The End is Near ... ?

Step outside today and it's easy to forget that, at least as far as the calendar is concerned, it's still winter. The mercury in our thermometers (or digits on our LCD displays), the buds on the trees, the crocuses pushing through the earth, all may tell us otherwise. Spring, they proclaim! Spring is here! Yet the calendar says otherwise. Until tomorrow morning, it will remain winter. And, deep in the recesses of our hard-bitten New England souls, we know that even when we've formally turned the page and officially begun spring, a nor'easter could still come rumbling through the region, depositing a foot of most unwelcome snow. So, we have a choice: embrace the joy and possibility of spring, knowing there's a possibility it will be snatched away for us. Or live in fear of weather that may happen and refuse to embrace our meteorological good fortune.

As we contemplate the life of Christian faith, we find ourselves presented with a similar choice: we can embrace the hope of the resurrection, knowing that we must pass through Calvary first. Or, fearing Calvary, we can choose to never embark on a pilgrimage with God. These days and weeks of Lent are meant to prepare ourselves for the former. The journey may be difficult, even dangerous, but it's one worth taking. For by embracing Spring, new life, we signal our acceptance of God into our lives and hearts.

And that's something we can do, regardless of what season the calendar says we're in.

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