Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. -Isaiah 1:18
We now begin the season of Lent. It seems ironic that Lent, which means “springtime”, begins as a time of relative darkness! The colors that accompany our worship also get darker reminding us of human failure and our need of a Savior. Of course, only the covering of Christ makes our sins as white as snow.
We have been familiar with snow this season! I recently took a photo of our church and the church grounds after one of the recent storms. The church and grounds received a pristine blanket of white! What a beautiful site to see! What a reminder of the covering of Christ over his bride the church! He is the One who makes her new, who tells her that her darkened sins will be turned to white! As we began our Lenten journey we shared together our Ash Wednesday service, receiving the darkened ashes as a reminder of our human need for Jesus and his pure covering of grace. Our Lenten journey continues each Wednesday of the season as we gather for worship at 7pm with the theme of the Lord’s Prayer!
Yes, Lent means springtime. Although it does begin in relative darkness the days are getting longer, a reminder that we look to the fulfilling of God’s promise in that eternal springtime to come!