Signs of Life in the “Endless Winter”!

 Germany, like many parts of the world, is experiencing a long and stubborn winter season.  A recent news story reported that the period from December 1, 2012 through March 1, 2013 was the cloudiest 3-month period in Germany since records have been kept.  During that 90 days, there was a mere 96 hours of sunny skies!  It has been cold, wet, gray and harsh.  As Carol and I walked through the stadtmitte (city center) in Darmstadt last week, I said, “This is not a bad day for early January – but not good at all for early April!”  We have seen reports that much of the rest of Europe and the US are experiencing an “endless winter” just as we are.

But in the midst of this gray, oppressive season, there are signs of life!  Tiny, colorful crocuses push through the snow, bright yellow daffodils have blossomed along the city streets, the trees are beginning to exhibit the first signs of life, and the local farmers have taken to the fields, caring for their spargel, or asparagus.  They grow a very unique asparagus in our region.  Early in the spring, they cover huge fields of asparagus with tarp, and the earth is mounded high over the plants, so that the asparagus actually grows and matures beneath the surface, hidden from the sun.  The result is an asparagus that is white instead of green.  It is more flavorful and tender than its traditional green cousin, and is the object of “Spargelfests” all over our area.

Farmers all over the world are people of great faith.  They may not ever go to a church, and they may not know God, but they have faith, nonetheless.  I know because I see them out in their fields on gray, cloudy, snowy days in April preparing for a harvest that I would have long ago determined would never come!  They do not look at the current circumstance to determine their commitment to their work.  They look beyond the immediate conditions toward the harvest that they trust will come if they are committed to their work!

There have been wonderful signs of spiritual life in this endless winter of 2013.  We celebrated our first Easter with a great service of Biblical readings and musical selections by hymn-writers Townend and Getty.  Our three LIFE Groups have seen good, steady growth, and we have added a Friday morning women’s study, and a Saturday morning men’s group. The youth group continues to grow, reaching out to young people who do not attend church.  Our worship services have seen new growth too! Two of the last three Sunday worship services have been our largest to date, with new families, new university students and the addition of an entire international ministry team from Youth for Christ South Africa! Carol marveled last week as she observed young men from China, Latvia, India and Germany talking and sharing together – what a joy this is!

“Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.”  ~ Zechariah 10:1