Month: April 2023

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:a time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; … a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4) After a busy Easter Weekend, Rhonda and I went for a long walk on Monday. Spring is definitely on its way. The sun was shining, and the temperature was just right. Getting out in nature is a wonderful way of being refreshed and renewed. Springtime is the promise of something new. The colder days are passing away. The daylight hours are getting longer. Trees are starting to bud, and flowers are blooming in bright colours. It’s an amazing season of promise. Sometimes I think the talk about different seasons of life is a little overused. Some people seem to be in a different season every couple of weeks. But the truth is that the seasons change about every three months. Change can come quickly, and the seasons of life can also change quickly. We can go from laughing to crying in record time. There are seasons of parenting, seasons of hardship, seasons of friendships, seasons of struggles and seasons of grace. Each part can teach us something about the value of life and how precious each moment is. Embracing our current situation isn’t always easy. We want some seasons to last forever and others to pass quickly. God knows all about the seasons of your life, including the one you are in right now. No matter what season you find yourself in, you can take comfort in knowing that God is always with you. As you continue to grow in your faith and trust in Him, you can rest assured that He will guide you through every season of life.

You know it’s Easter in Switzerland because there are so many chocolate bunnies everywhere. Switzerland consumes more chocolate per person than any other nation. But at Christmas and Easter, the amount of chocolate for sale in the stores is ridiculous. I’m not sure how we moved from Easter being about Jesus’ death and resurrection to chocolate bunnies and eggs. I don’t blame the secular world because the majority of people in the Western world still identify as Christians. We can complain about other people all we like, but this happened on our watch. We replaced the truth with sugar and spring colors. This has left the world without a much-needed message. Most people just seem to celebrate a long weekend rather than a risen savior. Easter is about the cross and resurrection power. The cross would be meaningless without the empty tomb. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:  “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19) People need hope. The news from around the world is depressing. Evil still abounds and seeks to destroy life wherever it can. No amount of chocolate is going to ease the pain. The world needs to hear the message of hope, peace and reconciliation that is only found in the power of the resurrection. If we don’t believe in this hope, the resurrection, then how can we convince the world? It is said that the early church gathered on the first day of the week because that was the day of the resurrection. Each Sunday, we celebrate that Jesus has risen from the dead. Our reason for getting out of bed on Sunday morning is to declare that “Jesus is alive” and that the world is a better place for it. There is nothing wrong with candy and chocolate bunnies, but don’t forget what this season was intended to remind us: “Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!”