Dear China Friends,
S P R I N G T I M E
After the dark dismal days of winter it is a refreshing
change to see Springtime arrive. Now the days are close to twelve
hours long with ever increasing length. The official beginning of
Spring is March 21st astronomically. On this
date the earth has revolved around the sun until the days and nights are of
equal length. This is possible because the north pole is now
pointed toward the sun rather than away from it. This is because
the direct rays of the sun have traveled from the southern hemisphere to the
equator. It is the 23.5 degree tilt of the earth��s axis with
reference to the sun that makes it possible for it to shine on different parts
of the globe as it circles around the sun.
You may wonder why March 21st is not the middle of
Spring since the days and nights ore of equal length. This is
because the earth and particularly the oceans heat up slowly in comparison to
the position of the sun. This is why climatically (tempera-
ture-wise) Spring includes the months of March, April and May. The
varying distances of the earth from the sun in its circle around the sun are not
great enough to have an effect on the seasons.
Unstable weather most often occurs during the
Spring. This is because warm air from the southern latitudes
begins to clash with the cold air pushing down from the polar regions.
Floods are common near the mountainous areas because of snowmelt from
warmer weather and heavy rainfall. What is called Tornado Alley is
most active this time of year for a large section of the U.S.
Spring is a time of growth and new life for both
plants and animals. Plants that seem dead in winter come alive
with new growth. The beauty of this season in the U.S.
Nature in Springtime provides a metaphor for life
beyond the grave. ��But someone may as, ��How are the dead
raised? With what kind of body will they come?�� How
foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies��.��So
will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is
sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is
raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a
natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural
body, there is also a spiritual body.��
The two major holidays in Spring bear out the theme of new
life springing out of death. The first one is
Passover. This relates to the enslaved Jews escaping from
Egyptian bondage. The account is found in the Old Testament book
of Exodus. God heard the cries of his people for deliverance from
slavery. So he directed Moses to have the Jews to kill unblemished
lambs and sprinkle their blood on the door post of their homes.
Then as God brought judgment on the Egyptians with the death of all their
first born sons, the Jews would be spared of that terrible fate.
The name ��Passover�� refers to the death angel passing
over the houses that had the blood of a lamb sprinkled on their door
frames. Then they celebrated their new lease on life by eating the
Passover meal. This consisted of eating the lambs that had been
slain and bread that was unleavened in their haste to leave Egypt Red Sea with walls of water standing up on both
sides. These walls of water then collapsed on the pursuing
Egyptian army. So every year the Passover feast commemorates this
historical event. For 2010 Passover is celebrated on March
3rd for 7 days.
The second major holiday of Spring is Easter.
Most Christians celebrate this holiday on the first Sunday after
Spring��s first full moon. In 2010 Easter is celebrated on the
4th day of April. Did you realize that there is a
connection between Passover and Easter? It is simply that one
symbolizes the other.
To Christians, Jesus was killed as their Passover
lamb. Upon seeing Jesus, John the Baptist declared,
��Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!�� (John
1:29). So just as the blood of the Passover lamb in Egypt
Also, the passing through the Red
Sea symbolizes baptism. The Apostle Paul
explains: ��For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our
forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the
sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the
sea�� (I Corinthians 10:1,2). In like manner ��all of you who were
baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ�� (Galatians
3:27). ��We were therefore buried with him through baptism into
death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory
of the Father, we too may live a new life�� (Romans 6:4).
From the Passover meal Jesus instituted his own meal in
memory of his death and resurrection. This is commonly called the
Lord��s Supper or Communion. ��The Lord Jesus, on the night
he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said,
��This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.��
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ��This cup is the
new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of
me.�� For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you
proclaim the Lord��s death until he comes�� (I Corinthians 11:21-26).
Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the
dead that guarantees our own resurrection. ��Now it was the day of
Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because
the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they
asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.
The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had
been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when
they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his
legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus�� side with a
spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.��
��The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony
is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may
believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be
fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken" (John 19:31-36).
��After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There
was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven
and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was
like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were
so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.��
��The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know
that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen,
just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell
his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into
Galilee . There you will see him.' Now I have
told you."
��So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled
with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings,"
he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said
to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee ; there they will see me."�� (Matthew 28:1-10).
Then Jesus ��appeared to Peter,[a]
and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five
hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though
some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
8and last of all he appeared to me (Paul) also�� (I Corinthians
15:5-8).
As new life springs forth in Spring so it is
appropriate that these two holidays are celebrated in Spring. The
one celebrates new life for the nation of Israel
To my friends in China China
Your friend,
Tom Atkinson
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen