March is a tough month for me. I look out my window into a winter scene of snow and trees with no leaves, bushes with no flowers. The deer come in the night to raid the bird feeder of its nuts and seeds. Leaving it empty and out of use. It’s cold, cloudy, dark and damp. Doesn’t sound real hopeful or cheery, does it? Yet I know, as soon as the snow melts, we will have some green grass underneath it. If we look, those same leafless trees are showing the color of new buds full of green leaves just under the surface. The redbud trees have their pink blooms just ready for the right conditions to come along so they can explode into spring color. When I checked on the forsythia, it too is waiting to announce spring yellow in its grand display. 

You just can’t rush spring. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: “Ecclesiastes 3:1

 21 Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

                      -Lamentations 3:21-23 

The crocus will come up as the harbinger of new life. Soon the sand cranes and the blue herons will come back to the Great Miami River to fish. The orioles, the redwing black birds will arrive. New songs will fill the air, if we listen, and life will begin its eruption into summer.

In the next few weeks, you will be hearing about a much-needed financial campaign called Love First: Strengthening our foundation. We will be talking about the refurbishments that need to happen for First to stay at the forefront of Loving God; Loving others; Changing lives.

The time has come for us to look into the future and invest in it. This campaign is the start. Prayerfully consider your participation in this future of fulfilling our mission of hope.

  Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark