He Makes All Things New

If the saying is true, then those April showers should be bringing May ____________. Flowers… that’s right, good job. When I was kid growing up in St. Louis, one of my favorite springtime activities was going to the Missouri Botanical Gardens. This is a huge park near downtown St. Louis that has thousands of different types of plants and flowers, separated into distinct areas. One particular area, my favorite, is the Climatron. It’s pretty much just a giant greenhouse dome on the outside. But on the inside is a beautiful, elaborate, very humid, tropical rainforest. If you have seen rainforest plants and flowers you’ll know what I am talking about. They’re incredible, with brilliant colors and shapes. I used to want to live in the Climatron, in the rainforest, so I would constantly be surrounded by those brilliant plants and flowers. Today… I’m not so sure I would want that. Sure, I still love seeing those flowers and am still amazed by their colors and beauty, but being away from them really makes me appreciate them more. In tropical regions these flowers grow all year round, the colors are there constantly. But us being much further north, we eagerly await spring to come and for the flowers to bloom. All winter we see death… dead trees, dead grass, dead skies. But come spring we see life… green grass, brightly colored flowers, sunlight and blue skies. I love seeing everything come to life… everything that once was dead, blooming forth into new life. I think it’s fitting that we just recently celebrated Easter, and that it comes every year in the springtime. After all, Easter is when our Lord, Jesus Christ, was dead, but rose to new life. And in doing so we have the hope for new life as well. There is a beautiful passage in Revelation that speaks of this new life: Jesus says, “God himself with be with [his people]. He will wipe every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever… Look, I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21: 3-5, NLT). I hope that all of you will take the time to appreciate the new life that springtime brings and that you will always appreciate the new life that we have in our risen Lord. Happy May!