Dear Church Family and Friends,
Have you noticed how hard it is to pay attention to the things that give you life? We are bombarded by the trivial, the urgent-but-unimportant, and too often the difficult-challenging-soul-numbing events that keep us from deepening.
Lent, these 6 weeks prior to Easter, is the Christian season of creative resistance to all those “little deaths.” I shared with you on Sunday the idea that Lent is a time for practicing resurrection. Like Jesus in the wilderness who practices fasting and so is not particularly susceptible to the temptation to misuse his power or privilege turning stones into bread for himself.
In the same way, if you can let Lent be a time to focus on what is deeply life-giving instead of terribly soul-sucking, it can be 6 weeks of building your resilience, feeding your spirit, and of drawing closer to God.
And though there are so many ways you might do this, the church family is a particularly supportive and inventive place to give your soul a long-awaited drink.
If you haven’t already, take a look at the wonderful seasonal options, readings, meditations, musical supports, and prayer disciplines that our Faith Development board and our FD adjunct Laura Nagle have imagined for us. {See the list here!}
I know time is of the essence and can feel like it’s in short supply. But a deepening discipline need not consume every waking minute. Rather, find ways to be intent upon single moments, or short durations as you seek the power of resurrecting Love. I’m leading a 30 minute Lectio Divina meditation twice a week. You could use 5 minute before work to pray using our One Great Hour of Sharing generosity calendar. You can make the walk from your car to work or school an intentional prayer walk: each step a thought about the nature of need, love, and hope.
Lent is a time to practice resurrection, to “let the beauty you love be what you do.” Do not rob yourself of the beauty of such work, such love. And may all the “hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground” teach us how to resist all that would steal justice and joy from the world. May God bless and keep you as journey toward Easter and strengthen you for every task that leads you closer to God.
With expectant hope,
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