Signs of Life at the Dawning of Spring
As the calendar flips from February to March, I have noticed that the city of Raleigh has begun showcasing signs of life. Even on a cold, rainy day like today, the landscape is dotted with the white flowers of pear trees, the first wave of the promise that winter will soon give way to spring. Soon, the white flowers will give way to green leaves and the dancing of daffodils will not be far behind. Soon, daylight will hang on a little longer until one day I’ll look at the clock on my phone and see that the sun remains at 8pm. Soon, the 40 degree days and nights will bow to more consistent warm temperatures. Soon, the forest that looked like the death of winter will sing with the new life of spring.
As I look with eager anticipation to the promise of spring, I’m reminded that in many ways, Calvary Presbyterian Church is on the precipice of a new season, the hints of which have been evident for quite some time. In His mercy, God has been pleased to bless our church with signs of life.
In recent years, signs of life have been evidenced in displays of unity around the Gospel that has sustained us through seasons that might have otherwise divided our church. Signs of life have been evidenced through demonstrations of welcome toward many guests, who have come looking for a place to call home, wondering if they will be accepted in the love of Jesus. Signs of life have been evidenced in a spirit of prayerfulness, as groups gather regularly to petition the King of Glory on behalf of the church, the lost, this nation and this world, knowing they come before a throne of grace. Signs of life have been evidenced through open-handed generosity, as the congregation has enthusiastically committed to stewarding God’s resources for the sake of the Gospel in this generation and the next. Signs of life have been evidenced through acts of mercy and love, as needs are met, people are cared for, and community is fostered in the love of Christ.
And this Sunday, Calvary will prayerfully and as a unified church body, seek God’s desires for our next steps in the renovation and expansion of our facility through a vote on whether or not to move ahead with the plans recently presented by Calvary’s Session. Regardless of the results of Sunday’s vote, Calvary will enter into a new season of her life and ministry, and by God’s grace, the signs of life He has given point to spring-like hope.
We must remember that like the signs of new life, dotting the trees on the doorstep of spring, the signs of life at Calvary dawn and bloom only as we are connected to and dependent upon Christ Jesus, who is the vine, through whom we bear fruit. In John 15:5, just hours before the winter of the cross would give way to the spring of resurrection, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” As we enter into a new season in the life of Calvary Presbyterian Church, pray with me that we would abide together in the vine, who is Christ, and that through Him we would bear much fruit in Raleigh for the glory of His name!