Arise, My Love

Arise, my love, the winter is past; flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

Song of Solomon 2:10-12
Sometimes it seems like winter will never end— especially in cold and snowy places like northeast Ohio. A few weeks ago I posted a photo on Facebook of one of our late March snowfalls. This was the one that actually kept many of you out of church because their driveways weren’t clear yet. Anyway, with my photo, I wrote the caption, “You can’t spell enough! without ugh!” 

One of my friends from San Diego responded by telling me that I’d find it much more encouraging if I’d plant flowers. Seeing crocuses and daffodils would work wonders for my spirit, she told me. I regretfully let her know that, at that point, I hadn’t seen a single flower—nary a crocus nor a daffodil—anywhere in town. 

Well sometime over the past week, the tide turned. Though it’s still chilly sometimes—and I know snow is still possible—when I look out certain windows, I see spring triumphing over winter. Green buds are on all the branches, and forsythia bushes are festooned with bright yellow blooms. Today is the day we go to church to hear the good news that the tide has turned: Life has triumphed over death. There are still challenges, and sometimes great sadness. But the final victory belongs not to the grave, but to Christ.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
Romans 6:9
Prayer after thinking about today's devotion:
Living Christ, you are risen from the dead! Love reigns! You are life stronger than death! As we see the flowers bloom and the trees bud, help us to experience life for the glory of your holy Name.
✙ 
After your own thanksgivings & petitions, close with the Lord's Prayer.

Losung Losungen عیسی خداوند است Tageslosung Moravian Daily Texts Watchword عیسی مسیح Watchwords Lehrtext المسيح عيسى Lehrtexte يَسُوعُ رَبٌّ Teaching Text مسیحیت
Text selection ©2021 Evangelische Brüder-Unität. All scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version, unless otherwise noted.