Spring at last and what a joy to see daffodils, to hear birdsong, and to enjoy longer days and rising temperatures, writes Reverend Joyce Warson, Isle of Iona.
A time to rejoice!
But, it is Lent, a season for penitence and fasting.
Should we be rejoicing, or focusing on our sinfulness, as we examine our lives? Can it be both?
The Holy Spirit shines a spotlight on the wrong things in our lives, rather like spring sunshine shows up the dust in our homes (that is so long as we don’t draw the curtains!), so that we can do something about it, and become closer to God and more of the kind of people we can and should be.
As we journey through Lent the light gets stronger. In Holy Week we recall the agony Jesus went through - betrayal, rejection, physical pain. Then at last it is Easter Sunday, and there is always hope because of what Jesus achieved on the cross and because his arms are always open, ready to receive our penitence and to forgive.
So yes, let us both repent and rejoice in this holy season of renewal.
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