A Lenten Reflection

It's Lent and thus an interesting time of year for me, a time of waiting, hoping, and praying. In the Christian tradition, Lent is a time in which expectations are reformed, and the followers of Jesus are taught to live moderately in hopes that the feast is coming. And the feast is, indeed, coming.

Tonight a gentle rain is watering the land. I sit here now soaking in its quiet solace. Drip drip drip, whirrrr, drip. A gentle whisper that something deeply wonderful is brewing, although we can't quite see it. The showers water the land in preparation for the coming season of rebirth and renewal; the hope of spring is nearly upon us here in the western world. The just-barely toasty afternoons of the coming season remind us that after darkness comes light; and after death, life. Like creation itself, the human experience comes in cycles.

Lent is a time for looking forward with expectation to the coming joys of a spring not yet fully revealed. We do not yet see it, but we know that it is coming. We smack our lips with longing for the flowing wine, and our heartstrings tug with hope for spring blossoms bursting forth from the auburn soil. Our bodies have ached in the world's wintry boughs, wondering if the summer warmth will ever return to thaw our limbs that we might once again rejoice in creation unencumbered.

In Lent we live with the understanding that spring is coming and yet face the gripping reality of a chilly frost each morning as we rise from slumber. The glances of warmer climes seem fleeting, although ever stronger. In the process of waiting, we learn to take joy in the moments at hand while keeping a firm gaze upon the way ahead, knowing, deeply, that what is now will not be forever. Our hearts beat ever faster as we move into the changing season, waifs from the feast begin to permeate the air and our expectation grows nearly unbearable. When, oh when, shall the bride and groom at last be united? Oh dear host, the table is neatly spread and our hearts await the unfolding of your bounty. Be gracious, be gentle, but do not tarry.