Manson's Memo 3/21

The vernal equinox, that day in spring when day and night have the same length – when the sun is directly over the equator. Warmer days ahead for those of us in the northern hemisphere. The tilt of the earth is bringing us to the inevitable summer ahead.

But for me the official first day of spring seems like being in the middle. We’re midway between the long nights of winter and the long days of summer. Equinoxes are like a lukewarm bath – not too much of anything, but comfortable and maybe even relaxing. It’s tempting to start eating in the patio, but it’s just not quite time yet. We need to enjoy spring as spring before we’ll be ready for summer.

This year that midpoint of the sun’s trip north happens to fall in the middle of Lent. We’re right around the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter – between being told “you are dust� and being told “He is risen!� We’ve had time to get used to whatever fasting we are doing or whatever disciplines we are making part of our lives. But it’s still too soon to be making Easter baskets. We are in one of those in between times – waiting for what we know is coming, but trying to hold back our enthusiasm to maintain our proper attitude for this season. We need to appreciate Lent as Lent so we’ll be ready to celebrate the beauty of Easter.

Sometimes it seems like all of life is one of those in between times. We’re never at our final destination. We always have something ahead that we look to. Birthdays, Christmas, vacations, new school years and new jobs – all the things that keep our lives interesting.

We also look forward to God’s kingdom which can seem so near, but not quite here. We look forward to it with all our heart, but we also have to live in appreciation of this in between time to be ready for that Kingdom yet to come.

שלןמ