I know you've experienced this: You hear an old, familiar thing . . . and hear something you never caught before. It could be a song, a loved one's pleas, or a passage of Scripture. It happened to me the other day.

On Wednesday mornings I attend text study with other pastors. We reflect on the upcoming lessons for Sunday, often using those conversations to spark sermon preparation. Additionally, I have learned many things from colleagues about archeology, Greek and Hebrew, translations of Scripture as well as discussions regarding parish life that have enhanced my ministry. Those folks have become trusted friends. In any case, two weeks ago I heard something new from a very familiar passage of 1 Corinthians 13. Do you remember it? "Love is patient. Love it kind." The phrase that caught my ear was "love never ends."

As Holy Cross begins its yearly journey into Lent, we are encouraged to consider our sinfulness, our unwillingness to live as God intends and our disregard for those who suffer. To be honest, Lent is my favorite season of the Church year because I spend much of the year thinking and fussing over my sinfulness and it feels right to have that kind of reflection woven into the life of the Church. Thinking about such things doesn't cause me despair, instead it encourages me to seek God's guidance to amend my life. My fussing is a kind of Christian to-do list. But, I have to tell you, it was remarkable to hear "love never ends."

Let us being this Lent fully resting in God's love, which never ends