Beloved friends- What do the following things have in common?
· The Coronavirus
· Nashville’s Tornado
· Super Tuesday
· The Supreme Court’s deliberation on the Louisiana abortion access case
AND
· The Church’s season of Lent
· Prophetic Spirituality conversations
· Episcopal History and Identity Class preparations
Note: This is not the preamble to a joke with a witty punchline…
No, this is just a mind-boggling summary of what has and is happening in our world- all rolling around in my brain as I sit down to take a mental inventory of what I might possibly choose to write and reflect on this week.
All of these things are touching our lives directly or indirectly. And while they span the gamut from very local to very global- I wonder if they present a collective and integrated invitation for consideration and response.
They all seem to be pulling us to consider what we will hear in the gospel lesson:
What does it mean to live perpetually curious, sometimes skeptical, often fearful and occasionally vulnerable lives of faith in today’s world?
Sunday we will examine this question through the story of Nicodemus and his nighttime encounter with Jesus, but today I offer some thoughts in the larger context of our Lenten journey.
We have now entered the second week of this short but rich church season. The 5 weeks we are called into each year prior to Holy Week and Easter. A time to consider and respond to our soul’s lifetime work of constantly discerning and realigning our hearts and minds to be in harmony with God’s dream for us; loved, reconciled and empowered to live authentic and hope-filled lives.
For some, Lent may be a season of intentional denial of patterns or practices that may have the power of keeping us from this dream. For others it may be a call to slow down and invite space and time, and perhaps even some intentional silence amidst the cacophony created by the soundtrack of our lives often leaving little room for something not of our own making or manipulating.
Here at Trinity we are trying to do a little bit of both. Last week we entered this new season with Ash Wednesday services reminding us of our mortality and the “grittiness” of our lives marking each other’s foreheads with ashes made from last year’s Palm Sunday branches- a beautiful and ancient ritual reminding us we are all complicit at times wanting Jesus to be our king and champion of powers that oppress while not always acknowledging the role we play in sustaining systems that oppress. We were called into this season with ancient prayers and yearning to come back to God.
It is a difficult dance – understanding how we can be both subject and object at times, and one we are trying to unravel, confront and unpack as we begin our Wednesday gatherings exploring the call of Prophetic Spirituality through Joan Chittister’s challenging book, The Time is Now: A Call to Uncommon Courage. Between both gatherings we welcomed over 30 into this on-going conversation and would welcome anyone who would like to join us in the weeks to come. Together we are exploring the courage it takes to discern and then live by the values we profess as members of a creative, progressive, inclusive Christian community rooted firmly in the context of a downtown setting.
As the world around us seems to be spinning out of control at times, I am grateful to have you as companions on the journey. This past week has presented no shortage of moments that without being rooted in a community of faith, I suspect any or all of us could easily feel scared, frustrated, anxious and perhaps isolated. And yet, what I know and cling to is this: We are not alone, and much to our dissatisfaction at times, ultimately we are not in control of very much- AND it is precisely the combination of these two things that create the path for our Lenten journey. A journey leading us into a time of reflection, accountability, discernment, challenge and connection eventually culminating at the foot of the cross and then on to Easter morning.
So, take good care of yourselves and each other in these trying times. Do not bury your heads and hearts in the sand when you are afraid, but instead, reach out and find a companion as I do with each of you on a regular basis. This community is such a gift and solace and place for engaging, challenging and transformative conversation, action and support.
Come home this Sunday to remember who and whose we are- broken and blessed each step of the way- thanks be to God!
And may you never forget that you are loved.
Lisa