Easter

Wishing everyone a very happy Easter.  What does it mean to you?  It's the dawning of a new season. Here in the northern hemisphere it is the Spring, with all its symbols of new life and fresh hope: new-born lambs, eggs, chicks, spring flowers, lots of joyful, fresh colours - yellow, green, gold. At the heart, a cross.... death and resurrection. The power and love of the creator God triumphant, life pulsing through, a fresh start.

See the land, her Easter keeping,
Rises as her Maker rose.
Seeds, so long in darkness sleeping,
Burst at last from winter snows.Earth with heaven above rejoices...  ~ Charles Kingsley

Easter and spring seem so intrinsically linked for me. It's as though the spring is a visible sign of God's invisible grace, his promise of new life. Certainly a time for rejoicing. I have often wondered if Easter feels different to people in the southern hemisphere, where the season moves steadily towards autumn....