In the dark

Lenten reflections

I’ve approached Lent differently at different times in my life. Sometimes, as much as I’d like to hit pause and recenter spiritually, I’ve had a hard time slowing down and finding that pace. There have been years when, consumed by grief and heartbreak, Lent has seemed superflous. Navigating through darkness in everyday life, pondering the darkness can feel like an extra weight to carry. This year, somehow, it’s hitting just right.

Over the weekend while cleaning bookshelves, I came across two books I’d bought years ago and never got around to reading. I pulled them off the shelf, moved them to my nightstand, and last night cracked them open.

The first, Bread and Wine, is a collection of dozens of brief theological and literary reflections on Lent and Easter with selections ranging from Thomas à Kempis and Søren Kierkegaard to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Edith Stein, and Simone Weil. You can pick and choose and see which reflections hit right for you.

The second, Easter Stories, is the perfect book for people who don’t really do devotionals. A collection of short stories that reflect in some way on they mystery of “transformation, reconciliation, and the triumph of life over death,” it’s an excellent antidote to social media scrolling, at least it felt that way to me.

For those seeking a deeper Lenten reflection, I also wanted to share these excerpts from my pastor Andrew Mead’s sermon this week on the Lenten Journey based on Luke 22:39-53.

Here’s Pastor Andrew:

On this first Sunday in Lent, we begin our walk in the dark.

Our journey with Jesus toward the cross.

And we’ll need more than sight to find the way.

We’ll need the inner compass of the Holy Spirit.

Who helps us see without seeing.

Who guides our feet in the way of peace.

Our soundtrack to Lent this year are the Psalms of Ascent.

These prayers were sung by pilgrims on their journey to Jerusalem.

I hope the echoes of these words will help us make sense of the terrain.

Luke’s story bears witness to what’s visible.

What can be seen with the eyes.

But to find our way through this story, we must learn to walk with baby Izzy.

Because the sun has gone down on Jerusalem.

And we’re following Jesus out into the dark.

So we must walk by faith and not by sight.

Custom

We see Jesus walking to the Mount of Olives.

A quiet orchard outside the city walls.

Apparently, this has become Jesus’ habit in Jerusalem.

But the soundings of the Spirit suggest something more.

That Jesus is stepping into a spiritual storm.

Where the winds of chaos become increasingly fierce.

In his book, Dancing in the Darkness, Otis Moss III says,

“Chaos breeds cynicism and despair. It pushes us toward withdrawal [and] inaction [and exhaustion].” (Moss, 22, 23)

When a storm is raging, it’s easy to panic.

To discard our rhythms.

To let our habits of prayer blow away in the headwinds of adversity.

But Christ leads us to prayer, calls us to prayer.

God’s footsteps are unseen. (Ps. 119:133)

But He’s making a way in the dark.

Withdrawal

We see Jesus withdrawing from his friends.

But the soundings of the Spirit suggest something more.

That Jesus is moving toward the battle.

The new David leaves the fearful troops to face Goliath.

Stepping out to confront an Enemy no one else is equipped to face.

As you enter this Lenten season,

What lies does your Goliath taunt you with?

What’s your experience of God’s presence?

Of God’s absence?

God’s footsteps are unseen. (Ps. 119:133)

But He’s making a way in the dark…

Sweat

We see Jesus sweating.

Great drops falling to the ground.

But the soundings of the Spirit suggest something more.

That this is the slow surrender of our resistance to God’s will.

The night before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King gave his final speech.

He said this:

“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life—longevity has its place.

But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will.”

Many people are sweating these days.

About what lies ahead for our nation.
For our most vulnerable citizens.

For peace among nations.

Will we wallow in worry?

Or will we get to work doing God’s will?

God’s footsteps are unseen. (Ps. 119:133)

But He’s making a way in the dark.

…Rising

We see Jesus rising from his knees.

But the soundings of the Spirit suggest something more.

That Jesus has reached the eye of the storm.

He’s reached a place of clarity amidst the chaos.

And it’s from this center Jesus will move amidst the storm.

After kneeling in human weakness, Jesus rises in divine strength.

The new David stands over the defeated Goliath.

Offering a preview of resurrection.

Friends, when we are weak, then we are strong.
For God’s power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

God’s footsteps are unseen. (Ps. 119:133)

But He’s making a way in the dark…

Sleeping

…It’s tempting for us to hibernate from the horrors in the world.

To self-medicate from the stress.

But Christ stirs us from slumber.

Calling us to rise as He has risen.

To face our fears with His courage.

Here’s Otis Moss III again:

“In the storm of chaos, lost in confusion and disorder, the question we must ask is not whether we are cursed. It is not whether the time has come to give up. The question is whether there might be some way to use the harsh, unpredictable winds and the relentless currents of our lives to get us moving to where [God] wants [us] to go. Do we have the spiritual audacity … to turn chaotic energy to [divine] purposes?” (Moss, 25)

God’s footsteps are unseen. (Ps. 119:133)

But He’s making a way in the dark.…

Resist

We see Jesus resist Judas’s embrace.

But the soundings of the Spirit suggest something more.

That The Truth refuses to embrace lies.

That The Light reveals hidden motives.

Not with arrogant accusations.

But with a question that cuts through chaos.

Jesus won’t allow the betrayal of a close friend to throw him off course.

Howard Thurman writes,

“Anyone who permits another to determine the quality of [their] inner life gives into the hands of the other the keys to [their] destiny. … It is a [person’s] reaction to things that determines [someone else’s] ability to exercise power over [them].” (Jesus and the Disinherited, 18)

Who is determining the quality of our inner lives?

God’s footsteps are unseen. (Ps. 119:133)

But He’s making a way in the dark…

Sword

We see Peter draw his sword.

But the soundings of the Spirit suggest something more.

That fear and impatience have given way to reactivity.

“Boss, can I take him out?”

Peter doesn’t wait for Jesus to answer.

Because there’s no time!

Because something must be done now!

Peter must defend Jesus.

Peter must defend The Truth!

It’s so tempting to fight fire with fire.

Especially when you’re on the right side of the fight.

Which is better than being on the wrong side of it.

We live in a time of great temptation.

As we walk the perilous path between righteous anger and self-righteousness.

How do we not slip down the slope of self-righteousness?

Perhaps we shouldn’t run in the dark.

Perhaps we must stand still long enough to listen for Christ’s instruction.

God’s footsteps are unseen. (Ps. 119:133)

But He’s making a way in the dark.

Healing

We see Jesus reach out his hand to heal.

But the soundings of the Spirit suggest something more.

Jesus is living out his hardest lesson:

“Love your enemies,

do good to those who hate you,

bless those who curse you,

pray for those who abuse you.” (Lk. 6:27-28)

Jesus counters the power of the sword.

With the power of healing love.

Because the real struggle isn’t against this slave.

Or even the high priest that sent him.

“It is against the rulers,

against the authorities,

against the cosmic powers of this present darkness,

against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12)

God’s footsteps are unseen. (Ps. 119:133)

But He’s making a way in the dark.

I’d love to hear your favorite ways to enter into this season—favorite songs, readings, poetry, or other ways you are finding spiritual groundedness.