Lent the Season of Hope

~~~ Jeremiah 17:5-10 ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 16:19-31 ~~~

Today marks the beginning of a new season, Spring.
Lent is about change and change is most evident during the springtime.
You cannot help but notice the difference in all of nature.
Grass grows green again, flowers appear on bare tree branches,
wild colorful flowers cover the roadsides.
A time to appreciate new life.
The animals give birth to new offspring
now that the warmer days have arrived.
It is joyous time of the year.

In spite of this life giving season we are in Lent.
Lent, a time to take an inventory of how
we might bring the life of Spring into our soul.

If one who stays in the winter darkness of sin we are told today..

He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season...

How sad it would be to have not experience the seasonal changes.
Even in the most temperate of climates there is some change.
I invite you to look at the season of Spring as the season of hope.

Hope...a feeling of expectation and desire
for a certain thing to happen.

We all hope to see the beauty of Spring.
We all hope in the Lord, because he has promised us salvation.
Our resurrection will be the most glorious springtime ever.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD...

The poor man, Lazarus, lying alone in the gutter of the street covered in sores
cannot appreciate the changing of the seasons.
He does not begin to appreciate the cycle of beauty
which comes with new each season.

He experiences no joy in the natural world.

The rich man passes him by, relishing in the finer things of life.
But he too misses the joy of hope.
He sees no reason to need hope...it does not serve him.
He has no feelings expectation and desire for he
 dresses well and dines sumptuously each day.

It is only in torments of the afterlife does the rich man experience hope.
He longs for just a drop of water from the finger tip of Lazarus.

The great chasm between Lazarus and the rich man
 is the valley without hope...
the space void of Springtime...
the place where life is no longer a possibility.

We can use our time of Lent to turn over the soil of our hearts
 so the hope of Springtime save us from the chasm.
We have been blessed with all we need
to have the experience of Springtime in our hearts.

We have a God who blesses us for having hope in him.
He will meet and surpass all of our expectations.
He is the Hope of the World.

May the Springtime of Hope strengthen your soul.
Peace.