrection of Jesus to take place. How appropriate! Eternal life broke into the human race when the stone rolled away that day. It was a Springtime to remember.

I find it interesting that the Bible nowhere mentions the time of year for Jesus’ birth, but it specifically locates the season of His resurrection. Passover. My best guess is that Jesus was also born in the Spring when the lambs were born. Shepherds watching in the fields by night may have been there to care for the newborns of their flocks. The night the Lamb of God was born seems fitting for such a season.

Of course this season of the year only applies to those of us in the northern hemisphere.  My daughter in El Salvador experiences only two seasons: wet and dry.  Those living further down in the southern hemisphere are having Fall as we enjoy Spring.  So, while the time of year works the same, the season differs.  Maybe that’s why God didn’t make such a big deal out of what the season was.

One thing’s for sure, Jesus arose from the grave in the Spring in Palestine. It was Sunday morning and it was a glorious awakening for us all!