For Christians, Lent is a season of shadows. The six weeks that separate Ash Wednesday from Easter Sunday provide time for introspection, reflection and preparation. Lent reminds us of suffering and death so we’re ready for the good news of resurrection.

This year, the Lenten season is a very personal journey. It is a season of grief that finds me anticipating the reality of a message I have preached for 40 years.

On Ash Wednesday, Ken Lottis, my best friend on Mercer Island, died. Ken was not kin to me, but over the past decade he became an older brother. Ken died on the 10th anniversary of our first meeting. He was on the search committee that called me as pastor of Evergreen Covenant Church.

Ken and I would regularly meet at the north end Starbucks, where he would encourage me and strategize with me. Ken was the one who helped me realize my signature reference to Starbucks as “St. Arbucks” was not merely a play on words. Here was a citizen of our community who spent a quarter century in Brazil drinking coffee with university students while studying the Bible with them. He realized that spiritual conversations are just as likely to take place in a local coffee establishment as inside a local church.

It was Ken whose love for my family and our community, resulted in a partnership between our church and the Mercer Island Rotary Club. While sharing communion at St. Arbucks one day, I indicated my daughter was planning to compete in the Rotary Half Marathon the third Sunday in March. I told him as a Rotarian, I wished I could participate as well. But there was a hurdle. The event was on Sunday.

It was Ken who prompted me to consider canceling our morning church services. What if we chose to serve our community instead of holding a service without regard for what 4,000 people were doing outside our building? He sold me. He helped lead the charge encouraging our congregation to participate as contestants, volunteers and cheerleaders. Five years ago this month we put “feet to faith” and signed up 250 from our church to help stomp out colon cancer.

Five years later, Evergreen Covenant continues to cancel morning services the day of the Half Marathon. And Ken Lottis is the reason. When I serve as a course marshal at this year’s event, I will give thanks for my friend as the runners pass. I’ll be grateful his painful earthly race is over. I will also be thankful that Lent’s finish line is a day that promises death’s victory has been called into question.

Greg Asimakoupoulos is the chaplain at Covenant Shores. He is a frequent contributor to the Reporter.