We are coming to the middle of our Lenten journey as the calendar page turns this month. Middle places can be hard. I feel like we have been stuck in the middle of bad weather for months, stuck in the middle of hard politics for years, and stuck in the middle of bad habits for what feels like forever. These middle places, they leave us exhausted. With none of the fresh energy that comes at the start, and still far away from any type of ending; middle places leave us wondering what could ever come next.

The funny thing is, it seems like God does some of God’s best work in the middle places. At the times we feel parched, dried up or “over it” seems to be the times we grow, even if we don’t realize it’s happening. So, while middle places are exhausting, I wonder can they be faith filled? If flowers need time to grow, and bread needs time to rise, what kind of time do we need to deepen our faith? How do these middle places move us to the next place?

These middle weeks of Lent are an opportunity to look for God at work. They are a continued opportunity for repentance, for turning away from the things that bring destruction and turning towards the ways of God. These middle weeks of Lent are also a reminder. That Lent does not last forever. Lent is merely a season. We are ultimately Easter people. We are made new by the life, death and resurrection of Christ. The middle is redeemed by the completion of the resurrection.

We can handle the middle. Because the promises of God come alive on the other side. We can be sustained in the middle by keeping our eyes fixed on what God is doing, and what God will do. A future is promised, change and renewal are possible. We are invited to proclaim this during the middle seasons, we are invited to live this change and renewal into the world. The resurrection is on the way, nothing in the middle can stop it.

Pr. Amy