02-16-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
February 16, 2024
The great Roman philosopher, Seneca, was born about the same time as Jesus, though he lived about twice as long as Jesus. One of Seneca’s quotes that has always resonated with me was the simple yet often challenging idea that “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” It makes complete sense, and human history is one example after another of this occurrence. Yet, with that said, most human beings struggle with this idea on a personal level. And Christians, in spite of our passionate conviction around the resurrection, are the absolute worst when it comes to letting something die. In John’s Gospel, Jesus shares the illustration, “…unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Even the earth around us is attempting to reinforce the basic idea of life emerging from death, rebirth occurring only after something has expired. But so often, we don’t quite feel comfortable looking for the goodness found on the other side of an conclusion. Even typing those words causes a bit of anxiousness within me, yet I hope our Lenten theme this year might be of some help (even if only for me).

Every new beginning requires some sort of ending. Give me both faith and courage, O God, as I seek to relinquish my hold on what should have been allowed to pass away long ago. Amen.