As the sunshine of February transitions to March, we find ourselves in the middle of another Lenten journey. This year, our congregational theme—“A Season for Every Matter”—takes on a profound weight. If we look at the world around us, it feels as though we are living through a season of “breaking down” and “weeping.”
In our current national landscape, the turmoil within U.S. leadership can feel like a relentless wilderness. We witness rhetoric that divides, policies that marginalize, and a climate of uncertainty that tests our collective spirit. It is easy to feel parched, much like the desert sands where Jesus spent his forty days. Yet, Lent reminds us that the wilderness is not just a place of testing; it is a place of clarity.
Our mission—Sharing God’s Unconditional Love, Justice, and Extravagant Welcome—is not a passive sentiment for fair weather. It is a radical commitment for exactly this kind of season.
- Love becomes an act of resistance when the world feels cold.
- Justice becomes our North Star when leadership falters.
- Extravagant Welcome becomes a sanctuary for those exhausted by the “us vs. them” narrative of modern politics.
Ecclesiastes tells us there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” For a progressive community of faith, this Lent is a time to find our voices. We do not retreat into the shadows of personal piety alone; we use this season of reflection to ask how our faith can serve as a balm for a bruised nation.
How can we turn our Lenten disciplines into tools for advocacy? Perhaps this year, “giving something up” looks like releasing our cynicism to make room for hope. Perhaps “taking something on” means a renewed commitment to local justice initiatives that protect the most vulnerable among us.
The Season of Lent reminds us of our theme of “A Season for Every Matter,” for it calls us to transform our reflection into action, venturing into the wilderness of our world’s brokenness to be the hands of healing, justice, and God’s extravagant welcome in every hurting place.
Shalom, Paul