The mist is moving this morning on the surface of the pond and the trees are firming up with a myriad of tiny leaves peaking out from their beds. The forest has gone in one day from a red sheen of buds to a green shimmer of awakening leaves. The graceful arrival of Spring is a beautiful process.

Praise be to you, Lord, for the idea of seasons, each with its gifts, its specialties and its beauty. Spring is my favorite: longer days, warming weather, life springing from the earth, flowers showing their little faces and birds busy with their work of building nests.

This is the reminder of the new life we have in Christ: fresh, green, growing, increasing beauty and warmth, moving us on towards greater fruitfulness.

May we cultivate our souls with the same enthusiasm that gardeners have for their plots for veggies and fruit. May our lives produce tasty moral morsels for all those around us: the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of thanksgiving, the fruit of good works and the fruit of seeing people come to Christ.

Praise be to you, Lord God, for calling us to join you in the rich and good privilege of living for you, with you, in you. May you be honored in our lives today and may those around us meet you as the fullness of the Holy Spirit spills over from us onto them.