We are living in times that would have felt unimaginable just a few years ago. We are surrounded by neighbors who are worried about sending their kids to school, seeking medical help, or gathering for worship – afraid of what might happen. We are also surrounded by neighbors who are anxious about people from other countries or people of different religions – uncertain about a changing world and unsure where they belong. Many people are afraid. And this fear, in all its forms, is shrinking our world.
Fear pulls us inward. It isolates us from one another. It tempts us to retreat into suspicion and guardedness rather than reaching out toward one another. It makes it harder to see one another as fully human. It becomes almost impossible to say that we are all beloved of God and all neighbors with one another. Truly, as followers of Jesus, we are called to a new way: a way of connection, courage, and community.
During this time of Lent, as children of God, let us practice these new ways through the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and charity (the traditional disciplines of Lent).
Prayer: Let us pray together for this world. Let us read scripture together and attend mid-week Lenten services. Let us light candles each night. Let us listen to one another’s fears and longings. Let us gather on street corners and sing. Let us gather in churches and homes – and even in front of federal buildings. Prayer grounds us so we remember who we are and whose we are. Let us gather in prayer this Lent.
Fasting: You are welcome to give up luxuries during Lent – but fasting also invites us to examine what consumes us and what we consume in return. What are we holding onto that causes us not to see our neighbor? What holds our attention more tightly than the people right in front of us? This Lent let us choose practices that connect us rather than separate us. Let us fast from doomscrolling and performative outrage and instead read thoughtfully and be genuine in our allyship. Let us make space for joy, for creativity. Let us not only fast from junk food but let us prepare good, nourishing meals for those who are without. Let us fast expansively this Lent.
Charity: This is not simply about writing a check (though sometimes this is a faithful use of resources). Charity is also showing up. Let us share time, attention, and care. Let us reduce our focus on hoarding wealth or possessions and instead practice love for our neighbors in tangible ways. Let us use our voices for those who have been silenced. Let us help redistribute wealth so that those who are without receive what they need. And let us stand in solidarity with communities who are vulnerable. Charity makes visible Christ’s love we proclaim. Let us show the love of God and neighbor through charity this Lent.
These practices alone cannot change the world – but we believe in One who is already changing this world. And so, as we practice these disciplines, we also live in the promise that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in this world. And that even in this fearful time, death does not have the final word. Through Jesus, God is always bringing hope out of despair, community out of isolation, life out of death. As people shaped by the promise of the resurrection, may we dare to live differently – to pray boldly, to fast with freedom, to give generously. May the Holy Spirit strengthen us during these forty days and beyond. And may our lives bear witness to the new life God is already creating among us.
Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee | bishop@lutheransnw.org
-
Location