New Life

This past weekend, my wife and I spent many hours digging, weeding and planting in the garden. One of the surprises we have experienced as new home owners is watching what we have growing in our flower beds come to life.  When we first looked at the house we now live in, all the foliage had been cut back, and so we had no idea what was coming. Every day we find a new plant growing, and we often play the guessing game, "Plant or Weed?"

I am constantly amazed at the beauty and splendor of the colors and new life springing up around us. There is hope in this beauty that God gives to us. Jesus said to his disciples, "Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over." (John 12:24, The Message). The signs of new life in this season of the year are powerful reminders of Jesus victory over sin and death.  

There is an old legend told of God’s creation, that when God created the earth, He scattered seeds on the ground. When Satan saw these seeds, he planned to destroy God’s creation by taking those seeds and burying them in the ground, so they would rot and decay. But little did Satan know that those seeds needed to be buried to bring forth fruit and vegetation to the earth. For a seed must fall and die and be buried, lest it remains just a seed. 

Thousands of years later, God sent his only Son to walk the face of the earth that God created. Once again, Satan sought to destroy God’s creation. Jesus was dead and buried in the ground, and Satan was sure that he would rot and decay in the earth. Little did Satan know that God’s plan for creation would win again, that Jesus came to die and to rise, so that new life might spring forth once again. 

Celebrate the gift of life and join with me in giving thanks to God for the beauty of the earth!

Here is a video with some beautiful pictures and a wonderful anthem written by John Rutter entitled "For The Beauty Of The Earth."

Peace,

Pastor Charlie