NEWS FORM THE HILLS: RESURRECTION

The voice of spring has awakened our hills after the deep sleep of winter. She whispered first to the songbirds, and they gathered their flocks together and returned to our land. They were so thrilled to be back in the hills that their song of joy rang out early each morning. Their melodic songs touched the tips of the tree branches, which had hung dead and barren though the winter and their buds began to swell and turn green.

The modest little violets heard the soft voice of spring and began stirring underground to thrust their tiny blue flags upward as a banner of victory over winter’s death grip on the land. She caressed the fields and meadows with light fingers, and tender green grass sprung up at her touch. Yellow dandelions, like miniature balls of sun, heard spring’s call and emerged through the green grass to shine with their own special glow.

At her bidding, the forsythia blooms in a shower of gold, and the peach trees burst into a cloud of pink blossoms. White sarvis blossoms hang over the road banks, and the gleaming pink of redbud blooms in masses. The white, cross-shaped flowers of the dogwood are a startling contrast to the redbud. Tiny woodland flowers come up through the once dead and dormant earth, and early mushrooms appear in woodsy places.

Spring turns the sun’s heat up a few more degrees, and new life appears where snow and ice so recently reigned. The miracle of life, springing out of the dead ashes of winter, occurs once again.

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Solomon described the coming of spring in this manner, “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle (dove) is heard in our land; the fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell.” (Song of Solomon, 2:11-13)

Spring was a perfect time for the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When Jesus made his advent, the world lay in a state of spiritual darkness and was held in the cold and deadly grip of sin. Hope was as dead as winter in its most dormant state, and mankind as a whole was steeped in superstition, idolatry and paganism. For over 400 years, the prophets of God were silent. The world lay in utter darkness.

Then, in the fullness of time, God sent for the His Son to be the Redeemer of mankind and the mediator between God and man. His coming was predicted from the foundation of the world. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” (John 1-1) What hope He brought to a hopeless world!

His ministry on earth was short—about three years—yet no man in the annals of time made such a difference in the lives of people. His mission was predicted in Isaiah 12-2: “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” And in Luke 19-19, “For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.”

He came to do His Father’s will, and when that was accomplished, He tried to prepare His followers for his coming death on the cross. He was the Lamb without blemish and without spot, and bore our sins in His own body on the cross that we might be redeemed. His disciples and His followers could not understand, and they saw their beloved Master taken by cruel hands and put to death at Calvary.

It must have been the darkest day of their lives. The disciples had forsaken all they had and followed Him. Hope was as dead as the bleakest day in winter, when it seems that spring will never come.

They witnessed His body being taken down from the cross and saw where He was laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Heavy of heart, grief-stricken and despondent, His disciples scattered. Only the women who had followed Him, and ministered unto Him, were burdened to do the last task they could perform for Him. They desired to anoint His body with sweet spices.

How long the Sabbath day must have seemed, as they waited and grieved among themselves. On the first day of the week, they were so eager to do this last thing for Him that they arose while it was yet dark. I can feel them shiver in the early morning chill, as they went to the tomb bearing their spices and ointments.

They reached the sepulcher at the rising of the sun and found that the great stone was rolled away. Hope must have revived in their hearts when the angel told them, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen!”

Their long winter of bleakness and despair was over, and hope, like the springtime, had returned to their hearts. My heart was once as cold and dead as winter, but when Jesus forgave my sins and spoke peace to my troubled soul, new life burst forth like the buds in spring. The way of salvation is a happy and joyful way, and I rejoice in the fact that He lives!

He is coming again. I Timothy 3:16 tells us, “God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached until the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

Just as he was taken up into heaven, in like manner He will return again. I have made preparations to meet Him. Will you be ready?

(The origin of Easter actually began as part of the Jewish Passover, as Christ was crucified and resurrected during Passover week. As Christianity was spread through non-Christian nations, the celebration of Easter was gradually combined with pagan “rites of spring” traditions. Our modern celebrations are the result of this compromise. Children enjoy the egg hunts and baskets of candy, but we who are true followers of Christ can rejoice because HE IS RISEN!)