Wednesday Wonder – February 14, 2024

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Lent, that period of time to prepare for the darkness and the light to come as we travel this road from today to Easter morning. In our United Church tradition, we have not always put a focus on Ash Wednesday. Often, we do not mark it much at all. We might have pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, and we know that means Lent has begun, but we do not come together to mark the beginning of this time of reflection, repentance and renewal. Today is the day to take a moment to orient ourselves for the Lenten journey. We start our time of reflecting on who and whose we are, and how we have lived that out during the year since last Lent. We take time to begin to repent. Repenting means to turn and reorient ourselves to the way of Christ, and Christ’s call to discipleship. And we take the time to think about what we might do to help renew ourselves – body, mind, and spirit. This is part of the reason why many take up spiritual practices or give something up for Lent. The hope is to set ourselves on a path that will renew our commitment to self, others, to God.

Lent begins today. I invite you to be intentional this year about your Lent. Lent is the time to work through anything going on in your life throughout the last year and to come out on the other side to truly experience new life at Easter. Perhaps you want to be intentional about a new spiritual practice, or renew your commitment to one you used to do such as prayer, reading scripture, meditation, journaling to name just a few. Perhaps you want to be intentional about working through some emotion or situation that has you feeling stuck. Perhaps you want to be intentional about reaching out to connect with others, maybe reaching out instead of hoping others will reach out to you. Perhaps you want to simply stop for a while. To intentionally create a quiet space for yourself, a space in which God might be heard. The possibilities are endless. Lent is the time to seek what you need to connect more closely with God and others in this next year. Taking up, giving up, it doesn’t matter which or what, staying the same though, not an option. Lent gives us the opportunity to become more.

I joked on Sunday about taking up radiation treatments as my Lenten practice this year. Well, there is some truth to that. I started radiation and chemo today. During the actual treatment I must lie perfectly still for 15-20 minutes. What a perfect time for the spiritual practice of prayer. It doesn’t require any movement and it allows me to remain connected to all of you. So, if you have been hesitating to share a prayer need, please let me know. You will be helping me with my spiritual practice and we all know how powerful prayer is to our well being. From what many might call a negative, I will reorient and create a positive.

May this Lent offer you the opportunity, together with your church family, to begin the journey toward Easter and its promise of new life, whatever that journey may look like for you this year.

Peace,
Rev. Mary-Jane