Springtime Is A-Coming

Since ancient times, humans have closely observed the sun and marked four “Quarter Days” (two solstices and two equinoxes that signify the beginning of winter, spring, summer, and fall). I recently learned that they also observed “cross-quarter days,” that is, the midway point between a solstice and an equinox. February 2 is a cross-quarter day, because it is the midpoint between winter and spring. In the United States, we ritualize this day by observing the behavior of a groundhog to predict whether spring will arrive early or be tardy.

The movie Groundhog Day cleverly spoofed our conception of time by inserting a man in a time loop where he relived the same day over and over and over. He still had the same amount of time he would have had otherwise, but he wasn’t able to experience the changes of seasons or birthdays or holidays that we use to mark the passage of time. Eventually, he learned that although the same things happened each day, he could nonetheless use the time he had to help people around him and to learn new skills, such as how to become a jazz pianist.

God probably likes the movie Groundhog Day, because Scripture tells us that God has a different conception of time than we do: ”…with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Humans rightly observe that our time on earth is limited, which can be a great motivator to be awake to life and make good use of our days. However, we need to balance that understanding with the perspective of God, who not only made the seasons but became human to demonstrate to us through Jesus that we too are part of this eternal pattern of birth, life, death, and resurrection.

The death segment of this cycle that we are in right now has been particularly grueling as we have dealt with COVID-19 deaths, an epidemic of killings of people of color, environmental devastation through fires and hurricanes, and the last gasps of a presidency. The cross-quarter day on February 2 is a welcome reminder that Spring is on the horizon and will not fail to arrive. We are right to look forward with joyful hope to a season of rebirth into fullness of life.