On Easter Sunday at FBC Pensacola,  we invite worshippers to bring freshly cut flowers for the flowering of the cross.  This colorful floral symbol is usually displayed on our north lawn, but this year, due to the forecast of inclimate weather, the flowering of the cross is being relocated to the church atrium.

As we prepare for Easter, I am sharing an article entitled The Message of Spring, written by Rebecca Andrews Adrian, one of our home-grown ministers who now serves as a chaplain in the Dallas area. The Message of Spring was published a few years ago in the newsletter of the Baylor Health Care System:

Spring is my favorite season. The air warms and the earth begins to come back to life after a long winter’s sleep.

My hometown of Pensacola comes to life. The grays and browns of winter are giving way to the vibrant pinks, reds and orange of azaleas, white and red dogwoods, yellow daffodils and a host of other flowers. All of nature is coming into full bloom, and fills me with a sense of hope, new life and new possibility.

This spring, the Christian church celebrates the Easter season, the story of how God brought life out of death. At my home church in Pensacola, we started a tradition several years ago. A 12-foot cross made of wood and covered with mesh wire is placed on the lawn of the church a couple of weeks before Easter Sunday. The cross is shrouded in purple until Good Friday, when the royal purple is replaced with the black cloth of mourning. The black shroud stays in place until Easter Sunday morning. 

Before sunrise, members of the congregation gather, sing hymns and place flowers they have brought from home at the foot of the cross. As the families stand around and sing, the flowers are placed in the mesh wire. The sun comes up shining not on a shrouded cross, but on one covered with all the brilliant colors of spring.

This ritual is a powerful symbol of what God is doing in our lives and in the world each day. We serve a God whose joy it is to bring life out of death. The death and resurrection of Christ is a reminder of that. We see it clearly in nature as the pinks, yellows, reds, and greens of spring begin to burst forth. We can also see it in our lives if we look closely. 

In Isaiah 43:18-19, God tells us, “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old; 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.”

So, the next time you see a flower beginning to bloom or new leaves budding on the trees, be reminded that each of us is part of the new life and beauty set in motion by the God who is able to bring life out of death.

Come rain or shine, Easter reminds us that we can spring to life because Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen indeed!

As voters head to the polls this year, some are elated, some are frustrated, and some are just downright angry. Some citizens question the honesty of the candidates, others are concerned about hidden agendas, and still others are disheartened about the personal attacks between candidates within the same party.

Let us not forget that voting is a privilege and a responsibility.  No matter who I agree with or disagree with, I have an obligation to vote my convictions, and to encourage others to do the same. Larry Sabato reminds us that “Every election is determined by the people who show up.”

As you prepare to cast your ballot, here are five things I hope you will remember:

1. Polls can change quickly.
2. Your vote counts
3. Character and integrity really do matter.
4. Faith talk is not the same as faith walk.
5. Think for yourself and don’t let others tell you how to vote.

Vote wisely, my friends.

(Barry Howard serves as Senior Minister at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida)