“As the poet Robert Frost put it, 'The only way out is through,' and the only good way through is together. Even when circumstances separate us - in fact, especially when they do - the way through is together.” -John Green
The church calendar is a gift to us each year. It helps to order our days as a collective as we strengthen our faith and renew our resolve to affect loving and positive change. Season by season, Advent spreads its longing and waiting into the joy of Christmas, birthing possibility and producing an Epiphany of hope that shapes us and sends us into Lent.
Lent commemorates the 40 days of Jesus’ fasting in the wilderness, and invites us to fast and pray. These days do not march or rush by quickly. They sit and stay with us. They are patient with us. They give loving advice, and hold us together when everything seems to be falling apart. If we are willing, we shall be welcomed into lamentation; reflection; repentance; surrender; forgiveness, and drawing unto ourselves the things for which our souls and spirits long.
This year, I pray you will find some personal practice that will bring you peace. From journaling, to meditation, this is a wonderful opportunity to create a new habit that can be meaningful and life-giving. Try fasting and praying daily. Pray for our world, our church, that we will be less polarized as a nation, and more willing to listen for the sound of the genuine.
If you are not able to fast in traditional ways, like changing your diet or refraining from eating for part of the day, make an effort to fast from things that make you anxious, or from conversations that seem to leave you depleted. Fast by considering what a person without adequate resources might experience, and reduce your consumption for 40 days in solidarity.
Ultimately, we are not fasting to torture ourselves. We are fasting to grieve for a hurting world, for our lives, for our need for love, wholeness and compassion. Love is in need of love, and your intentions will make a difference! The prayers of the righteous avail much, and I look forward to the ways that we will walk together in pursuit of resurrection. -Rev. Dr. Kelle Brown