A Time of Birth and Renewal - by Kelvin Fizzell

Hands down, spring is my favorite of the 4 seasons. Every year, I generally tease my fellow staff members at Redeemer Church that on MY calendar, spring arrives on March 1st. They typically tell me that it can’t yet be spring in Michigan with piles of snow remaining all over the ground…to which I often reply…its just lousy spring weather!!!

This year, the official 1st day of spring is Sunday March 20th…the long winter will finally be over. Symbolically, winter is a season where fall activity gives way to dormancy…where life becomes silent and still. Winter allows us to quiet the mind, calm the soul, and anticipate what lies ahead. The transition into spring is a time of awesome change…when God’s phenomenal creation reawakens from its winter slumber and explodes with new life all around us. Spring is a time for us to become fully energized and prepared for what is to come…a time of rebirth and renewal.

This year, Sunday March 20th also happens to be Palm Sunday, the beginning of the traditional Christian Holy Week. When you consider the symbolic transition from winter to spring, there seems to be a very appropriate connection. During traditional Holy Week services, Christian churches commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. In addition to remembering specific events of Jesus’ life during that week, there is a focus on a larger theme of His ministry…Jesus as the source of new life.

Participating in these observances enable us to move away from dormancy in our lives and recognize

…the hope and promise of a newness of life found in the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday

…that life comes from death

…that new beginnings come from endings

…there is an opportunity for a time of rebirth and renewal in our lives.

It provides all people the opportunity to experience the truth… just as in the awakening of springtime…the power of God is at work in our lives

…guiding us from an old life, dormant and unable to grow

…to a new life, filled with the hope and promise of what is to come

…the gift of eternal life.

Are you searching for an awakening…a newness in your life? Would you like to discover how God is ready to pour unlimited blessings into your life?  If so, I would like to invite you to join us for any of the Holy Week services at Redeemer Church. Visit our website at www.dewittredeemer.org for times and other information.

2nd Corinthians 5:17 ESV “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”