This past Sunday was the first Sunday in Lent. Lent actually began on Ash Wednesday during the previous week. But since my congregation doesn’t have a tradition of holding an Ash Wednesday service, it really felt like the season began on Sunday. Sometimes the beginning of a new season can feel awkward – like you’re not quite ready for it yet. And in the case of Lent, sometimes it begins so early in the year that it feels as if we’ve barely finished celebrating Jesus’ birth and we’re already journeying towards his death and Resurrection. But that’s not how I’m feeling this Lent.

This Lent feels like it is arriving at precisely the right moment. It’s been a tough beginning to the year – winter in these parts was harsher than it has been for several years. It snowed a WHOLE lot in February and generally felt dark and gloomy. The second Trump Era in the USA began at the end of January and it’s been a lot of chaos and stress for Canadians as we find ourselves threatened with tariffs, and other trade-war-stuff. Plus, the “jokes” about becoming a 51st State, which feel less like a joke and more like a real threat. The first two months have just been HARD. People are already weary of 2025 and all that it has wrought on us.

So it might seem odd that I’m glad that Lent has arrived. It’s a season that is often marked by sombreness, frugality, and self-denial. Which doesn’t sound like a lot of fun in a world that feels pretty dark and threatening. But I’m always trying to reframe Lent to a certain extent. While many of Lent’s traditions have to do with being solemn, I always think of it as a time for drawing closer to God.

A few years back (or, you know, probably a decade ago…who can tell with the way the pandemic has messed with our ability to put events on an accurate timeline), there was a movement away from “giving something up for Lent” towards “doing something for Lent. Or “taking up something for Lent.” I loved that. It’s part of what moved me to blog during this season. This extra bit of reflecting on and writing about my faith (and the process of sharing my reflection/writing with others) is part of what I “take up for Lent.” It helps me draw closer to God. It helps me live out my spirituality. It helps me practice what I preach.

So as Lent begins, I hope you’ll join me on this journey. I hope you’ll find your own ways of drawing close to God in this season (to be fair, that might mean you give something up for Lent…IF that is a spiritually meaningful practice for you!). I hope your faith and my faith will be strengthened as we move towards new life.