Spring Season
As I type this, the sun is shining in my office and catching the prism that dangles in my window. The little rainbows sparkle along the walls. It feels like a long time since I saw those little sparkling rainbows. It has been a long winter, and the great darkness of living so far north has felt tiring this year.
When spring first begins to give us signs that life was still at work in those dark months, pushing bulbs up from the cold ground, I’m reminded that so much of life and growth is left unseen by human eyes and yet it continues to find its way. That’s the image I keep with me when life seems heavier than usual or when I watch those around me struggle with grief or hurt of any kind. In the dark unseen places, something is emerging that will sparkle with life in time. Waiting, though, can be painfully hard.
The Lenten Journey
I suspect that’s the work of Lent in many ways, walking with Jesus in the wilderness, bearing witness to his hunger, his pain, his own temptation to find an easier way. Lent occupies a substantial part of the liturgical year, taking up a full six weeks before we arrive at Holy Week. It beckons us to linger in the darkness, to trust in things unseen and unrevealed, and to know that God is still at work.
You may have the practice of giving up something for Lent or adding extra devotional time. How you honor this season is up to you, but honoring it is important. Lent doesn’t just prepare us for Easter; it reminds us of what is born out of the dust, out of the darkness, out of grief, out of hunger, out of pain.
After Jesus returned from the wilderness, the writer of Luke tells us that he was filled with the power of the Spirit and word began to spread about him everywhere. Walking alongside of Jesus in the dark of the wilderness reminds you and me that darkness will never have the final word. Just like the prism that hangs in my office window, when the light comes, everything changes.
Easter is coming, and we will shout, sing, and rejoice. But let us not rush there just yet. There is much to learn from the dust of Lent.
Lenten Blessings to you all,
Leigh
