Written by Iris Niven
‘O, To be in England
Now that April’s there.’
We can follow the wistful musings of Robert Browning as he contemplates the special beauty of his homeland in the season of reawakening. He longs to hear the chaffinch singing on the orchard bough and the thrush trilling his exquisite music. There is a particular vitality about April when all of nature is geared up to going forth and multiplying. New life surges with hope and joy after the hardship of winter.
As a bereaved nine year old, I was taken by my parents to spend Easter week on a farm in the Border Country. It was an inspired decision. Some new born lambs needed supplementary nourishment. Giving a helping hand as the hungry little bodies tugged eagerly at the feeding bottles was one of the best emotionally healing experiences a child might encounter, and the sight of lambs skipping together over daisy fields is truly heart-warming.
The Glasgow Orpheus Choir made famous the gentle pastoral lyrics of Katherine Tynan, set to the rich harmonies of Hugh S. Roberton.
“All in the April evening
April airs were abroad
The sheep with their little lambs
Passed me by on the road.”
Pausing to watch the flock on its way to “dewy sweet pastures” on higher ground, Tynan noted the spiritual significance of this personal encounter.
“All in the April evening
I thought on the lamb of God.”
Whilst John the Baptist stood watching by the riverbank, a figure approached and John recognized in his spirit that there was a special divine significance about that moment.
“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”, he announced. His prophetic words were to be fulfilled and explained when, after three years of life-bringing ministry Jesus, Lamb of God became the atoning sacrifice for our sins. (John 1v29. 1 Peter 1v18-21. Rev 5v12)
Some will ask, “Is there still relevance in our Easter traditions and our worship services before the cross of Christ? Is it just a time for egg hunts and a break from school terms?
Easter is the reminder that however chaotic and brutal our war-mongering world becomes, there is still a path of peace and reconciliation for individuals and for nations. The steadfast love of God can engender the momentum to find solutions, to seek forgiveness and to hold onto hope that overturns hatred and oppression. It can transform seemingly hopeless situations and break down these barriers of impasse.
“Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God
for I will yet praise Him,
my Saviour and my God.” (Psalm 42v11).
Happy Easter.