Where did that hour go?
Last Sunday morning, most of us performed a small but slightly confusing act of obedience.
We set our clocks forward.
Somewhere between Saturday night and Sunday morning, sixty perfectly good minutes slipped through the cracks of the universe.
I have to admit, I feel slightly suspicious of the whole arrangement. It’s the only day of the year when the entire country collectively agrees to pretend that losing an hour of sleep is a perfectly reasonable idea.
Who exactly decided this?
Somewhere, I imagine a group of very confident people sitting around a table saying, “You know what would really help everyone? If we just took an hour away.”
And the rest of the room nodding in agreement: “Brilliant! Let’s do it at 2:00 in the morning so no one can argue.”
For the first couple days, I’m not exactly thriving. My internal clock is still trying to figure out what just happened.
Still, while we adjust to the time change, something else is happening around us. The light is stretching further into the evening, and the days are lengthening.
Interestingly enough, the word Lent comes from an Old English word that means lengthen—referring to the time of year when the daylight begins to grow again.
And maybe that’s a helpful way to think about this season. Lent isn’t just about giving things up or tightening our spiritual belts. It’s about moving toward the light—about letting something in our lives lengthen: hope, grace, patience, compassion.
Spiritual growth rarely arrives all at once. It lengthens. One day at a time. Moment by moment.
Until one day you look up and realize there is more light in your life than there used to be.
Much love,
Pastor Gregg
