Welcome to Lent,
The opening of week five.
These meditations are an opportunity for us to stay connected to the Lenten season all week,
Not just Sundays,
And think about Lent in the context of our everyday lives.
We have an opening and closing meditation for each week of Lent.
My name is Jess,
And I have engaged Lent in everything from giving up physical things like sugar or alcohol,
To giving up character issues like sarcasm and negativity,
To not engaging Lent much at all.
So these times are meant to take the focus off of the transaction of giving something up for religious duty,
But engaging the season as a time of spiritual growth and renewal.
To start,
Let's take five big breaths.
The science behind mindfulness practice is fascinating.
We are training our brain to be better at reacting to stressors and to recover from stress when we experience it.
It sharpens focus,
And over time,
Makes us more compassionate,
And has a positive impact on relationships and mental health.
This is good for slowing down whenever we feel the need,
And especially preparing for prayer.
Really,
The potential is to be more mindful in every aspect of our life.
So feel yourself breathe for just one minute,
And try to be particularly mindful to feel your body as you breathe.
I hope that was calming to your body.
If your mind went to other places just now,
Or happens throughout this time,
That's okay.
It's natural.
You're still here,
So let's move on.
Take a moment and identify where has God been recently?
Think about the last day or two,
Maybe the last 24 hours.
In community or alone,
In joy or in struggle,
Where has God been lately?
In week five,
I want to center two poems from Howard Thurman.
Thurman lived from 1899 to 1981.
He was an African American minister,
Philosopher,
Theologian,
Educator,
Civil rights leader,
And Christian poet.
His works entitled The Inward Journey and Meditations of the Heart are a must for any Christian meditative pilgrim.
If you're able,
Extend your arms out and turn your palms up,
Or rest your palms on your lap.
We do this as a posture of receiving from the Creator.
Let's take a moment and prayerfully reflect on Thurman's words.
The concern which I lay bare before God today is my concern for the life of the world in these troubled times.
I confess my own inner confusion as I look upon the world.
There is food for all.
Many are hungry.
There are clothes for all.
Many are in rags.
There is room enough for all.
Many are crowded.
There is none who want war.
Preparations for conflict abound.
I confess my own share of the ills of these times.
I have shirked my responsibilities as a citizen.
I have not been wise in casting my ballot.
I have left to others a real interest in making a public opinion worthy of democracy.
I have been concerned about my own little job,
My own little security,
My own shelter,
My own bread.
I have not really cared about jobs for others,
Security for others,
Shelter for others,
Bread for others.
I have not worked for peace.
I want peace,
But I have voted and worked for war.
I have silenced my own voice,
That it may not be heard on the side of any cause,
However right,
If it meant running risks or damaging my own little reputation.
Let thy light burn in me,
That I may,
From this moment on,
Take effective steps within my own powers,
To live up to the light and courageously to pay for the kind of world I so deeply desire.
In Jesus' Lenten journey,
He released his cares to the Creator,
He released his friends to the Holy Spirit,
And ultimately his life to God's will.
In this Lenten season,
We focus on the scars on Jesus' hands.
God we place into those hands our very lives.
God we accept the long stillness of this season and the new life that is fashioning in our hearts.
Build in us these values that allow us to be our truest selves,
Living our true purpose,
In harmony with the Creator of our souls and the love for our neighbor.
Help us live up to the light and courageously to pay for the kind of world we so deeply desire.
The great spiritual writers in the Christian tradition often maintained that prayer's role is to change us on the inside as active preparation for lives lived in the world.
Our final time of silence is to spend a moment deciding on steps of living into Lent this season.
God from Thurman's words can be translated into action for you.
Spend a final minute before the sacrifice to Christ and a posture of commitment about this season.
Amen.
We would like to invite you back to week six and seven as we walk through the stories of Jesus that frame this season.
