This Disjointed Never-Ending Winter

The new conversation starter in New England: "so this winter..." 

Storm after storm and freezing temps have made January and February 2015 one for the record books. It has taken a heavy toll, much heavier than the snow piling up on our region's roofs.  A recent op-ed in the New York Times described the tragedy in Boston as the "Winter from Hell."  It is especially hard for hourly workers who do not get paid when they cannot get to work. 

Here at Christ Church, our sections of flat roofs have caused melted snow water to pour into our sacristy, causing significant damage and leading us to remove cabinets from the walls before they collapse.  

The human side of this hard winter is harder to know. What I sense is that many of us are just trying to make it through to spring. Many are hibernating indoors. Worship attendance is down, not having been helped by the cycles of Saturday evening storms. 

All of this reminds me of why we need community. Christian, church-based community. When we go weeks without seeing one another we miss things. We may not have heard who is grieving the loss of a loved one, who is celebrating the birth of a grandchild (Pete and Chris Baldwin) and who is thankful for a clean prognosis.   We probably have not seen the donated items for Cuba pile up for our upcoming mission trip in two weeks.  

This is all to say: this Lent will take some extra strength to endure and learn from. It is as if many of us were in the wilderness of weather before we started this annual 40 day liturgical wilderness. 

Hang on. Hang on to your faith. Hold dear the relationships that sustain us through difficult seasons. Phone or reach out to those far off.  

Jesus is with us in our wildernesses and exiles. The hope of new life and Resurrections pulls us through the night into new days.

Hang in there people!