Palm Sunday

Jesus said, “Go into the village opposite you,
and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered
on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here. Luke 19

… The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.

                       extract from  The Donkey G.K. Chesterton

 

THIS LENT              Fast from words that pollute …

feast on words that purify

 

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Thus says the LORD,
who opens a way in the sea
and a path in the mighty waters.
Isaiah 43

Commodore Matthew Maury, a famous oceanographer
and navigator … was very sick following a leg injury.
He asked his daughter to read to him from the bible and
she chose psalm 8 ‘whatsoever walketh though the paths
of the sea.’ Matthew repeated ‘the paths of the sea, the
paths of the sea, if God says the paths of the sea, they are
there … and if I ever get out of this bed I will find them.’

He began his deep sea soundings as soon as he was
strong enough, and found that two ridges extended from
the New York coast to [European] shores, so he made charts
to sail over one path here and return over the other.

Adapted from an account by Katherine C. Stiles

THIS LENT Fast from pessimism …

                        feast on optimism

 

Fourth Sunday of Lent

On the day after the Passover, they
[the Israelites camped at Gilgal]
ate of the produce of the land.
Joshua 5

Here lies our land …
We are mere transients …
Small folk playing our part.
‘Come all ye’, the country says,
You win me, who take me most to heart.

Here Lies Our Land, Kathleen Jamie

THIS LENT      Fast from hostility …

                              feast on letting go

 

Third Sunday of Lent

Moses …came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Exodus 3

There is a spirit of energy and vigor in mountains,
and they impart it to all who approach their presence.

The Oregon Trail Francis Parkman

 

THIS LENT        Fast from problems that overwhelm …

                                feast on prayerful trust

Second Sunday of Lent

“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so shall your descendants be.” Genesis 15

We have calcium in our bones,
iron in our veins,
carbon in our souls,
and nitrogen in our brains.
93 percent stardust,
with souls made of flames,
we are all just stars
that have people names.

93 PERCENT STARDUST  Nikita Gill

 

THIS LENT        Fast from judging others …

feast on the Christ dwelling in them

 

First Sunday of Lent

I have now brought you the first fruits
of the products of the soil
which you, O LORD, have given me.  Deuteronomy 26

 

It’s estimated that in a single gram of soil, there could be
as many as 50,000 species of microscopic organisms,
or microorganisms …. But much of what lies beneath,
in this hidden and deep universe, is still alien to us.

Bridget Emmet, soil scientist

 

THIS LENT        Fast from complaining …

feast on appreciation

 

Ash Wednesday

Lent begins by being marked with dust or ashes, reminding us that we are made from earth, hence linked with each other and all living things across eons. This graced ritual is an imperative – that we bear witness to the God who does wonders within the stuff of which we are made.

Thank you for these tiny
particles of ocean salt,
pearl-necklace viruses,
winged protozoans:
for the infinite,
intricate shapes
of submicroscopic
living things.

extract from Dusting  by Marilyn Nelson