Whew! The last few weeks have been pretty hectic. My good friend Steve asked me to preach the last three Sundays at the worship service. The first talk is posted here if anyone is interested in listening.

I am very grateful that the hurriedness of the last few weeks will be giving way to a more reflective time for Lent. I know that will take conscious effort, but I’m willing to make the effort.

Being Ash Wednesday, a lot of blogs are featuring reflections and prayer. Andy posted a prayer by Walter Brueggemann that resonated with the state of my inner world so I wanted to share it:

The pushing and shoving of the world is endless

We are pushed and shoved.

And we do our fair share of pushing and shoving

in our great anxiety.

And in the middle of that

you have set down your beloved suffering son

who was like a sheep led to slaughter

who opened not his mouth.

We seem not able,

so we ask you to create space in our life

where we may ponder his suffering

and your summons for us to suffer with him,

suspecting that suffering is the only way to come to newness.

So we pray for your church in these Lenten days,

when we are driven to denial –

not to notice suffering,

not to engage it,

not to acknowledge it.

So be that way of truth among us

that we should not deceive ourselves.

That we shall see that loss is indeed our gain.

We give you thanks for that mystery from which we live.

Amen.