Romans 6:9-14, The Reminder of Spring

Romans 6:9-14 “For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.  Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.  For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”

Small green buds and shoots are appearing slowly amidst the dead branches and rotting leaves piled up around the hedgerow bushes in front of my small apartment. My house plants as well show signs of new life as they shake off the winter drab. Outside the chipmunks are chattering, the rabbits are frolicking, and birds of all kinds swoop and pinwheel singing out joyfully. Winter is over and soon the spring showers will come. This happens every year, a ritual unbroken since Noah's flood, and has become a poignant reminder to us – all of us – of our walk with the Lord, God Almighty.

We are reminded about what it means to be dead to the world – all those trees and bushes that lost their foliage last fall, the flowers that we missed the entire winter, these are reminders of the death we lived in. In each of those plants, however, a kernel of life lived.  The snows provided warmth and moisture for the plants allowing hidden life to exist. The cold forced changes in the sap and the flow of the plant juices, ensuring that there would be flowers and leaves blooming, that all the stored energy from the winter could be put to use to growing. What appeared dead now has the chance to grow and surprise us, astounding us with beauty and astonishing us with resilience.  It is an encouragement just for us to see these plants and know that they show us that it can be done.

From the deadness of our former lives and those periods of waiting for God to show us the way, from the constant prayer and seeking out God's will as well as the cries and pleadings of our heart, from these God is forming and growing us, allowing us to bloom in His time. We are new creations, no longer living our old lives but rather living out of the newness and freshness of recreation. Spring reminds us of this. So when we find ourselves becoming discouraged with our apparent lack of growth, or find ourselves falling back into the same bad habits and failures of our previous life, lets remember spring, God's spring in our lives. Lets take a lesson from the plants and look forward to the blooming and the flowering rather than look back at the deadness that once was.

The glory of the spring how sweet!
The new-born life how glad!
What joy the happy earth to greet
In new, bright raiment clad!

Divine Redeemer, Thee I bless;
I greet Thy going forth;
I love Thee in the loveliness
Of Thy renewèd earth.

Creator Spirit, work in me
These wonders sweet of Thine;
Divine Redeemer, graciously
Renew this heart of mine.
                                Thomas H. Gill, 1867