Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Last year was a difficult one. And this winter seemed particularly long and dreary to me. More than one of us commented that we felt like we had been in Lent the whole time. Being “cooped up”, as my mother used to say, is not very pleasant. But now, golden-green baby leaves are popping out on the trees, fruit trees are blossoming, and every kind of spring flower is exploding out of the slowly warming earth. Some of us have even dared Mother Nature and have put out plants in our gardens.
With all the troubles that still surround us, there is something undeniably hopeful about spring. I have no idea what season Psalm 98 was composed in, but it always makes me think of spring. The delight of hearing the birds sing at dawn—surely they are “Singing to the Lord a new song.” The rivers, freed from ice and flowing swiftly, must be clapping their hands. And the swiftly greening hills seem to be ringing with joy! How can our hearts, too, fail to be moved as we breathe the fragrant fresh air? Surely our Good God has done, and continues to do, marvelous things.
The loveliness and liveliness of nature are not the only reasons for optimism, though. This springtime psalm also promises that God’s mercy and faithfulness are still with us. They saw us through dark times and now they uphold us in new growth. And what’s more, there is the assurance that in the future, when God is ready to judge the world, that judgment will be done with equity and fairness. God won’t be playing favorites and ignoring one person’s faults, while coming down hard on another’s. In a world so divided by class, race and economics, God’s righteous even-handedness must surely be one of the keys to bringing us together in peace. What a victory that will be!
So lift up your voice, rejoice and sing ALLELUIA!
Springtime blessings,
Mo. Laura+
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