Years ago when so much of my work was done in those dark places, I said to a friend; I don't do Lent, Lent does me. The light of new life and rebirth continued to grow, hope and faith were threads that I clung to and God was calling me out of the dark place that was my home. What I didn't know was that God was in fact calling me into the light, love and possibility that could be my life.
Lent is a time of reconciliation with God, self and others. We are each called to look at who we are through the lens of God's love for us. This is the life of a person of faith, but during Lent we are called to remember Jesus experience. Who are the disciples? What does Jesus carrying the cross mean today? What does being a "Christian" really mean? Where are those places in us that fall asleep, that say "Crucify him!"? Who are we in the story? Why does it matter to us again this year?
Looking back at the years that I spoke of earlier, the discipline was to be in right relationship with God, with myself and then with others. God calls us not to live from our brokenness, but our strength. We are all created in God's image, yet, each of us is unique. Our life experience is the basis of the tapestry that is our life. Each thread, each pattern creates it's own story. What does your tapestry look like? Do you see colors, what are they? Are the patterns familiar or completely new?
This Ash Wednesday Prayer is one I offer up to lead us into this sacred time. No author was mentioned.
The darkness asks us questions.
You are out there and we do not see.
You invite us into the night,
the stillness, the loneliness, the desert place.
We cannot see our shadow;
the cold damp of unknowing rises up from beneath our feet.
We tread cautiously, tentatively.
We are afraid, afraid of ghosts
haunting us with specters of guilt
and shame.
We would like to run back,
reach the river bank,
swim the Jordan, sit in the sun by the sea,
mending our nets.
But you have brought us here
-with no bread.
When we look we can see only ourselves,
our darkness.
When we read,
it is invisible words which cannot be grasped,
thoughts we cannot clutch,
hope we cannot capture.
Yet the wild honey remains a taste in our mouth,
a memory for a new day.
Why have you brought us here?
What miracle will you perform for us?
The darkness sighs around us,
dense with your unseen presence,
close to our breathing,
close to our breathing.
O darkness, enlighten us,
embrace us with your invisible love.
Let us see your glory in the ashes.
Take us by the hand that we may trust in the darkness
Minister to us by your Spirit that we may not be afraid.
Jesus, keep the beasts away.
Amen
Lent is a blessed and special time. It does not need to be a penitential or punitive time. God loves us beyond our wildest imagining and needs us to live into that light and love. Remember there are times when the light hurts, there are times when we look away, there are times when we don't feel worthy, or are afraid. God will go to any length to call us to the light and life that is our work, we are not alone.
Welcome to a blessed and life giving Lent.
Lent is a time of reconciliation with God, self and others. We are each called to look at who we are through the lens of God's love for us. This is the life of a person of faith, but during Lent we are called to remember Jesus experience. Who are the disciples? What does Jesus carrying the cross mean today? What does being a "Christian" really mean? Where are those places in us that fall asleep, that say "Crucify him!"? Who are we in the story? Why does it matter to us again this year?
Looking back at the years that I spoke of earlier, the discipline was to be in right relationship with God, with myself and then with others. God calls us not to live from our brokenness, but our strength. We are all created in God's image, yet, each of us is unique. Our life experience is the basis of the tapestry that is our life. Each thread, each pattern creates it's own story. What does your tapestry look like? Do you see colors, what are they? Are the patterns familiar or completely new?
This Ash Wednesday Prayer is one I offer up to lead us into this sacred time. No author was mentioned.
The darkness asks us questions.
You are out there and we do not see.
You invite us into the night,
the stillness, the loneliness, the desert place.
We cannot see our shadow;
the cold damp of unknowing rises up from beneath our feet.
We tread cautiously, tentatively.
We are afraid, afraid of ghosts
haunting us with specters of guilt
and shame.
We would like to run back,
reach the river bank,
swim the Jordan, sit in the sun by the sea,
mending our nets.
But you have brought us here
-with no bread.
When we look we can see only ourselves,
our darkness.
When we read,
it is invisible words which cannot be grasped,
thoughts we cannot clutch,
hope we cannot capture.
Yet the wild honey remains a taste in our mouth,
a memory for a new day.
Why have you brought us here?
What miracle will you perform for us?
The darkness sighs around us,
dense with your unseen presence,
close to our breathing,
close to our breathing.
O darkness, enlighten us,
embrace us with your invisible love.
Let us see your glory in the ashes.
Take us by the hand that we may trust in the darkness
Minister to us by your Spirit that we may not be afraid.
Jesus, keep the beasts away.
Amen
Lent is a blessed and special time. It does not need to be a penitential or punitive time. God loves us beyond our wildest imagining and needs us to live into that light and love. Remember there are times when the light hurts, there are times when we look away, there are times when we don't feel worthy, or are afraid. God will go to any length to call us to the light and life that is our work, we are not alone.
Welcome to a blessed and life giving Lent.
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