During the last days of winter and the early days of spring we are invited to engage in the season of Lent, a season that seems to mirror the bleak, messy, muddiness of nature at this time.

Lent begins with perhaps the strangest ritual in the entire Christian faith – the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday. We are marked with ash and told “remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”. It’s a message of our own mortality and the constant looming shadow of death that hangs over all people. Just like the barren trees outside, or the cold snowy and rainy days of early March, Lent reminds us that death is a part of the cycle of life, and so rather than ignoring this reality we are invited to let the presence of God into this scary realization.

Throughout Lent we are invited to take up disciples that aim to draw us closer to God. Through prayer, fasting, and acts of generosity we bolster ourselves against the cold reality of death and draw closer to the God who has promised us new life. As we journey through these harsh days and harsh themes we, along with nature, are journeying towards the new life and new hope of Easter and spring.

Peace,
Pastor Nate