Ways to be Unhurried During Lent
Be
still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10a
Lent...forty
days plus six Sundays...a time to prepare ourselves for the day that
defines who we are as the people called Christian...Easter.
There
are many ways to observe this season of the Christian year. Often, we
think about giving up something that we enjoy....making a sacrifice
of sorts. I would like to suggest that we observe this Lent by making
room for something. Yes, I know, we are all very busy people, so
making room for something else may feel as if it's just too much to
ask. But in a few easy steps, with as much or as little time as you
want to offer, here are five ways to help you focus on the season of
penitence, repentance, and new life.
1. Create
a sanctuary outside of the sanctuary...your bedroom, an office, your
kitchen table...a quiet place.
2. Light a
candle to symbolize the presence of God's spirit in that place.
3. Listen
to some meditative music.
4. Be
silent. Find the quiet center. As the hymn says: "Come and find
the quiet center in the crowded life we lead, find the room for hope
to enter, find the frame where we are freed: clear the chaos and the
clutter, clear our eyes that we can see all the things that really
matter, be at peace and simply be."
5. To help
you find the quiet center, silently repeat simple contemplative
refrains such as "O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my
prayer. When I call, answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer. O Lord, hear
my prayer. Come and listen to me."
Prayer:
In this holy season, O God, quiet my spirit so that I may drink from
the well of your life-giving water, feast on the gifts of your Son's
sacrifice, and find rest for my soul in you. Amen.
Rev.
Judy May
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