Dear People of St. James’,
The word “Lent” comes from a word that means “to lengthen”, referring to the lengthening of days in spring. So, former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams would remind us that this is good news. Contrary to popular belief, Lent is not about feeling gloomy for forty days. Instead, Lent is springtime; it is the budding of “new life that bursts through death” in Easter. On Ash Wednesday, we begin through prayer, fasting, and Christian disciplines to figure out what really motivates us and to sweep and clean the room of our own minds and hearts so that new life, relationship, and freedom may enter in and take up space.
Our prayer practice when we come together will reflect the spirit of this holy house-cleaning, because the rhythm of the service changes. Usually, we do our work of confession after we have already done a lot of singing and praying and talking. The Lenten liturgy moves that work of self-reflection and repentance to the very start of the service (so don’t be late!). To do this is to say that we cannot open our mouths in praise, nor can we open our hearts to the word of God, until we have searched within and turned toward the God of mercy. In our confession, you will find that we allow longer silences during Lent, but you may want to set aside some space as you sip your Sunday morning coffee to let your mind wander back over your week and take note of things done and left undone. Then turn your mind toward your hope for the relationships that aren’t quite right in your life, or for those who may be suffering in distant places or nearby. Bring these recollections and hopes to prayer.
The gospel readings during this season will get long, but they are some of John’s most dramatic, well-told narratives. At 10:15 am and 5:30 pm, we will invite you to be seated during a staged reading of the gospel. I know, I know, we normally only do that on Palm Sunday! But this is the year in our three-year cycle of readings when we are invited into a journey through increasingly complex narratives demanding more and more congregational participation. This year, our Palm Sunday staged reading of the Passion narrative will be the culmination of a slow-building drama, rather than a liturgical oddity. Seek to find yourselves in these narratives. What powers fight for your loyalty? What makes you feel known? What liberates and unbinds you? And, what do you want to yell at Jesus? By entering into the stories of salvation, we discover the power of Christ’s redemption today in our own lives.
May this Lent be a holy season for you, springing into new life!
Rev. Eileen
