Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." Matthew 26:36

The Cross on our altar has been changed. Through most of the year, it is a cross with Christ the King stretching his arms out to welcome the world into God's heart. During Lent that gilded glory is replaced by the stark black cross with the dying Christ on it. The starkness of that change has added much to my own Lenten journey. On the one hand is the ebony cross that speaks of the darkness of death and the end of all of our lives. On the other is the milk white cadaver that hints at both mortality and the light that will shine in eternity.

Lent is bordered by sorrow and joy. Its boundaries are the finite and the infinite. The mortal, through the crucifixion of Jesus, is touched by heaven to become immortal. His sacrifice is our glory.

I had come to the hospital to share communion with him. He welcomed me warmly, the graciousness of his heart stood in marked contrast to his physical condition. His smile was welcoming, his eyes sparkly. But I knew that, at 94 and struggling against a body that was in trouble, his time was limited. We talked of his past and of the church that he loved. He spoke of his family and his hope that he would go back to his home at the assisted living center. Then he said, "I'm ready to go, but I'd like to go home first."

That's when I knew where the warmth came from. Here was a man of faith who, in his own Lenten season, knew that there was an Easter awaiting him. His soul had grown in faith through the years while his body had shrunk. Before me was a man of Lent who witnessed of an Easter yet to come. And I knew I was on holy ground.

Ted left the hospital. Not long after that, he left this realm - his new body grown big enough to contain his immortal soul through the power of the Risen One.

So, Lent is in inner journey of truth that has a horizon of eternity. The starkness of this paradox is its gift to us. We are reminded of the Savior's journey and our own life's journey. And we are reminded of the outcome of that journey and dare, by faith, to claim it for ourselves.

Thanks be to God who has both acknowledged and overcome our struggles in the death and resurrection of Jesus! Amen