Out of the darkness: Spring’s hope

As Spring brings the promise of new life around us, David Frith looks at the hope for our future promised by the life of Christ

Hazel, celandines, aconites, snowdrops. Can you make a link between these four plants? Perhaps for you, as for me, they are – as early
flowering plants – signs of hope that the winter, however long, dull, cold and wet, isn’t going to last forever. So we look out for them in our garden or in the country and are cheered a little when we see the first yellow hazel catkins in January, or emerging snowdrops in February.

It’s a natural tendency to seek for new signs of hope when all is dreary round about us, in our lives as well as in the natural world. How cheering it is when we see those earliest spring flowers, or gradually realise that the evenings are getting lighter! A particular favourite of mine is a winter honeysuckle which comes out in mid to late January (very early January this year!) and gives a lovely sweet scent at a time of year when we least expect such fragrant blessing.

It’s possibly easier to spot hopeful signs in nature each year because we can identify the repeating patterns of the seasons, but the early
harbingers are the most sought and welcome. So for the gardener, the first strawberries in summer or the first blackberries or plums in autumn are more special than the subsequent bulk of the fruit and vegetable harvest.

Spotting signs of hope in our lives can sometimes be harder, especially if worries or problems are weighing in on us.

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lyfe

How do we make progress in the spiritual life and find a deeper, richer life with God?

According to John Wesley spiritual growth always involves the ‘means of grace’, spiritual practices that help us become more like Christ.

We can, through faith and grace, become like Christ by practising the types of activities Jesus engaged in. He engaged in activities such solitude, silence, prayer, simple living, study and meditation of the Scriptures and serving others with compassion. These are the practices recorded in Scripture which kept him close to the Father.

lyfe is about helping people to explore and discover a richer, deeper relationship with God. The resource material has been developed by Bible Society and is available online.

The sessions of lyfe focus on activities that Jesus practised, you will find Scriptures to read and a number of challenges that you can practise in order to connect with God through the week.

The lyfe material is best used in the context of a small group. Bible Society suggest it can work well with just 3 or 4 people meeting in a coffee shop, cafe or pub, as well as private homes. To get at least one group underway Richard and Jenny will host a gathering in The Vicarage.

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