Yay! It's Easter!

I've always loved Easter--and it's not just because my birthday generally falls within a week or two of Easter, either! There's something about this time of year--the daffodils and hyacinths and tulips blooming, the grass growing, the trees (cherry, dogwood, crab apple) budding, the birds singing again...it really gives me the sense of new possibilities, of opportunity available, of fresh starts and new beginnnings.

I begin to understand spring cleaning and the pagan fertility rites, both of them!

Life is back in the world!

And that's the whole point of Easter, isn't it? The resurrection of Jesus, new life for each and every one of us, reflected in the world around us. Rebirth. A new start.

We're bringing in a new member this Easter--it's nice and traditional to do so--and I am so thrilled this young man has decided to join. He's a university student, already active in the church, and has decided to make a committment to the church. He's energetic and enthusiastic, and will, I think, be a source of real energy for the whole congregation. He's even baked a couple of cakes for the Easter Sunday coffee hour!

The church is also trying to assist a young man who was recently disowned and thrown out of the house by his family because of his sexual orientation (yes, it still happens, even in Canada). He's far too young (in my not-so-humble opinion) to be on his own. But we're trying to find ways to get him support, in both material and non-material ways. We want to help him find a new way, a new start.

Easter. A new start. A new beginning. A new life. For both of these young men. For each of us. For the whole world. Thank you God!