Weekly Reflections During Lent
About Weekly Reflections during Lent
s the Season of Lent progresses over these next five weeks, the promises of God in the stories we share move from the external to the internal – from the rainbow in the sky to right inside our hearts. This journey inward, along with the journey towards Jerusalem and the events of Holy Week and Easter, is mirrored in the ancient pathway of the labyrinth.
The labyrinth is a symbol that predates Christianity and can be found in many cultures. During the Middle Ages, it was incorporated into the floors of many of the great cathedrals of Europe. Pilgrims who were unable to make the entire journey to Jerusalem to mark their faith journey would go to their regional cathedral and walk this pathway inside the church building as a substitute. In recent years, labyrinths have become quite popular as a meditation tool, and many churches, parks and retreat centres feature them in gardens and indoors.
What distinguishes a labyrinth from a maze is that there is no trick or trap to a labyrinth, as there often is with a maze. The maze is like a puzzle, and the labyrinth like a mystery – meant to be followed rather than solved. There are many styles of labyrinth designs, but what they all have in common is a path that leads into a centre and back out again. The path is usually not direct, but rather comes in and expands out again before finally making its way to the centre. One is free to focus on the journey rather than the destination, often moving away from what seems to be the goal in order to gain greater perspective or more experience before approaching or achieving it.
The labyrinth is merely a time set apart for active reflection, which can be created simply by being intentionally reflective during our daily routines.
A spiral journey
The great and abiding metaphor of Lent is journey. As followers of Jesus, we travel with him on his last journey to Jerusalem and along the way, we explore what discipleship really means. If you have been a Jesus follower for a number of years then this journey will be familiar. But it will also be unfamiliar. Each year we explore similar Scripture passages but each year we are slightly different people, we have experienced more and hopefully learned more than we had this time last year.
This year, our lectionary focus passages shape our journey as a spiral, that wonderful symbol that is important in so many religious practices around the world. Sometimes we feel that we are in the same place we were last year, as if our lives were one simple circle. But it is not so. If we pay attention, what appears to be a simple circle turns out to be a complex spiral and we are never in the same place on the spiral as we were last year or any other year. We have, perhaps, moved a little further into the mystery of our existence and, at the same time, perhaps a little further out into the mystery of the world.
This season, as we explore the lectionary texts that are our focus, we move from the furthest outer reaches of the spiral into the mysterious heart of our individual and communal relationship with God. So many of our texts begin with huge promises. The promise made to Noah and the promise to Abraham and Sarah are big for them and their families but they are also promises for the whole world. But neither of these stories simply ends with the giving of the universal promise. Each of the promise hearers must become, on the journey into their own lives, promise receivers. And each of them struggled to understand, as we do in this season, what it means to inhabit and live out of these world-changing promises.
• Lent is traditionally a time of giving something up as an act of reflection and devotion. What unhelpful attitude or way of thinking would you like to give up during this season?
• In this season of rainbow promises, be on the lookout for signs of the presence and promises of God in nature.
• How would you like to feel and think differently about yourself and the world by Easter?
Ash Wednesday, February 22
Psalm 51
“Create in me a clean heart, O God.”
Touching the ashes is a way of touching base with our mortality – “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” – that can prompt reflections about what’s really important to us. This week, take time to reflect on the things that fill your days and how they connect to what you value in life. What faith practice – meditation, prayer, reading scripture, contemplating, or making art – might you engage during Lent to help you deepen these connections?
February 26
Genesis 9:8–17
“I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Nature is full of promise – rainbows in the midst of clouds promise the sun has emerged, buds promise new life, every morning is full of the promise of new beginnings. This week, imagine yourself surrounded by promise and look for signs of it in the world around you.
March 4
Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16
“I will make you exceedingly fruitful.”
Last week we looked for signs of promise in the world around us. This week, think about the ways you yourself create signs of promise. Think about the physical things you make – meals, art, repairs to objects, gardens. What promises do they convey? How do your interactions with others bring promise to the world? Choose one thing you normally do and do it intentionally as a sign of promise to the world.
March 11
Psalm 19
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O God.”
It is so easy to just fire off an email or Facebook update or Twitter “tweet” or text message without thinking much about it. Challenge yourself to be more mindful of your words in these contexts this week. Take a deep breath before you respond to anything and make space in your heart before you start typing or texting. Notice how this mindfulness affects your sense of connection to others.
March 18
Psalm 107:1–3, 17–22
“O give thanks to God, for God is good.”
Spend an entire day being thankful for everything that happens, no matter what happens. Take a digital camera with you throughout your day, take pictures of moments of gratitude, and post them to Facebook, Flickr or your personal blog with your reflections on what it was like to be intentionally thankful throughout the day.
March 25
Jeremiah 31:31–34
“I will write it on their hearts.”
What has God written on your heart? Make a list of what you hold most dear. Cut out a heart shape on a piece of paper – it doesn’t have to be very big. Write a favourite quote, a word of encouragement, something you love on it and find a public place to put it. Leave it at a coffee shop, post it on the bulletin board at work, put it in a book your loved one is reading for them to discover.
April 1
Mark 11:1–11
“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”
What does it mean to come in someone else’s name? think about the various responsibilities you have throughout the week; in whose name do you come in each of them? How might it change what you do or how you approach what you do if you understood yourself to be coming into each situation in the name of God?
