I’ve always loved this time of
year. After the darkness and the
cold of Winter it is good to hear
the birdsong, see new colour in the gardens, enjoy the longer day and see new
life in the fields. Spring is the
season of new possibilities, new strength, new vision. Philip Larkin has a poem called
‘The Trees’ in which he sees Spring as a time of new beginnings. This only comes, however, through
struggle. The buds have been
forced open, the trees are leaved again, but only after the ‘death’ of Winter. But from this, come May the trees will stand as a
testimony that even through the struggle and the ‘death’ there can be a new
beginning:
‘Yet still the unresting castles
thresh
In fullgrown thickness every May.
Last year is dead, they seem to
say,
Begin afresh, afresh,
afresh.’
The season makes its impact on
the poet’s heart, speaking to him of the hope that life can begin again. It is a reminder to us that in the
season of Spring we celebrate Easter and the events that have made it possible
for humankind to begin again. We
remember the struggle of Jesus’ life as he identified fully with our human
condition. We remember his death
that absorbed the judgement of God on the sin of the world and made forgiveness
possible. We remember his rising
that points forward to a renewal of body, mind and soul at that time when all
things will be made new.
In Spring we have more than the
power of nature to speak to us of better days ahead, we have the story of Jesus
and its power. It brings us
the assurance that our God is with us through all our days of struggle and
grief. It brings us the
assurance that we can emerge from the worst of our failures knowing that we
have been forgiven. It brings us
the hope that despite the crushing darkness that is often our human experience
God has fixed a time when the buds of renewal will come to full bloom and there
will be a new creation for his renewed people to enjoy.
The apostle John had a glimpse of
this in these startling visions in the Book of Revelation:
‘He will wipe away every tear
from their eyes and death shall be no more.
Neither shall there be mourning or crying or pain any more
for the former things have passed away.’
(Revelation 21: 4)
Enjoy the wonders of Spring but
more so enjoy the promises of Easter.
