Signs Of Spring (ii)

As we enter the welcome season of spring in the northern hemisphere, it is precious to pause and notice all the vivid displays and explosions of colour around us, and to pray for a spiritual ‘burgeoning forth’ across the Earth. This is the time of year above all others when we celebrate the natural world emerging all its glory as it was created to do, breaking forth in its soft, downy abundance. Let’s pause and marvel at the quiet gentleness that is abroad in the whole of Nature: an iridescent playfulness that mirrors and accompanies the urgent need to reproduce and multiply. With the spring comes the fulsome joy of the dawn chorus as the birds gather in song. Isn’t it a joy to listen to them about their business? It is full of hope and expectation; a great settling and busyness as one generation prepares the way for the next. And Jesus says to us His followers, ‘Look at the birds as they get on with what My Father has made them to get on with. Don’t be afraid, and don’t worry – you are free to do the same!’ This invitation to freedom in Christ feels particularly poignant when we consider how inclined wee can be in the Church to build structures, and to rely on our plans and programmes, sometimes even to the extent of depriving ourselves of experiencing more of the joy of the intimate worship and encounter that flows in the immediacy of the Father’s presence. Let’s be sure to make room for it in our daily lives as well as in our meetings! As we listen to this second spring piece that Mike recorded for us, let’s pray for the Church in the light of the trusting freedom of the birds, and their selfless preparation for a new generation. May we be like the bird in this picture who is both rejoicing at the coming spring, and yet equipped to meet needs and situations that will call for great resolve and courage. And may the Lord grant our leaders, political and spiritual alike, all they need to sustain them in and through whatever situations we are called upon to face, decide upon and put into action in this and every season. Where the church is going: Looking beyond the global shaking. Somewhat along these lines, you may appreciate this far-reaching article by Rodney Woods on nurturing healthy freedom in the Church, at this time when much is being shown to be hollow because insufficiently hallowed. Rodney is the senior minister at City Temple in London: https://freedtolead.substack.com/p/where-the-church-is-going