Ash Wednesday

“‘Death is the Gate of Life’
. . . man’s natural thought of death is that of a dreary ending in decay and dissolution.  And from his standpoint he is right:  death as the punishment of sin is an ending . . .
But far other is God’s thought in the redemption of the world.  He takes the very thing that came in with the curse, and makes it the path of glory.  Death becomes a beginning instead of an ending, for it becomes the means of liberating a fresh life.”
~ Lilias Trotter (Parables of the Cross)

Lilias’s classic work, Parables of the Cross, demonstrates through the life stages of plants and flowers how death is necessary for life to continue in the physical world – and in the spiritual: “Death is the gate of life.” Parables of the Cross speaks of living, yes, but of dying as well. Dying in order to live. During this season of Lent, we walk with Christ to the cross through His suffering. But a suffering – a death – that leads to triumph, to life. To help prepare our hearts for Resurrection Day, we will be posting Lenten reflections drawn from Parables of the Cross each Sunday during Lent. We look forward to doing “Lent with Lilias” with you.