We
come together in Lent as a faith community to be a companion,
witness, and disciple of Christ as he begins his long journey
toward death and resurrection. How can we best be attentive
to
the spiritual journey during this time of grieving, introspection,
seeking, and redemption? As Christians we are offered two
significant
pathways toward a closer communion with God, in Christ. First,
we are invited into a community of fellow seekers. And second,
we are invited into our own personal relationship with Christ,
as we seek to find points of connection through his words,
his
story, his example, and his living spirit, to our own lives today.
Lenten Reflection
Lent comes each year laden with the memories, teachings, assumptions,
and wisdom that each of us has accumulated over the years of our
church experience. This can be both a blessing and a challenge.
A blessing, in that we are reminded of the cycle of birth and
resurrection. We are re-called, called again, to our connection
with not only the liturgical calendar, but the cycle of life itself.
In the familiarity of our rituals and celebrations we are re-connected
to our faith and the family of God. The challenge of Lent is to
find a way to make it a vital, living, immediate experience of
the life of Christ and our connection to that life, in all that
it both asks and promises. The writing exercises offered here
invite you to explore both the blessings and challenges of this
season.
The Blessings of Lent
Take a few minutes to think about what it is you truly look forward
to in the Lenten season. This could range from daily events to
more general feelings or awareness. Now go beyond what first comes
to mind. Is there something that attracts you every year, when
the season of Lent first begins its approach? What about it especially
beckons you, what is it that draws you to want to be a part of
this experience? Is it the change in seasons, the promise of spring?
Is it the comfort of tradition? Is it some sense of a new start
in your life, or a chance to go deeper into your prayer life?
It may be all, or none of these things. Write about what the blessings
of Lent are, for you, this day.
The
Challenges of Lent
There are several challenges before us during Lent as well. How
to stay the course of Christ's journey without losing heart. How
to not judge the way others are "doing Lent." How to keep the
incandescent reality of our faith alive in the midst of the harsh
reality of daily life. In some Christian denominations, Lent has
also traditionally been used as a time of giving up something
we enjoy or rely on, in order to demonstrate our personal repentance
and our allegiance to the suffering that Christ experienced. Yet
the story of Christ is not just a story of suffering, but of a
human being who lived in the complete fullness of God. Our challenge
therefore is to learn to live in that same complete fullness,
as best we can, through Christ's example and his ever-present
love. What is it that keeps us from full communion with Christ?
What can we "give up" this Lenten season that has until now served
as a barrier between us and Christ? Is it some behavior, some
pattern, some way of thinking about ourselves or others? Or could
it be some unrealistic desire that keeps us from the present moment?
Or are we avoiding an unexplored dream that might fulfill us?
Write about what you might "offer up" to God during this season
as a way of acknowledging your desire to come closer to God. What
door could you open, in what way could you stop hiding from God's
love?
Copyight © 2005 Sarah Stockton