Yesterday we celebrated Easter, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, a day of joy and new beginnings.
“He lives, he lives who once was dead!”  The greatest news we could receive.   Because he lives, we too can live. 

How fitting that the date of Easter falls in the springtime.  While it may not be so evident here in Florida,  you who have come from a more northern part of the country, have experienced the joy of new beginnings in the spring.  Trees show buds that will bring forth green leaves.  Purple crocus push through the earth.  Bright yellow daffodils burst from their bulbs beneath the ground.  Colorful tulips are soon to follow.  Forsythia bushes are aglow in yellow. 

Spring brings signs of rebirth.  Easter brings evidence of new life.  What an amazing time of the year.  What a perfect time for us to lift up our heads, to reach out to the promise of new life, to begin anew to serve our Savior in our best way. Jesus didn’t promise just survival, he promised abundance:  a life marked by peace, a joy that runs deep, freedom from the weight of sin.   

There’s a hymn by composed by John W. Peterson in 1963 called, “New Life in Christ.”  The lyrics to the chorus follow:

“New Life in Christ! Abundant and free!
What glories shine, what joys are mine,
What wondrous blessings I see!
My past with its sin,
The searching and strife,
Forever gone, there’s a bright new dawn!
For in Christ I have found New Life!”

May the unconditional love of our God spur us on to a New Life of living in his love.

Judy