Welcome to this meditation series for the season of Lent.
If you are unfamiliar with the liturgical season of Lent,
It is the six weeks or forty days preceding Easter.
Reflecting the forty days Jesus spent in the desert,
This time of fasting,
Prayer,
And giving prepares us for the miracle of the resurrection.
This series is based on the Christian story,
But know all are welcome who know the justice of this world is imperfect.
Find a comfortable seat.
Take a deep breath and close your eyes.
Let us first ground in our body.
Take a few more deep,
Slow breaths.
Listen to the rhythm of your breath and find the rhythm of your heart.
This is the movement of your existence.
Here is the core of who you are in your body,
How you experience the world,
How the world experiences you.
Accept this breath and this heartbeat as the movement of you.
It is continuous and steady,
The same as it was for you ten years ago,
One hour ago,
Tomorrow,
Ten years from now.
Your breath and your heartbeat does not change,
Yet it sustains every change you have ever been through and will ever become.
Here you are.
At that time,
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights,
And afterwards he was hungry.
This is how Jesus began,
By retreating.
Even the divine needs solitude.
Even the divine will be tempted by easier paths.
Even the divine get hungry.
Here is a space for solitude and gathering strength for the fight.
A righteous cause will still deplete you.
You can and will be tempted from continuing without taking time to renew yourself.
Eat your fill.
Take a few more deep breaths and sink deeper into your body.
Imagine you are in a desert.
Feel the dry heat surround you.
Feel the sun on your scalp.
Feel the hard ground and sand beneath your feet.
Do you see some scrub brush?
Cactus?
Desert lizards?
What do you smell?
Let the hot wind blow against your face.
Take a deep breath.
Let your body relax.
You are alone,
But not lonely.
The solid earth is beneath you.
The blue sky is above you.
The sun is bathing you in light and warmth.
You stay still,
Right here,
Safe in the knowledge that nothing is needed of you in this moment.
You are free to enjoy your solitude.
Ahead of you,
In the distance,
You can see just a glimpse of something.
It is shining in the sun,
But you cannot quite make it out.
It could be a building,
Or a city,
Or an oasis.
Even though you cannot make out its shape,
It fills you with hope.
You know that it contains your goal.
A beloved community.
A just society.
Peace.
Between you and this shining future is a long,
Long way.
There are hazards.
There are temptations and dangers.
The distance is almost overwhelming,
So you close your eyes to it all and breathe.
In and out.
The warm sun above you.
The firm earth beneath you.
The wind surrounding you.
There is strength here.
Enough to begin.
