As I sit in my living room and write my blog today, I look out the window at the falling snow. Snow is beautiful from this vantage point - 72 degrees and dry inside, and no need to be on the road. Yes, the snow is beautiful, but I don't think I am alone in stating that after Christmas is over, I find little joy in the snow. I am ready to move on to warmer weather and experience the beauty and warmth of spring. Now I am well aware that the calendar still says January, and winter is not even half over (aren't you glad I reminded you of that fact?) but I look forward to the next season.
The way I look at it is that once January is behind us, February offers glimmers of hope for the coming spring. The snow that falls in February usually doesn't linger too long, and the average temperatures start to rise. March is a teaser of a month, as we often get some days that fool not only us, but the early flowers of spring. Garrison Keillor once said that God created March to show those that don't drink what a hangover feels like. March leads to April and the hope of new life abounds.
Because I have been through it all before, I can look out the window at the snow and know that today's cold and wintry offering will not last forever. The seasons will change. Enjoy the view today, or if you are a winter sports fan, have at it and enjoy the sledding and skiing. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. But if this is not what you consider ideal weather, there is hope for tomorrow.
We moved into our new home last month. Around the yard are several flowerbeds, in which we are told are many perennials that will make their presence known in the coming months. There is hope in that promise too. Like the flow of the seasons, the budding of trees and the breaking forth of the shoots of green from the ground are signs of things to come.
In the church, we mark the passage of time with the cycle of the church year. The flow of these seasons provide us hope as well. We will soon begin the season of Lent, which comes from the old English word meaning "to lengthen," as in the lengthening of days. Lent is a time of inward focus and discipline which leads to growth. Lent is also a marking of time leading up to the great celebration of Easter. The joy of Easter is the celebration of new life, given to us through the dying and rising of Jesus the Christ.
One of the things I appreciate about Lent, in addition to the discipline and time of deep devotion, is that it is the season before the celebration. Once Lent begins, I know that Easter is on its way. It is a sign of things to come. The flow of the seasons provides us an opportunity for hope, for growth, and for the continual promise that God is with us, in life and in death.
We cannot rush the seasons or the passing of time, but because we have experienced the seasons before, we know that the changes will come. So I will enjoy the snow, at least from this vantage point. I will tolerate the snow and cold. I will shovel the driveway and bundle up when walking the dog, knowing that another season will be coming soon...
... and my golf clubs and I will be united once again.
Peace,
Pastor Charlie
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