The Invitation of Lent

Dear Friends in Valhalla Parish—

How do you normally mark the season of Lent? Over the years, my Lenten practice has taken on a variety of forms. Lately I've been wondering why. Has it been because I haven't connected with certain practices? Or perhaps each year's differing circumstances have invited a fresh engagement—some new and fresh facet of the season to explore.

Some years I have taken on particular practices—book studies, more regular rhythms of daily prayer, or extended times in silence. Other years I have given something up. One Lent I tried to give up coffee, but was told very quickly by my roomates that I wasn't allowed to continue with that. They said something about me becoming even more insufferable than normal. That certainly led to some self-examination!

In the Christian tradition, Lent is a season of self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a time in which we are invited to meditate on the word of God: the scriptures and the person of Jesus, the one who the author of John's gospel invites us to see as God's embodied word.

In a year when we are figuring out what 'normal' means anymore, perhaps the question of how one normally marks Lent is taking us slightly off course. Because this season is meant to serve us in our relationship with God—how might each of us walk through these trying times in ways that serve that primary relationship? How might this be a time not of serving a particular ritual, but of this season and its rituals serving us—as individuals, and as a community. 

One of the practices that I'm choosing to take on this year connects with the project that Parish Council has chosen for Lent. 

This project offers an opportunity to partner with communities where food is hard to come by, and that are being disproportionately affected by Climate Change. Each week, I am choosing to put aside a small sum of money—$5 or so—and at the end of Lent contributing towards this project. 

For me, this is one practice that I am seeking to take on as a part of my own lenten fast. It's a small act, but also one that is shaping my imagination and response to God. At home, I've put a jar next to the coffee maker (a place I visit often!) to remind me of this practice, and to encourage me to think of and pray for the communities in Malawi, Kenya, Cuba, Colombia, and Zimbabwe who will be impacted by these small acts of generosity. It's a way in which I am seeking to grow closer to God, and to serve the world God so deeply and profoundly loves.

I know that this act won't change the world overnight. But I already know that it is changing me. It's changing my prayer life and my awareness of other parts of the world. As you are able, I invite you to participate in this project as well. As we seek to live in response to the God who first loved us, my prayer is that we will continue to respond to the needs before us—the needs of our neighbours throughout the world, including our own.

Whatever your Lenten practice; I pray that you would find this time deeply fulfilling and enriching, as you take this time to draw closer to God, knowing that God—in infinite love and goodness—seeks to draw nearer to each one of us. 

Wishing you every blessing for the week ahead. 

Andrew Stephens-Rennie

Valhalla Parish Missioner