Finding renewal in the in-between: How to spiritually prepare for the season of Lent

This time of year is always unsettling for me.

It isn’t quite winter, and not quite spring.

Some early bright-green shoots of flowers and grass start to surface from dull, brown yards, but gray clouds and changeable weather continue in the sky.

It always seems like we are on the cusp of something.

Sometimes the sun peaks out and breaks through with some warmth, but then chilling winds return.

It is like something trying to emerge, but not quite breaking through.

It is like we are on a journey, preparing for something, preparing to emerge renewed.

For the next forty days, we will, in a similar fashion to the earthly seasons, prepare for the Christian season of Lent.

The word “lent” comes from an old word for spring and is related to describing how the days lengthen this time of year.

The season of Lent is the forty-day span (excluding Sundays) prior to the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord.

It is a time for focused reflection on God’s way for our lives.

It is a time for reconciliation with God and neighbor and for the renewal of spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, and self-offering through service.

As you prepare to observe a Holy Lent, let this be a time to slow down and focus on opportunities for prayerful reflection on the path of your life, to pray for others, and to focus on the abundant presence and mercy of God.

Commit to work toward forgiveness, justice, and reconciliation in the world.

We will mark the beginning of the season of Lent with the imposition of ashes during worship at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5.

We will mark our foreheads with the sign of ashes, an ancient ritual that speaks of the fragile nature of human life and marks us as God’s creation, made out of dust.

Join us as we begin a season of penitence and preparation for Easter.

Let this season be a time of renewal by actively seeking God’s will, God’s grace, and God’s gifts.