Spring time is here...kind of!

I love Tulips! (think what you may about my reasons, I love them.) 

It is that time of the semester again. The time when we are getting closer to Spring, which leads to Summer. This means that student motivation is decreasing while the work load it increasing. At least I know this happens for me but maybe I am the only one who experiences this feeling. I tend to think not, however. :) This time of the year makes me think about transitions. The weather is slowly moving from winter to warm sunny days, most of the time. There is a shift in the general mood of campus where things seem to be just a little bit brighter. Those sweaters and scarfs that were so anxiously anticipated not so very long ago, are now cast away to welcome shorts and sundresses. There is certainly an air of anticipation with the arrival of Spring. I love this time of year. Partially because I am more suited to warmer climates, ask anyone who knows me and they can tell you this right away, but also because this is a time of year when things that once were dead come alive again. It is the time of year when there is new life budding all around and the beauty of the creation is at a peak in my opinion.  It is a time of free Rita's (first day of spring!!) and walks in the park. A time to go and shop for all of the new clothes in those wonderful bright colors that are now acceptable. There are so many great things about this time of year but most importantly, it is the hight of the Christian faith in celebrating the death and resurrection of Christ.
(I have to confess, as I sat down to write this post I did not really know where I was going with my thoughts. I really did not have a plan but thought I will just go ahead and write about why I love spring so much. And I am just realizing some of these things as I go along!)
I have always loved Easter. Maundy Thursday services and Good Friday have long been times of worship that I look forward to and then Easter Sunday is always wonderful. Maybe this sounds like what I am supposed to say as a Christian, and even more specifically, as a pastor's daughter, but I do not say this because I am supposed to. I am telling you this because it is the truth. For me, the time that is spent in Holy Week reading and thinking on the death and resurrection of Christ is always some of the most spiritually nourishing time in my walk. It is true every year. Focusing on the suffering of the cross makes me overwhelmed with grief and gratitude at the same time. The words from the song "God, Be Merciful To Me" come to mind vividly." Broken, humbled to the dust. By thy wrath and judgement just, let my contrite heart rejoice, and in gladness hear thy voice; from my sins O hide thy face, blot them out in boundless grace." What a rich and beautiful song, and that is just one of the verses. The whole thing is full of this kind of language that really confronts me with what my longing is and my position as I come to God. That is heavy and hard to all take in, but then the news just gets even better. Easter Sunday comes and we are washed clean! Christ the Savior is Risen and we are made white as snow with his victory over sin. I mean just think about how awesome that is! No longer are we enslaved to the sin that we were just thinking about two days before. Holy Week is full of looking at the wonderful things that Christ did for us and the ways he loves us, it just keeps getting better and better. This is why Easter is always such a rich time for me. Just yesterday I was driving and listening to the radio when a commercial came on about Easter, it was something to do with ham and the chocolate from the easter bunny. I was overcome with disgust. It is so sad that our society thinks about a rabbit and ham when they think about Easter. I don't know what else to say about that except that every time I hear someone talking about Easter in these terms it makes me sad. (listen, Im not saying we shouldn't give kids Easter baskets or whatever. I am just saying that instead of telling them they came from some stupid bunny we should teach them about the empty tomb and love of our Savior. Enjoying chocolate at the same time is something I am totally in favor of, any time of the year!)
So I guess this post is all about how I am eagerly anticipating Easter and the celebration of our Risen Lord. This is why Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. This is my invitation to you to join with me in eagerly waiting for the coming King, at all times, but especially at the beginning of this season.

The Power of the Cross

Oh, to see the dawn

Of the darkest day:

Christ on the road to Calvary.

Tried by sinful men,

Torn and beaten, then

Nailed to a cross of wood.

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Christ became sin for us;

Took the blame, bore the wrath-

We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain

Written on Your face,

Bearing the awesome weight of sin.

Ev'ry bitter thought,

Ev'ry evil deed

Crowning Your bloodstained brow. 

Now the daylight flees;

Now the ground beneath

Quakes as its Maker bows His head.

Curtain torn in two,

Dead are raised to life;

"Finished!" the vict'ry cry. 

Oh, to see my name

Written in the wounds,

For through Your suffering I am free.

Death is crushed to death;

Life is mine to live;

Won through Your selfless love.

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Son of God-slain for us.

What a love! What a cost! 

We stand forgiven at the cross.

I love this song! I put some of the lyrics in bold that especially stand out to me. Go listen to it. Do it!