Welcome to this meditation series for the season of Lent.
If you are unfamiliar with the liturgical season of Lent,
It is the 6 weeks or 40 days preceding Easter.
Reflecting the 40 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 in 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.
Close your eyes and find yourself back in the desert,
Your desert.
You breathe in the dry warmth.
You exhale and let your breath join the wind.
You notice the plants,
Birds,
And other animals you have come to know on this journey.
They mark this landscape as familiar and safe.
It is sparse,
But not empty.
Until now,
You have mostly stayed in one place.
You decide to explore and start walking.
While warm,
It is not unpleasant.
At a gentle pace,
You take in the sights,
Sounds,
And smells of your desert.
After a few moments,
You realize you have not brought any water.
You are starting to get thirsty,
But continuing is not an issue.
Though you did not start with an agenda,
This walk feels like it has importance.
There is something for you on this path.
Your thirst begins to grow.
It is starting to make a difference to your energy level.
You know now that this walk is not only important to you,
But essential for others.
You are on a mission larger than yourself,
But you thirst.
You need water to continue.
You will not accomplish what you need without something to sate the ache you feel.
That's when you notice a well,
Not too far from where you are.
It seems almost like a dream that it would appear right when you most needed it.
Do you know how to use a well?
You're not sure,
But you're about to find out.
You need water.
You head towards it as quickly as you can.
When you arrive,
There is a clean bucket with rope and ladles laying there,
As if waiting for you.
You lower the bucket deeper than you can see,
Hoping there is water and that it is potable.
You feel the bucket hit water,
And you can tell by the tension on the rope you have managed to scoop a good amount inside.
You pull up the bucket,
And it contains sparklingly pure water.
You dip in the ladle and take a sip.
It is clean and fresh and tastes better than you can imagine.
You were so intent on the well,
You only notice now to the side a small tree with a place to sit underneath it.
Here you can rest.
You take the bucket and ladle and sit in the shade.
The immediate temperature drop makes the water even more refreshing as you take another sip.
You sit in the quiet,
Sipping delicious water,
And simply enjoy your rest.
As the silence continues,
You reflect on your journey so far.
This perspective gives you the chance to really think about the choices you have made and the adversity you have faced.
You are here now.
You can imagine how the past will shape the future,
Things you can change and things you cannot.
You take a moment of gratefulness for this luxury of time and space.
Glancing at the bucket,
You notice an inscription.
Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
But whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst.
The water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
Your mind is immediately filled with scenes of what eternal life,
Full life,
Liberated and joyful life looks like for yourself,
What it looks like for your community,
What it looks like for our world.
In this moment of wonder,
Your hopes of a just and peaceful world are fulfilled.
It is a beautiful promise.
You break from this vision to realize again how far away this promise is.
Progress is interminably slow.
There is so much suffering.
You remember your mission.
You have a path to walk.
The inscription left for you means you do not walk it alone.
Rested and refreshed,
You are able to continue.
You stand and face the road ahead,
Grateful for the respite offered by the well.
The knowledge you can return to a clear,
Bright,
Nourishing well whenever you need it is a comfort.
You are ready to move forward again.
