Lent in the Land of the Living

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Lent is for those in the land of the living, to remember there is a living hope, among us.

Ash Wednesday has come and gone and we are sick and not very into Lent. It's hard to tell if we are grasping a spirit of repentance. Who's thinking of repentance? We just want to lay our weary heads back to rest. Valentines is here, pushing back February blues, and little boy hangs a sign to wake, and "remember it is Valentines!" Today, we will do our best to embrace, give, and receive love, but will it be a Lenten Love?

We have devotions and talk about how to take earthly distractions out of our lives to make space for heavenly gifts, but mostly we just want to sleep off sickness. We pray, "Let us begin Lent in a posture of listening, not listless indifference."

And all around me, like buds pushing their way up in early spring air, I see Lent blooming in lives as they go about daily living. Lenten people who shine Jesus, no matter the pain they are facing in our imperfect world. They serve healing in the form of food, both for the body and the spirit. Emergen-C for the inner and outer man. They seek to serve up wholeness. They feed all God's children, not just a select few. They feed their Lord. Because being sent out is as simple as serving a cup of water.

I used to think these Lenten people were glass is "half full" people, but now I know they are people who lean into their Lord. They are lenten listeners, leaning into a grace and abundance that has no limit. Leaning into Lent is living daily dependent on the Lord. Choosing to listen for my Lord in a land of loud voices. Choosing to create space for Him, when everything around me says, "create space for yourself."

And Sarah Bessey writes about Lent and a drop of water and I get it. Water. Living, giving water. We drink spring water and every drop of water we drink is pure grace. And we have drunk from the spring of bitter water and the spring of sweet water. There is a difference. He alone makes water sweet. He's knows the taste of bitter water and He still swallows it anyway. Am I willing to swallow what is bitter and trust His sacrifice to make it sweet?

In Oregon, we have liquid sunshine and we drink it up, drop by drop. In Lent, we have the opportunity to listen to our Lord, and drink Him up, drop by drop. Every drop we receive has the potential to brim up, over and out, and overflow into our thirsty land. Living water. Sweet water.

We will be praying about where to give a cup of water in the world this Lent, both locally and globally. Who do you need to give a cup of love to this Lent, or maybe just a cup of water?

And the little boy awakes and remembers it is Valentine's.