The Rev. Karen Burnard
It is an early, Midwest, January morning. Dark. Damp. Cold. Short of a miracle, nothing will change much as the day unfolds. No wonder other animals hibernate during this time of year, while some of us are already planning for spring: Lent.
Lent is the forty-day season leading us to Easter, a season in which we remember the forty days the Israelites, and later Jesus, spent in the wilderness, the desert, a barren time. I invite you to contemplate what the wilderness, the desert, the barren times of your life have taught, even blessed. Do you pray differently because of what you have learned? Do you act in new ways because of how those barren times have affected you?
Traditionally we speak of doing something different during Lent. We may choose to fast or add some other spiritual discipline to our lives (e.g., participating in the Adult Forum if that is not your present practice). Over the centuries fasting has centered on food. In recent times we have also chosen to “give up” something non-edible such as TV or the internet. These are optional disciplines, personal choices.
However you decide to remember Lent, I invite you to be particularly prayerful, mindful, present each and every day. Join us on Ash Wednesday to begin our corporate journey, following Jesus to Jerusalem. See how Jesus enters fully into the human condition, teaching us and blessing us every step of the way.
Thanks be to God,
Karen Burnard
htrector(AT)woh.rr.com
