Keeping a holy Lent

"There Is Still Room" by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman

Right now, so much is coming at us from so many directions. And at times it is difficult to hear God's voice above the din.

The truth is, though, that God's voice is the still small whisper that comes from right in the midst of the milieu - we just sometimes forget how to look and listen for it.

At the very end of his earthly life in the gospel of John, Jesus preaches a sermon to his disciples that can be summed up from just one verse: "I call you to love one another - by this everyone will know that you are my disciples."

The day before the last supper in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells all who will listen that this is how God's chosen One will know if we belong to God - how we treat the most vulnerable, because that is how we treat God's own self.

The two stories are inextricably interlinked, just as the dual love commandments are. Because we cannot love God without loving our neighbors, especially those who are at the mercy of this very broken and hate-filled world.

As we approach Lent in the middle of the month of February, our call from Christ is not just to mere lip-service or mental exercise, but to look to the neighbors and Lazaruses on our doorstep who are in very real need of love made manifest in any myriad of ways.

From food and clean water, to clothing and blankets, to welcome and tenacious solidarity, to healthcare and presence even in places we never thought we might go. It will look different for each of us and it may begin with simply listening to a point of view we have never considered or to a voice of someone different from us.

But Lent is a time for new beginnings, so consider how God is calling us to keep this holy season...

Blessings,

Rev. Janie