'Tis the Season

This morning, after getting my haircut and before heading to the office, at stopped in at the Dartmouth Coop.  In the front window of the store was a picture book about Easter, a sihloutte of a man in the opening of a tomb on the cover.  But on the table on the inside, where books for people to touch and look at where displayed were a whole lot of bunnies, and no Jesus.  In the center of the table was a sign, announcing 'For the Season.'

No. First off, spring is nowhere to be seen.  A winter storm warning for this week is forecasting up to a foot of snow.

Second, why are celebrating bunnies?  Because their fecund and represent life?  Then why not focus on the reason for the symbol: Jesus?  Why the adorable neo-pagan stand in?

Third, the season has a name: Lent.

Am I tetchy?  Yes, a bit.  It's bad enough the wider culture is ignorant of or even hostile to what the Christian faith has to say.  But that's a reminder of what a cock-up the church has made of telling its story and a reminder of why what we have to preach so often falls on deaf ears.

Let's try to remember the reason for this season: a call to repentance, to the amendment of life, to readying ourselves for the resurrection of our Lord.

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