A daily email and blog during the days of Lent:

“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” go the words of Ash Wednesday during services. These words remind us we have a short time in this life as we know it. Some rephrase it “remember you are love and to love you shall return”, both are true.  Mary Oliver asks a very Ash Wednesday question in her poem The Summer Day “what will I do with my one wild and precious life?”

The Christian life invites us to regular intention and reflection (a thoughtfulnessabout our lives) but particularly during Lent we have 40 days set aside to do further inner work to renew our outer lives. Bringing the inner-self into alignment with God opens us up to share in the re-creation of the world. As Christians we don’t settle for the world as it is, but open ourselves upto the creative power of the Holy Spirit within us, that loves everyone, that loves us completely. This Sunday we will hear again that Jesus heard at his baptism and tested in the wilderness God’s word to him, “you are mybeloved, with you I am well pleased”. Take those words into your own heart, and let them change you, let them push away the other messages you haveheard or spoken to yourself, and then bring that truth to others in your life.‘My cup runneth over’ when I let God in Christ claim me as beloved,too. The spirit brings this word to Jesus over the water of baptism as itreformed the chaos of the world at creation. Now there is clarity about thecreation, the creatures, they are beloved of God, you are beloved of God iswhat Jesus communicates to all of us. If you have a bible, read Genesis 1:2 and Mark 1:10-11, note the work of the spirit reforming creation, in the first story order and light are brought, in the gospel, belovedness is spoken toJesus and through him belovedness is spoken to the world.

Take some time to change your pattern of reflection and prayer, self-care, and growth that opens you up to new possibilities in Christ. You are invited to send me a reflection if you would like to share one with the congregation thathas been helpful for your inner life—a reading, a reflection. Please see the Lenten resources available on www.diomass.org for more intentional planning for lent--the card on Lenten practice is one of the most helpful I've seen. Or use the guide for a rule of life--it is excellent. Services today are at 12, 4pm (childrens) and 7:30 pm today at St. Paul’s.     

In Christ, Jon+