As we approach Easter at the end of the month, I’d like us to think about what the meaning of Easter is and how it parallels another of our Spring rituals. As the weather warms, and we emerge along with the animals from a long winter’s nap in our homes, it’s time to look for the crocus and the first signs of life. In order to fully enjoy and prepare for what will be the blissful, lazy, bountiful, beautiful days to come, however, we must clean up from what the winter has brought.
Winters can be long, mild, short, frigid, or any number of descriptors. When we think of those descriptors for our lives, what has the weather been like for you the last few months this 2015-16? Did it parallel the mild December with record 65 degrees on Christmas Eve, the snow never really retreating until after reaching a frigid -30 on Valentine’s Day? Or was winter milder for you, less dramatic without a lot of changes in circumstance? Or perhaps it has been longer and colder than most, with us looking forward to the warmth and thaw of what seemed unbearable for our hearts as the winds howled outdoors? The world gives us a context in which to live our lives, and maybe we can’t change that, but we can look forward to making changes in our personal circumstances.
What have we noticed around our homes? Do we have many downed trees or limbs to haul away so that our gardens and lawns are once again clear? Is there that patch of crabgrass that we’re thinking of finally attacking all these years after it first appeared? Maybe we should build a decorative border for the flowers to keep them more protected, and what new kinds of vegetables might we plant in the garden just because we need a change? Little changes and long overdue projects can be hard work, yes, but they can yield surprising changes that maintain year after year.
What about cleaning out the closets, ridding our lives of things that are no longer used or useful and giving ourselves more space to enjoy what we have? Our lives are like that, we have fashions that seemed to be what we wanted once upon a time, but they fell out of favor and yet we cling to them as if we could rewind time and re-live our past. How do we view our faith journeys like the clothes we have worn? Do we have a favorite jacket or sweater which feels like home to us and comforts us, or are we in need of a pair of new shoes because the old ones have worn their soles through and can no longer be repaired? What we do with ourselves can be the most dramatic change of all, because if we feel good about us, then our homes and the world seem a little more bearable no matter what our circumstances.
So this Easter, keep the focus on Lenten self-reflection, and let’s do some spring clean-ups, knowing that the weather will warm, but taking on a couple of projects that may have languished in the past and making a few changes just for us that will make our hearts rise. Easter is renewal. We are people of the cross, for sure, but also people of the resurrection. There is always a new dawn, a new day, a new spring, a new project, a new hope and a new start. Christ promises this to us each day.
And I hope whether we wrap ourselves in our old favorite garments or buy a new pair of shoes, we feel the change and come out of hibernation with a new spirit. Happy Easter, everyone, and may Christ’s blessings be known to you. –Pastor Mark.
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