Beloved of God,

This is the Season after the Epiphany, one of the two liturgical seasons known as Ordinary Times. We’ll fast-forward past the irony and focus instead on what this season offers us.

We are in the liturgical space after the Magi’s moment with the Messiah, after the baptism of our Lord and the reaffirmation of our baptism, in the undefined and liminal space in the life of the church. But this space holds deep meaning.

It is the bridge between Jesus’ birth and the last three years of Jesus’ ministry. It is the space of reflection in which we are called to ponder where we are and what we are being called to. It may indeed seem to be without shape or form, free time, the recess time of religion, when we can pause and wait for Lent. Beloved, this is anything but a rest stop. This is the time of equipping for the work we have been assigned. 

For some of us this is the time of year when we de-clutter closets, drawers, and cabinets; the time of sorting through what has been accumulated, determining what can be used and what can be given away. Beloved, now is the time for us to do the same thing, spiritually. Let us engage in the work of decluttering our spirits and sorting through the junk of our spiritual closets. Now is the time, beloved, to get ready for Lent.