Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Peace be with you! 

Our Lenten journey has just begun and we look forward to the forty days that bring us together to celebrate the love of God in Christ Jesus - - his self-giving exchange of death for life!  It is a journey we must take and on our way find hope and peace in the promised resurrection. 

As I write this letter to you, the Plains are covered in snow.  The trees are frosted and any sign of spring seems so remote and miraculous.  A Lenten hymn (ELW 329 “As the Sun with Longer Journey”) begins to offer us the hopeful signs that spring (Lent) will indeed spring up in our future.  The poet John Patrick Earls has written: 

A the sun with longer journey melts the winter’s snow and ice,

With its slowly growing radiance warms the seed beneath the earth,

may the sun of Christ’s uprising gently bring our hearts to life. 

Living on the Plains has taught me to be hopeful about the future weather.  I remember when I was interviewed for the call to St. Paul, the spring of 2008 was just beginning.  As I communicated with some of you throughout the   summer, I learned of the lack of moisture and the need of rain.  You were   praying for a cloud to arise on the horizon to wet and enliven the parched earth.  So it is with Lent and our journey to the cross and beyond.  The poet continues; Through the days of waiting, watching, in the   desert of our sin,

searching on the far horizon for a sign of cloud or wind,

we await the healing waters of our Savior’s       victory. 

And so it is that we await the coming glory - - the story of our lives.  We look ahead to the story of God’s great exchange as Jesus is given up in death for us so that we no longer have to worry about our future.  It is in God’s hands and so are we! We have been saved and now live our thankfulness with lives of charity and grace.  What we celebrate each Lenten season is the grace of God given to us through the cross and grave. It s an undeserved love we possess because God loved us so.  We journey through the story because we must never forget God’s wondrous love and we must recall each day God’s promise to carry us from this life to the next.  The poet concludes: 

Praise be given to the maker of the season’s yearly round:

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - - Source, Sustainer, Lord of Life,

as the ever turning ages roll to their eternal rest. 

And so we wait for spring and wait for the promised life offered up on the cross and sealed by an empty tomb. 

Continuing with you on our Lenten journey toward spring,

I am your servant, 

 +Pastor Tim