The Deep of Winter

Here we are in the deep of winter. Oh I know that technically we’re on the upswing. Days are getting longer. But it still feels mighty cold and we’re dealing with lockdowns and long coughs and bad driving weather. Every Sunday we’ve got some empty seats in our circle. I call that “deep winter.”

We’ve been talking about the lessons of the liturgical year. How the rhythm of the year actually mirrors the life of Jesus and teaches Christian lessons! We talked about the obvious ones of Advent and Christmas and even Epiphany. But what about this short, ordinary time between Epiphany and Lent? How do we spend that time that falls in deep winter? Do we just hunker down and long for spring? I don’t think so.

I read somewhere that this short season is nicknamed the season of illumination. This is a time to watch closely to see what we can learn now that Jesus is here. (Remember that call to Notice.) It’s a good time to catch up on my reading. I’ve gone back to Marcus Borg’s “Days of Awe and Wonder,” I know Dennis, our resident blogger, is watching important videos and sharing his thoughts on the climate emergency with those who follow him. Last Sunday, Teacher Jane shared with us so many lessons learned from her community of students in her ESL classes. Tonight I’m watching one of the many CIMM lessons available via Zoom; I might even learn something.

Yes, it’s cold. But there’s more sunshine every day. Some of us are spending more time than we’d like home alone. Let’s try to use that time to keep learning. Because the Holy Spirit never stops teaching.