Lenten Love

Lenten Love

Some may think it odd that Lent begins on Valentine's Day this year. As if love and sacrifice never coincide, yet given Lent journeys to God - self-sacrificing - as God would rather die than kill the humans God made and called good (so the story goes). Really, is it surprising? 

I have no idea who might find or read this blog this Lent. If anyone. Yet I need this space to focus my mind for the next 40 days +

And maybe more, I need the space to remind myself to focus on Love - as this seems the "God ordained" focus for these 40 days. 

One of my pastors had lovely insights into the Scripture readings for the beginning of Lent. Then she and our other pastor engaged with the imposition of ashes (another turn of phrase ripe for picking) - but I do not remember any of them.

I remember the passage from Mark, beginning this journey this year. The one where God calls down (or around, or inside, or up - hard to know) to Jesus coming up from the water, "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased." 

A book on neuroscience and spiritual formation recently encouraged me to consider this phrase and turn it toward myself. Where God says to me, "This is my Daughter in whom I am well pleased." And actually, the author personalizes it more, "You are my Daughter in whom I am well pleased." Initially the thought raised my suspicions, but then, really, what is the Bible if not a book whose main message communicates God's Love to all of creation. . .God would rather die than harm us for all the many ways we know (and don't know) we fall short of a standard we could never meet in the first place. 

And while I can spout many reasons why this unrelenting, unearned Love is dangerous and maybe, rightfully held at at arm's length, "getting it" in some manner is the most important task of life. 

So ramblings about "getting it," or trying to, becomes the devotion of this 40+ day adventure of Lent.

To Love

2.14.24