Praise God for Spring

For now the winter is past . . .
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come. —Song of Solomon 2:11-12

It is, finally, if only by date, spring! It has seemed for young and old alike, who have bothered to express such thoughts to me, to be a winter too long and hard. It is a welcome miracle of the changing seasons. The Source of such a miracle confounds us, but to be sure the Source is not ourselves.

A little madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King,
But God be with the Clown—
Who ponders this tremendous scene—
This whole Experiment of Green—
As if this were his own! —Emily Dickinson

Poet and Song alike ascribe the beauty of this season to God, the Source of all. We are, to be certain, quick to blame God for the ravages of winter.

So welcome spring as a gift from God that so inspires the hymn to sing:

For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light;

For the joy of human love,
brother sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild; —Folliot S. Pierpoint

Prayer
Lord of all, best Gift Divine, to you we raise this our hymn of grateful praise!
Amen.

C. Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana