Pr. Nadia Bolz-Weber says of this day: This is not a season of taking up self-denial, it’s a season of relinquishment. We let go of all the pretenses and notions that we can be independent of God. We let go of defending ourselves. We let go of our indulgent self-loathing. Like the prodigal son we then begin to see a loving God running with abandon to welcome us home.
It is my hope that we can find this sense of welcome again. I say again because we all wander from God, from who we are, from our own sure foundations. Given that reality, today, we begin to push the restart button, the relinquishment of all that has distracted us from who we are and what we are about. It is really easy to be distracted, to get bogged down in fear, resignation, or perhaps an inflated sense of our own importance.
As I began reading the book, A Faith for the Future, I was struck by its early emphasis on theological reflection and mission: "In theological reflection we are emboldened to go forward in mission. In mission, we discover the material for theological reflection."
One reason for this book is to return to the fundamentals of our faith, to study and ponder once again what we likely consider basic. Do we take the time to reflect theologically? Do we seek new and challenging material for reflection in our mission and interactions with others? Where might God meet us and transform us in such everyday interactions?
Today I will place ashes on the foreheads of those who share a faith journey together, albeit from very different places and stages in life. For some the thought of dust and death seem far off in a distant future; for others, the reality is as near as their pulse. It is my hope that in Lent we all rediscover and make time for theological reflection and listening for our own call to mission wherever that may take us.
As our book describes: "It is as the frontiers of our faith communities and the edges of our comfort zones that we find the most fertile ground for theological reflection...Theology is best done--indeed, only done--when it is linked to the active work of telling others about the good news of Jesus Christ."
May this Lent be a time of telling others about the good news...raw, vulnerable, and hopeful sharing.
Thanks for leading this effort during Lent. I am looking forward to everyone sharing their spiritual journey during this time.
ReplyDeleteOne of my calls to mission relates to stepping out of my comfort zone. Even though I am prepared for this leap of faith, the acknowledgement that the corresponding liberation is not one of celebratory self-realization; but more one of rejuvenation and solidarity with those on the margins. Those I so easily forget to see, hear, and validate when I hang out in my comfort zone.
I am called to the concept of relinquishment. Not just the relinquishment of "things" but also the relinquishment of self. To "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."
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