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Walk Lent with Us Through Your Wilderness
By the Rev. Ann Gillespie
Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, which is why the
season of Lent lasts for 40 days. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness
for 40 years. It feels as if Christ Church might be on a bit of a wilderness
journey, too.
With our recent loss in revenues and consequent budget
readjustments and with the end of the Foundations for Spiritual Learning
program in sight, things will look and feel different around here. What we
know from our scriptures is that even though the journey may be challenging,
God never abandons his people in the wilderness. That is a great comfort.
The wilderness requires different skills, a different awareness. It requires
that we adopt new ways of moving through the world.
The Rev. Randolph Charles, rector at Church of the
Epiphany in downtown DC, recently wrote to his congregation about new ways
of being and seeing that are helpful on a wilderness journey. I thought they
were so powerful that I wanted to share them with you.
A few things to realize about wilderness journeys:
-They are usually transitional and temporary.
-They always involve some degree of discomfort and
disorientation.
-They require us to focus on the basics, what is
essential to move through this experience.
-They often broaden our perspectives and stimulate
creative thinking
-They force us to be more attentive to and honest about
our physical and emotional environment.
-They demand that we be more aware of and responsive to
our fellow sojourners.
-They may call forth an inner strength that we might not
have been aware of.
-They tend to strip away our emotional and spiritual
defenses and prepare us to hear and follow God’s call more faithfully.
This year we are offering
some unique tools for our Lenten wilderness journey. Join a movie
group, attend the Quiet Day on Pilgrimage with Bro. Mark Brown, make a
formal confession with one of the clergy, attend the Liturgy of Loss, walk
the Labyrinth. Together we will find a new inner strength for this new
terrain. Let’s help one another embrace the wilderness as we prepare to hear
and follow God’s call more closely.
Let’s walk together on our wilderness journey this Lent.
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for directions to Christ Church
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