Dear friends,
I hope you are all doing well and staying warm in this cold snap! I’m glad for the rain, of course, and in some indirect way I’m grateful for the cold, too. Lately whenever I feel cold here in the California winter, I bring to mind the image of my uncle grilling outdoors for our belated Christmas dinner in Albany, New York, in six-degree weather. He stood out on the deck in the dark, in coat and hat, holding a long fork in one mittened hand and a glass of red wine in the other, cheerfully teasing the dogs with the pork tenderloin he was cooking, while I sat by the fire and I realized I was a California wimp.
During the season of Lent we often try to give something up so that we can be reminded to be grateful for it. There’s nothing like eating a simplified diet for a while to remind us how blessed we are to have an abundance of good, fresh food available in our area… much as my trip to New York reminded me to appreciate the balmy weather here where defrosting a windshield is an occasional activity.
At the same time I appreciated Ben’s challenge to take something we’re already doing, and deepen it by giving it Lenten significance. I finally chose a Lenten discipline for myself: the challenge not to participate in peer pressure – neither giving nor accepting the pressure. This has already caused me a good deal of internal consternation, as I try to squirm my way around the definition of peer pressure (harmful) vs mutual accountability (helpful) and I’m sure it will be a fruitful discipline to take on.
You may have chosen a Lenten discipline, or you might be choosing one now. From one procrastinator to another – it’s not too late! Or maybe you don’t like Lent but you have some changes afoot in your life. Whether it’s a Lenten choice, or a 2018 resolution in process, or a new situation that’s come upon you, I invite you to bring symbols of your change to church this Sunday. During Lent we will have interactive prayer stations each week. This week you will be invited to put something down on the tables: a symbol of what you can offer, your gift to God and to the world. If you are able, you might think about it and bring an actual object to the prayer tables. For example, perhaps you’re giving up chocolate for Lent… then, bring a chocolate and leave it there. Or perhaps you’re celebrating a decision to stop using a credit card; if so, cut that card up and bring the pieces! If your offering is too large or too metaphorical to fit on the tables, we will have paper in the bulletin for you to draw or write your gift, and we’ll have baskets of tangible objects that might spark your imagination for metaphor.
I look forward to this creative time of prayer and meditation with you each Lent. See you Sunday!
Every Blessing,
Talitha