Wednesday Wonder

It’s spring!

After what has felt like a very long winter, we are finally seeing more sun and warmer temperatures. The temperatures, however, are still not as warm as they might be. And the wind can be quite bitter still.

I have been taking a walk outside at lunch this week, because, how can you not get outside with the sun? Each time I step out I am reminded that as much as spring is here, there is a time of transition between the bitterly cold days of winter and the truly warm days of late spring.

The wind is still a cold one. It is also quite strong at times. That can make the uphill portion of my walk a bit challenging. But it keeps me thinking about the time of transition.

Lent is a time of transition. We know what has come before, and we are looking forward to what is to come. But we are not quite there yet.

The timing of Lent has always seemed a bit strange to me. It comes so quickly after Christmas. I understand the idea of having Christmas just after the longest night of the year. The day with the most darkness. The Light came into the world at Christmas.

But we only celebrated that three months ago. And now we look toward the end of the earthly life of the child born in the darkness. We have barely been able to see him and then, he is gone.

And yet, as I walk around the church neighbourhood, I am reminded as to why this is the perfect time of year for Lent and Easter. Signs of new life are everywhere, if we but look. I confess, I only saw my first robin this morning. Looked up from my journal and there he was sitting on the fence. Pretty sure there have been others around the yard, but I just wasn’t noticing.

Lent is a time that helps us notice. It comes as we are making the transition toward spring. It is often described as a wilderness or desert time, a time when things feel a little dark. And yet, it comes as the light becomes ever more obvious. The whole changing of clocks thing helps us notice the light.

During Lent we ready ourselves: heart, mind and body, for the new life that comes at Easter. Just like many are preparing their gardens for the new planting, or starting to see some of their perennials beginning to show. Even as we reflect on some of the darkness that may creep into our lives, the light is leading us out again.

The Light that arrived at Christmas is shining ever brighter it seems. It makes us want to get outside and go for a walk, plant a garden, talk to the neighbour over the fence. Even as we have a time of wilderness or desert wandering, we are drawn by the Light into new possibilities.

The sun is shining in through the window as I write. May it be shining on each of you today, whatever may be going on in your life. The Light is growing each day. It is offering hope and renewal, we need only turn our faces toward the warmth.