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About to do a
New Thing

The geese have arrived, the river is open, the snow is melting. Signs that a new thing is afoot on the landscape is certainly evident on the trails. As winter fades each year, we eagerly await the great transformation that happens all around us each spring.

In the mystery of nature’s secrets, foliage that looks old and tired, becomes new again. Birds and animals return from their winter hiding places. The arrival of spring can certainly give us a sense of hope as we witness the renewal of life.

Our experience on the trails for our Lenten Walk last Sunday, and this image in particular, connected me to the Isaiah passage for this week. Although our wilderness time is very different from the time of this ancient text, perhaps we can still find hope in the words that remind us about the holy in the ordinary – spiritual reassurance found in the realities of our physical world. “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the
wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Wilderness time can be experienced for us in the bleakness of winter, and in the uncertainty of difficult and chaotic times. So, as spring arrives, it is reassuring to be reminded that the God of our ancient stories is among us still (and always). Signs that a new thing is afoot are all over. The Holy Spirit runs like a river through our landscape bringing new life, and a path
out of our wilderness time. We may not be “out of the woods” yet, as far as the weather goes, but  there is hope knowing that new life is on the way. Our last Lenten Walk is this Sunday. Thank you to all our travelling companions who walked with
us through this season.

Peace and joy,
Nancy