My favorite part of my commute to Epiphany is when it comes time to drive up the Mystic Valley Parkway. The Mystic Lake is stunning, no matter the season. When I first arrived in August, the trees were green and full and often there would be little sailboats on the lake. Driving by, I would catch just little glimpses of the lake in between the fullness of the trees. When fall came around, the colors of the trees were vibrant and some mornings, the oranges, reds, and yellows would reflect on the lake.
These days, there are barely any leaves left on the trees and I am shocked how quickly it feels like fall turned into winter right about the time when we turned back our clocks. But with the falling of the leaves, much of the lake is now visible in ways that it was not before. I can now see almost the entirety of the lake and the homes that sit on the other side. It’s beautiful in its own way.
I’m going to risk a cheesy metaphor here and say that sometimes things get clearer in the winter seasons. What is covered up in other seasons is plain and bare in the winter. Almost painfully bear.
This coming Sunday is Christ the King Sunday which is the last Sunday before Advent begins. We are invited to reflect where it feels that Christ is present and alive in our midst and in the places where the reign of Christ feels absent. The hope is that if we choose to lean into this season and not just let it pass by, there might be that clarity we have been looking for.
What we know about the life of Jesus is that the reign of Christ is one of compassion, love, and deep solidarity. Even in the harshest of winters, we believe that those roots run deeper than the violence, hurt, and death. On this Christ the King Sunday we are reminded how Jesus chooses to reign—not by being this distant deity on a throne in the sky, but by being deeply present and embodied in all the moments of ordinary life.
With hope,
Janelle
