From the Rector

Dear Friends in Christ,

Lent has begun. I find that it always sneaks up on me a bit—some gardening begins, I’m happily anticipating warmer weather, and I pay a little more attention to the pool to get ready for the heat.

Then here comes Lent. My plans for endless summer and lush gardens go out the window.

But here’s the thing. Enjoying summer, the garden, the pool, and the like can’t magically happen without some preparation.

We have a giant, old mesquite tree that hangs over our pool. When the winds kick up it dumps needles and branches in the pool. It requires some real attention at times to keep the filter from clogging and burning up. Just as I think I’ve gotten it sorted, another windstorm may come along and seemingly ruin the work I did. Yet, had I not done some of that prior work, the situation would be much worse.

We’ve got pruning to do. Plants to transplant because they’ve gotten root-bound with no room to grow in their pots. We’ve got new irrigation to figure out so that new sprouts have a regular source of nourishment and a chance to grow. We need to pull up weeds that seem to come up fast before we’re even aware of them.

All of this is the work of Lent. To enjoy life, to live it abundantly, we need to tend to its roots. We need to ensure we’re maintaining it. We need to have a chance to come out of the cold, assess where we are, and prepare things so that we can relax into the peace God intends for us.

So take this chance to nurture new shoots. Enjoy the opportunity to pare back that which impedes your growth in Christ. Tend to the things that filter out the stuff that threatens to clog and crash hope. 

Lent is not a time for morose shame. Lent is a time of real anticipation. It’s a time of doing the needful soul-chores that ready us for the joy to come. It’s a time when we can give thanks for who we’re created to be and do all that we can to live into that call.

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Robert