Remember this from the November Newsletter?
The Liturgical Year looks something like this:
God creates >> Humans Sin >> God Breaks In >> Humans Joyfully Respond>> God Renews-Reconciles/Re-Creates.
Let’s look at it another way:
God Creates in Love Creation
Humans Sin Advent Lent
God Breaks In Christmas Easter
Humans Joyful Response Christmastide Eastertide
God Renews/Recreates Epiphany Pentecost
Jesus’ Ministry/Church at Work Ordinary Time = God Creating a New Thing
which of course brings us right back to the beginning of the cycle.
Today, I’m sitting in my chair looking out the window over Carver’s Pond and thinking about how short the season of Epiphany was this year. It seems like only yesterday The Babe was born and baptized and now He’s all grown up and entering His ministry. The time seemed to fly by. My how things change.
We’ve had snow up to our knees and bare ground. We’ve had cloudy days and crystal clear nights. We’ve had temperatures near 50 and these past two days we’ve had wind-chills down to -20. This is the “Bleak Mid-Winter”. The juxtaposition of these diverse experiences cause me to reflect and wonder.
February may be the coldest and snowiest month of the year in Maine but there is a growing amount of daylight. At 5:00 pm I walked to my car in soft light not darkness. The white and black of the landscape is dotted and lined with soft shades of blue and here and there are dark green, a brown, even a pink. Moods and weight fluctuate almost as much as the temperature.
Lent is the Liturgical year’s Mid-Winter. Just as the Light of Christ began to walk the earth and Hope shined brightest in hearts, like The Star, questions began to seep in. Jesus’ teaching and ministry grew and along with it doubts. The stronger the Light revealed our human brokenness, and God’s love to restore it, the more our doubts grew into fear. We Fear because to accept restoration one needs to acknowledge wrong-doing (repent) and accept the need to change.
Jesus’ Hope was brightest on Palm Sunday and human brokenness would crucify Him soon after. Hope & Hell juxtaposed. But then comes Sunday… always Sunday!
Grace & Peace,
Rev. Chellie
John Street United Methodist Church 