For behold, the [covid] winter is past,
The rain is over and gone. A new day has dawned.

The blossoms have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for singing
And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.

The fig tree has ripened its fruit,
And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!

Song of Solomon 2:10-13

The [covid] winter has passed, A new day has dawned. True for the whole earth? Don’t know, but in our part of Iowa, USA, we are praising God afresh. We are smelling fresh fragrance, feeling the beauty of His love, and seeing the first fruits of His produce.

What Does the Bible Say?

Not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near Hebrews 10:25. But we have been told to “stay home and shelter in place.”

They will lay hands on the sick and they shall recover Mark 16:18b. But we have been told to stay 6 feet apart.

We are honest men; we are not spies Gen 42:31. As Christians we place high value on authenticity. We try to be open with each other. Yet we have allowed the mask mandates.

Fear not occurs 55 times in the Bible in that exact form. What will it take to help all of us, including me, to be free from fear?

There may have been a reasonable time and place for mandates, social distancing, and quarantines as “the experts” and all of us were trying to figure out how to cope with the virus.

But the seasons have changed. Now is the time to smell the flowers. The Turtledove [the Holy Dove] invites His beloved:

Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!

Come along out of your seclusion. Come out from fear and isolation and walk through His vineyard [His church]. The time has arrived for singing.

The [covid] winter has passed, A new day has dawned.

This is not saying that the virus is unreal. I had a friend who died, at least partially caused by the virus. What I am saying is this: A New Day is Dawning. What may have been good for yesterday is no longer the program for today.

Did You Hear the One about the Pastor at the Organ Recital?

After a long days work with his parishioners, a pastor arrived at home.

“Hello dear,” his wife greeted him at the door. “What did you do today/”

“I attended an organ recital,” announced the pastor. I went to visit Mrs. Peabody and heard all the problems with her heart, her lungs, her kidneys, her liver and nearly every other organ she could think of.”

Let’s Quit Praising the Devil

People love to talk about sickness, especially their own. Have you noticed how covid comes up in nearly every conversation? Jesus addressed the problem clearly: Why make a commotion? Stop the toxic talk and let life-giving virtue flow.

“The times they are a’changin,” sang Bob Dylan in his prophetic voice in 1964. True then, and now the prophetic voice of the Turtledove is heard across the land. This is the time for new fruit, new songs, new fragrance, new topics of conversation.

No more devil talk. No more talk about what the devil is doing or has done. That season is past.

Let’s talk about what God is doing! How He is healing. Fresh vitality is on the Divine menu. Fresh vision is the order of the day. Let’s talk about how He is charging us from the inside out. He has brought a whole new atmosphere to the church! Can you smell it in the air? It’s party time in the ecclesia!

Are we open to a fresh heart for the lost? Open to fresh hope? Jesus is issuing a call for happy intercessors. Joy is a fresh ingredient at His table. Miracles and humor are part of His spread. The carte de jour includes gaiety and spice.

The winter is passed. A new day has dawned. Let’s celebrate!

Photo by Mason Dahl on Unsplash