The changeable nature of weather in the UK is well known as March has shown, with the uncertainty of whether it is going to be cold or mildly warm! Revealing the dramatic effect of the sun, as plants respond to the bursts of sunshine, followed by standing still when it goes cold again!
But spring sun makes any cold more manageable. The
days draw out; the spring equinox around 20th March, gives us day
and night of roughly equal length. Then six months with more day
than night, though clouds will hide the sun for some of that time!
Spring is a time of hope – planning, growing seeds
and planting in our gardens. If we struggle with seed germination,
we can always buy seedlings. Either way it is great to see plants
grow and flower and give their fruit.
Some aspects of this growth can echo in our lives.
Our lives are finite, though fortunately they are longer than the
life of a seed. However, the old saying ‘hatch, match and despatch’
contains real truth. The joy of new birth, perhaps our own child or
a grandchild. A chance to wonder afresh at a newborn child, coming
to grips with an unfamiliar world, and the central role of their
mother (with some help from father).
The spreading of confetti is a reminder of the joy
of marriage – commitment and coming together, hopefully for a
lifetime. Then a time will come when we approach the end of our
‘game of life’, in some ways not so different from our garden plants
at season end. This is something which has been highlighted for me
when taking funeral services. Ironically, ‘despatch’ is one of the
few things of which we are certain.
Knowing this, we can choose how we respond. We
might deny the inevitability of dying. However, even then there will
be loss, particularly for the loved ones who are left behind.
Perhaps a better approach is to keep a balance in
our lives. Not to live for ourselves alone, but to include others,
particularly family and friends, while we live. An exercise I did on
a recent course was to consider what I would like to be written in
my own eulogy. It made me think about how I would like to be
remembered and the importance of considering others, seeing when it
is possible to hold out a helping hand.
Personally, I believe it is so important to live
with hope for the future. In the Bible we read that Jesus was
executed; but then lived again because of God’s power. The Easter
story. It can give us food for thought and hope. We know God is a
God of love, so we can have the hope and reassurance that God will
take care of us at the end, and we will be surrounded by his love.
May you have a joyous and hopeful Easter.
John
Lay Minister