The Title Match
I can feel it coming… the great showdown between our effort to read the Bible together in two years and the lure of warmth in Minnesota. It’s GodSpeak vs. Spring. I can hear the announcer in the center of the ring now. “In one corner we have the reigning champion, emerging from the freezer, a Minnesota native… Spring! (crowd cheers) And in the other corner, the ageless wonder, the powerful and inerrant… GodSpeak! (crowd cheers)” What makes it even more difficult is that over the next few weeks we’ll be reading from 1st and 2nd Chronicles… not the most engaging reading! So when I look to the odds-makers, it looks like Spring has the advantage in this match!
Spring
You can see why spring has such an advantage. There are beautiful reminders of resurrection everywhere. The trees budding out, plants popping out of the ground, lakes you can’t walk on anymore… I could go on and on. I think God gives us spring as a wonderful reminder of how He provides for us each and every day, week after week, year after year. I also notice how moods seem to lighten in the spring. The warm weather and time outside just seems to brighten faces and put a spring back in our steps. So, yea, spring has a lot going for it.
GodSpeak
But then again, we did commit to read through the Bible in two years. That means for two springs we’ve said that we’re going to be listening to God speak to us daily and allow those words to be spoken through us to other people. It just so happens that this spring we’re reading 1st and 2nd Chronicles. Amazingly, these Chronicles were written after the exiles returned from captivity in Babylon, so it was kind of like spring to them! They wrote to connect the people of God to their ancestors who walked the same land promised to them by God so long ago. As you read Chronicles, try to place yourself in the sandals of those who had returned from exile and wished to reconnect with the faith of their ancestors. Remember their stories, the lessons learned, and watch again as God works through history to be with His chosen people.
A Draw
Could it be that the title match between GodSpeak and Spring could end in a draw? I hope so. Here’s one suggestion. Read your GodSpeak reading outside. Stop every once in a while to reflect on what you’ve read while you look at God’s beautiful earth. Be reminded of resurrection and grace and mercy and then dive back in to the text for some more. Perhaps this isn’t much of a competition at all. Maybe it’s the beauty of Spring that will help you make the most of Chronicles! Maybe it’s the review of God’s work in Chronicles that will help you make the most of Spring! Regardless, let’s keep up our readings and meeting with our groups. God has a lot more to say to you and through you… yes, even in spring!
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3
Blessings,
Pastor Seabaugh