The path to easter
A responsive Lenten meditation
We kindle our flame of fellowship.
May it be to us a symbol of springtime’s
returning warmth and the Divine Light
that shines in every loving heart.
The Lenten Fast is with us.
We remember the wilderness days of Jesus:
his lonely struggle with the inner tempter,
with wild beasts for company
and angels attending to his needs.
We struggle too, in a cluttered wilderness of busy-ness, possessed by our possessions.
We leave no room for wild beasts or angels.
We cannot see the starlit glory of the desert sky.
Holy One, help us to be still.
And may our minds and hearts respond.
Everywhere Spring is waiting to explode.
Snowdrops give way to daffodils,
leaf-buds strain to open.
The season of birdsong is finding its voice.
And may our minds and hearts respond.
The wilderness is not a place to stay,
we are not born for solitude.
Jesus wrestled there alone
and won his holy struggle with himself.
Then he left it, knowing his purpose.
May we too leave the wilderness with new resolve.
The interactions of fertile ground
with light and warmth and rain
produce the miracles of germination and of growth.
Our ancestors danced and sang
to celebrate the time. We too rejoice
that, out of winter’s dearth,
the life and plenty of the Earth are born again.
For we are her children and her dust.
Lent leads us to another resurrection,
but first the path of pain and anguish,
the path of betrayal and desertion.
The self’s surrender is witness
to the truth of love.
On the cross, Jesus knew nothing of Easter Day.
We remember those who share his cross today, martyred for love and for humanity.
When the third day dawns and we rejoice
at the spirit’s triumph, may we not forget
their myriad Calvaries.
In the name of all who have walked the Way of love and sorrow, Amen.
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