Greetings St. Philip’s UCC!

Just this morning, I noticed that the buds on the trees in my yard are big enough to see from the windows of my house—spring is coming! For the last couple of weeks, I could see the buds if I got up real close to the trees and peered intently up at their branches; but today, while sipping a cup of coffee and waiting for the caffeine to kick in, I glanced out my window and there they were! Sunlight is sticking around later into the evening, the winds and rain are picking up, the air is warmer (at least in spurts!), and signs of new life reemerging from winter hibernation are slowly appearing all around. We may not be completely finished with cold and snow quite yet, but spring is certainly glowing and budding on the horizon!

The stillness, silence, and barrenness of winter will soon break forth with new life in all kinds of shapes and forms! After a season of hibernation and slumber, awakening into a new spring season is like waking up in a whole new world. And some new shoots, new sprouts, and new births are, indeed, brand-new creations that are just entering the world for the very first time in a season of growth, renewal, and regeneration. Spring is an exciting time, a reminder that the creative forces of life are resilient through even the harshest winters we endure, that God continues to create new life in surprising and unexpected ways.

And spring is also a reminder that we get to participate with God in the ongoing creation of the world around us. We get to nurture, steward, and even design parts of creation with God! How cool is that?!?! We can partner with God to infuse creation with more love, more grace, more compassion, and more joy! The gifts God has given you can be used to make God’s creation even more beautiful and brilliant!

I know quite a few humans who aren’t big fans of winter—who don’t like getting out in the cold, who slow down and hibernate through the dreary days, who bundle up and bury under blankets, and just wait for warmer and greener days to come. And no judgments there—I’m no fan of winter myself! But now, as spring is creeping in and sprouting up, as you defrost and come back to life (in one sense or another), I invite you to prayerfully consider how you might participate and partner with God in the new creation unfolding around us. What can you add to God’s magnificent creation as it begins to reemerge and find new expressions of life? What gifts can you contribute to the springing forth of a world teeming with new life to make it even more loving and hope-filled and joyful?

Expectantly and Faithfully Watching for Spring,
Pastor Laura