Friends,

The liturgical seasons often feel informed by the seasons around us. This makes sense, considering these seasons and holidays developed organically, and communities would observe them whenever was most meaningful to them. The most obvious seems to be Easter. It makes sense to celebrate life coming out of death in Spring, because the natural world is literally coming back to life all around us. Christmas makes sense, but in a dissonate sort of way. People were already wanting to rage against the dark and the cold before Jesus’s time. In areas that are particularly cold and dark in winter, there seems to be a common wisdom to be stubbornly joyful when it is the coldest and the darkest as a sort of communal reminder that things can get better. When Christian communities wanted to remember and celebrate the birth of Christ, it made sense to take from the winter traditions that were already around, and use that storytelling to help teach the community about the hope that comes with Christ being born.

I used to think Lent was cut and dry. In the dark and depressing months that lead into Easter, Spring and new-birth, you acknowledge your own mortality, sinfulness and need of a savior, but the more I think about it, I find more nuance and beauty. The problem is these months can be a bit depressing, but they are not that bad. Lent would span January and the first part of February if we wanted to go full-on prescribed spiritual depression, but the world simply does not feel that way, and neither does the liturgical season. Lent and the months the season occupy are not about the darkest days and being frozen in a state of humble introspection, but about waking up from them. Just like waking up from that wonderfully rare occasion of oversleeping, the transition to waking life can be rough. Lent is honest, it’s dynamic, and while it acknowledges death, if approached properly, it is more about life.

In my family, the winter months are joyful, but we hunker down for most of it for all sorts of reasons. It’s nasty, dark and cold outside, and generally one us always has a cold, so it is easy to stay in and wait for brighter days ahead, and I imagine that we are not alone in this regard. During this time of year, the whole world seems to be pushing us to a more sedentary and isolated existence. When the days are short this makes sense, but it can also lead to the sort of stir crazy one can get from too much time alone. We can start to live a bit too much in our own head, get lost in over indulging in the food and drink that bring us comfort, we try to find connection on social media and end up just spending hours scrolling or find echo chambers that feed off of the outrage of like-minded individuals, or we focus on just getting by every day until we are free to get lost in whatever bit of media that functions as our escape. Hobbies, interests and convictions that were once footnotes in our lives, become our life rafts to get us through, and when the days get brighter and warmer, those life rafts can start to function as our prisons if we don’t jump out.

So, jump out. Give up those things that you’ve been clinging on too with a bit too much zeal, and see what life is like without it. Better yet, get up and start to do something new, work up a sweat, make something and don’t afraid to do it poorly. The season is dynamic, so be dynamic. The beginning of Lent is going to have nasty weather that is conducive to comfortable isolation, but by the end of the season it is going to feel like Spring, so be prepared to embrace life. It’s not always easy transitioning to a life that gets dark and peaceful at 6:00 pm to one that involves running around with kids on bikes and 8:00 pm while trying to convince them that it is indeed bedtime despite the sun still being out. It may not be easy, but it is always worth it and will happen regardless of being ready. Whether it is working in the garden and chatting with neighbors that are passing by, going on walks and running into familiar faces, or making your way to the pool, we all have some sort of idea of who we should be outside of our homes and the things that help us survive the darkest months, so get ready to be the best version of that person.

All of this is to say, I hope you join us for our not-so-traditional Lenten Burger Nights. We started doing these dinners last year as a way of jump starting our community to getting back together as the pandemic restrictions were melting away. We made getting out, being around people and making community our Lenten discipline. Sometimes it’s hard to get out when we’ve been hunkered down for so long, so we wanted to entice you with delicious and unique burgers and stuff for the kiddos to do. All you have to do is to take the brave step of showing and letting yourself be part of St. Luke’s.

Look for the Burger Night information in the rest of the e-news, and don’t forget to sign up to help if you feel called to do so!

Blessings,

Nick