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Spring is here. Days are longer, temperatures are climbing, and skies are brighter. With the advent of Spring, yards are cleared, verges trimmed, and gardens prepared.

You will have noticed the sound of lawnmowers and weed whackers and the sight of landscape companies' trucks parked outside homes. You’ll have seen thatched and aerated lawns, cut grass, and dead patches reseeded and fertilized. You’ll have walked past manicured lawns, trimmed bushes, budding plants, and piles of raked leaves. Spring is here.

We are familiar with Psalm 23 and its picture of God's Spring-time provision as he makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside quiet waters. In the Old Testament, such images were signs of peace and blessing.

In Deuteronomy 11:15, Moses tells the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land that if they remain faithful to the Lord, he will “provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.” Psalm 104:14 says, “He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth.” These promises become signals of hope and redemption. In Ezekiel 34, God promises to raise up one who will graciously and carefully shepherd his people. With the coming of this shepherd, who of course is Jesus, verse 27 says, “The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land.”

In Psalm 72, a psalm that speaks of a righteous king, verse 16 says, “May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May the crops flourish like Lebanon and thrive like the grass of the field.” It is no surprise that the picture of eternal blessing in the Old Testament is of someone peacefully resting in their garden. Micah 4:4 says, “Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”

The New Testament culminates with this picture: in Revelation 22, the glorious image at the end of history is of a new heaven and a new earth, with the heavenly city descending to earth. And along this city's Main Street a river will flow – the river of life. Revelation 22:2 says, “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

Spring is here. Buds appear. Lawns are prepared. Spring flowers have blossomed. Trees are showing signs of Spring growth. What wonderful invitations these are to see the blessing of God – the eternal blessing of God given us through Jesus. So, enjoy Spring, and look forward to eternity.

視頻大意翻譯(video Chinese translation):

大家早。

春天到了。白天的時間長了，溫度爬升，天空也越來越明亮。隨著春天的來臨，院子和花園也修剪整齊都準備好了。

我相信你已經注意到割草機和除草機的聲音，以及停在屋外庭園造景公司的卡車。你看到毛茸茸和翻鬆過的草坪，修剪過，重新播種和施肥的的草地。你走過修剪整齊的草坪，修剪過的灌木叢，看見植物發芽和成堆的的葉子，我家的小狗喜歡研究這些。春天來了。

我們都熟悉詩篇23篇，以及在神主權下，祂供應春天的畫面，祂讓我們躺在青草地上，領我們到安靜的水旁。這景象是平安與祝福的標誌。

因此，在申命記11：15中，摩西在以色列人進入應許之地前就告訴他們，如果他們對耶和華忠心，他“必使你喫得飽足、並使田野為你的牲畜長草。” 詩篇104：14說：“他使草生長、給六畜喫．使菜蔬發長、供給人用．使人從地裏能得食物。” 這樣的應許成為希望和救贖的信號。在以西結書34章章節中，關於對不關心神子民的牧羊人的審判，神應許興起一位將恩典和細心牧養他子民的人。隨著這個牧羊人的到來，他當然就是耶穌，第27節說：“ 田野的樹必結果、地也必有出產．他們必在故土安然居住。”

彌賽亞的到來是用充滿春天般祝福的語言預言的。詩篇72篇是一首講公義王的詩篇，在第16節中說：“在地的山頂上、五穀必然茂盛．所結的穀實、要響動如利巴嫩的樹林．城裏的人、要發旺如地上的草。”  毫不令人驚訝的，舊約中永恆祝福的畫面是人在他們的花園裡享有平安。

彌迦書4談到末世，第4節說：“人人都要坐在自己葡萄樹下和無花果樹下、無人驚嚇．這是萬軍之耶和華親口說的。” 因此，在啟示錄22章中，歷史盡頭的榮耀形象是新天新地，天上之城降臨到地上。沿著這個城市的街內，一條河流流淌—生命之河。啟示錄22：2說：“在河這邊與那邊有生命樹、結十二樣果子、每月都結果子．樹上的葉子乃為醫治萬民。”

春天來了，嫩芽發出，草坪準備好了，春天的花朵已經綻放。所有樹木都顯示出生長的跡象。這些是多麼美妙的邀請，讓我們看到神的祝福—神通過耶穌賜給我們的永恆祝福。所以，享受春天，期待永恆。

讓我們禱告。

Grace and peace in Jesus

Pastor Callum