LENT I
March 6, 2022
“God Gives the Growth”
The Lenten season has begun, and once again it receives something of a mixed welcome. After all, it begins with Ash Wednesday, and at worship that day, we’re reminded of our own mortality, and that we and all those we love will die. We’re already very aware of how perilous life can be, as the pandemic continues, a vicious war creating terrible human suffering rages in Ukraine, and social and political conflict are going strong. We might react by wishing there was some good news to balance all the ugliness, and there is — it’s just expressed a little differently.
By the arrival of March, most of us have had entirely enough winter, and are ready for signs of spring, as we celebrated the mild days earlier this week. It’s certainly natural to welcome the cheeriness of spring’s arrival as a balance to the contemplative, more serious tone of Lent.
The word “Lent” is derived from an old English word that has a meaning similar to “Spring,” so it’s understandable that the season of the church year and the weather-related season have been connected for a very long time. We see spring as a time of new growth, a fresh start, a time of change — and change for the better. So how do we make a connection between that season and a time of year that emphasizes meditative, thoughtful worship and personal spiritual discipline? A start could be to make a deliberate choice to let the season of Lent also be a time of spiritual newness and freshness. We can’t set out planters or put in a garden yet, but the weeks ahead are an ideal opportunity to grow in relationship to God.
Traditionally, the season of Lent has been a time of “giving up” something. It might be a favorite food, activity, or behavior. But more recently, another approach has been to encourage us to add something to our everyday behavior. Now, many people will shake their heads or even laugh at the idea of adding anything to their busy lives. But try taking a little quiet time as your day winds down, simply be aware of God’s presence in your life, the blessings of your day, and all for which you have to be grateful. You might like to read the short daily devotionals that are available online through a link in the March newsletter (Pastor Lynn’s column) and in printed form at church or open your Bible to one of the passages listed below. As we do small, new things, it’s like planting a seed or putting tender little seedlings in the ground. God will take care of the growth, and that’s when amazing things can happen, whether within our hearts, our homes, our communities, or farther away than we can imagine.
“So neither those who plant nor those who water are anything, but only God who gives the growth. For we are fellow workers for God; you are God’s field, God’s building.”I Corinthians 3:7, 9
Thinking about planting — and growing!
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers