Blooming From Brown
I was outside talking to a friend recently and realized how brown everything is. The freeze really did a number on our plants! She had heard someone say that we should be prepared for things to be ugly for a little while. I thought of this as I stepped out into a sunny and crisp beautiful day this morning. I have already begun seeing buds of new life on plants that looked anything but alive a week ago. Lent often strikes me in a similar way. This fallow period of waiting and listening can seem like a period when much is uncertain, and everything seems like it will be ugly for a while. Further, as we have surpassed the one-year mark on the pandemic, we may be wondering if last year’s Lent ever actually ended! BUT, glimpses of resurrection are showing up all around us.
I have heard from so many of you who have been vaccinated. The sense of relief in your voice is palpable. It appears that it won’t be long until we will turn the corner on the many limitations that have lasted so long. In the church too we are making plans to start to get back to our normal worship schedule some time in the next few months. VBS and youth mission trips have been scheduled for this summer. We are about to start talking more about our pilgrimage to the Holy Land in October. The promise of a program-filled fall is becoming increasingly promising. Most importantly, we will celebrate the miracle and mystery of Easter in about a month. Resurrection images and proclamations abound!
And so, while we have reason to wonder if Lent ever actually ended last year, we also have the reality and promise that there is never a moment when God’s redeeming work is dormant. God is always making all things new which includes you and me. I pray that as we walk the rest of this Lenten journey, you will know ever more deeply the work that is begun and continues in you through the grace of God.
We love you and God loves you.