We Look to a New Day – April 20, 2003
To those who mourn, to those whose hearts are weighed down there is peace—there is hope in the renewal of the season. There is joy in the sowing of new seeds. The Creator of the earth assembled the seasons as a reminder of the seasons in our lives, of the renewal He grants us if we will only believe in Him. It is no coincidence that nearly every culture and religion celebrates new life this time of year. The Jews observe Passover, a remembrance of God’s deliverance of the Israelites. Muslims give to the poor as a reminder of the sacrifice of Abraham. For Christians there is Good Friday, a sober reminder of Christ’s crucifixion three days before the Resurrection celebrated on Easter morning. Easter is an observance that begins with a sunrise, a new day. The symbols of that awakening include the first blossoms of spring, the lily, reminding us to renew our faith; the Easter basket, representing the first crops and seedlings that were brought to the temple to be blessed; and the egg, a symbol of new life.
And so we are renewed with the season. We seek peace after a turbulent winter. We lay the first days of our new life on the steps of the temple with a promise to serve all men, to sacrifice for the good of all, and to live our lives as symbols of hope for those around us.
As each culture and people pauses to renew, let us observe that we are all sharing the season’s emotions together, that each of us is somberly reminded of those who have left us and that we can all feel the joy of being delivered from the bondage of sorrow and separation with our eventual reunion and experience that deepest joy that comes from forgiveness and the opportunity to start over. God is the Creator of us all. He grants us the greatest expression of love possible—life itself. This year let us revere and celebrate it. Let us not be troubled by the world or afraid of the future. Let us bond with our neighbors and ring out our joy the way bells have sounded for centuries on Easter morning, ringing across the countryside the harmony of spring and of our faith in the Resurrection. Until that day, let us remember those comforting words of Jesus: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.”1
Program #3844
1. John 14:27.