2021 LENTEN MEDITATIONS

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Week III | Sunday, March 7 - Saturday, March 13

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Sunday, March 7

​​Almighty God, we entrust all
who are dear to us to your
never-failing care and love,
for this life and the life to come,
knowing that you are
doing for them better things
than we can desire or pray for;
through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer, p. 831

Monday, March 8
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.
—Genesis 50:20 (NIV)
Lent is a great time to remember. It is a time not only to
remember, as crosses are traced on our foreheads on Ash
Wednesday, that we are dust and to dust we will return, but also
to remember the “but God” instances in our lives.
One of my favorite Bible verses is Genesis 50:20, and the New
International Version says “You intended to harm me, but God
intended it for good.” What have been some of your “but God”
moments? Think about some of the moments when everything
seemed to be going against you but God showed up and, as I like
to say, showed off.
I remember applying for three jobs a couple of years ago and
feeling defeated when I wasn’t chosen for any of them, but God
had an even better position for me. I could write books filled with
“but God” moments, large and small, important and insignificant,
obvious and subtle. Those are the moments I look back on to
help me live through the difficult todays. “But God so loved the
world…” the popular verse reminds us.
Will you join me at this moment and breathe and remember
every single time God has shown up in big and especially in
small ways?
—Sandra T. Monte

Tuesday, March 9
“Do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died.
Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
We celebrate the memorial of our redemption…
—The Book of Common Prayer, p. 363
Our memories are what keep alive our faith, our culture and
our very existence. Sometimes we can remember something
so deeply that we make that thing present again. This is called
anamnesis. Every time we celebrate Eucharist, we make present
Christ’s death and resurrection. When I was a child, my grandma
pointed out the words in the Dakota hymnal as we sang. I stood
with her in the kitchen, and she taught me to cook. Today, when
I sing from the Dakota hymnal or make a recipe of hers, it’s like
she is here with me. I hear her singing with me or looking over my
shoulder as I cook, telling me to stir my pot.
So many injustices have happened recently that make real and
make present events of the past. The government’s oppression
of the Indigenous folks at Standing Rock makes present the 7th
Cavalry’s oppression of Indigenous people long ago. George
Floyd’s cry to his mother during his murder made present
Christ’s passion and calling to his mother. As we see and feel
these injustices, know that our ancestors are made present with
us too. Just as the suffering of the crucified Christ is present in
the eucharist, the suffering of our ancestors is made present in
these times of injustice. Our ancestors stand with us in our grief
and pain, calling us to action, calling us to change, calling us to
transform our world, making present and real God’s kin(g)dom.
—Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg

Wednesday, March 10
She knew if she spoke the truth then the facts would change.
—unknown
When I was a student activities director at the University of
Vermont, a graduate assistant I supervised gave me a sign
that said, “She knew if she spoke the truth then the facts would
change.” Now a treasured possession, the sign reminds me to
always remember the current truths that have created life-giving
and life-limiting realities. The first step in reconciliation work of
any kind is to tell the truth. The community gathers to remember
the harm done from their perspective. And through deep listening
and acknowledgment of harm, we can then build a more just and
equitable community.
As we seek reconciliation not only with each other but also with
God’s creation, we must engage in similar work. I have long
admired our Pastors and Disasters Toolkit from Episcopal Relief
& Development because it starts with this act of memory. A group
of people walk around the community and speak with elders,
remembering where disasters have happened in the past. By
remembering the truth and acting on it, the fact that monsoons
wipe out food supplies changes.
Remembering is a sticky process; it is not reliable. Today we
call those who remake truth and purposely misremember,
gaslighters. The Chicks’ album by this title remembers a divorce
and the lessons learned by this tragedy. I love the way the song
reflects our communal experience of loss through laughter,
tears, communal support and a bit of dance.
What hard truths and memories will heal you and your
community?
—Tamara Plummer

Thursday, March 11
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also
in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If
it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place
for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again
and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may
be also.
—John 14:1-3
When we experience loss, it’s only natural for our hearts to be
troubled. John’s record of the words of Jesus includes promises
that touch troubled hearts—encouraging words that help us live
out and reaffirm our faith and hope in eternal life.
When we are separated from our loved ones and our soul
is distressed, we can find peace again if we believe with all
confidence that there is room for all believers. “In my Father’s
house, there are many dwelling places.” The image used here
is that of a group of travelers: one walks ahead and makes the
necessary preparations for the others. And as Jesus prepares a
dwelling for each of us, he also prepares us for that dwelling.
We have the certainty that we will meet again. Even though Jesus
physically left his disciples, it was only a temporary separation.
Jesus is with us always.
Jesus tells his disciples that faith in God will heal their troubled
hearts. He tells us the same.
Today, let us move forward, not losing sight of our Savior’s cross.
—Patricia Martin

Friday, March 12
Help me, Lord, for there is no godly one left:
the faithful have vanished from among us.
Everyone speaks falsely with his neighbor;
with a smooth tongue they speak from a double heart.
Oh, that the Lord would cut off all smooth tongues,
and close the lips that utter proud boasts!
Those who say, “With our tongue will we prevail;
our lips are our own; who is lord over us?”
—Psalm 12:1-4
One aspect of lament is recognizing that everyone has sinned and
fallen short of the glory of God. Both victim and perpetrator are
equal at the foot of the cross. This is a hard truth to acknowledge
for those who have been victimized. The goal of repentance is not
to blame the victim but rather to accept that brokenness is part
of the human condition. The psalmist acknowledges that there
are no godly persons left. Perhaps that is why Jesus instructed
his disciples to ask for forgiveness and to forgive those who
injured them in the Lord’s Prayer.
If we desire forgiveness when we have fallen short, we are
called to forgive others. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting the
incident or waiving your right to restitution. Neither does it entail
allowing yourself to be repeatedly abused. What forgiveness
facilitates is a release from the anger and pain so that we can
move on with our lives. As part of your healing process, write
one thing where forgiveness is called for on a piece of paper.
This can be a situation where someone could benefit from your
forgiveness or where you need God’s forgiveness. Then tear the
sheet of paper into tiny pieces or burn it as you pray for the ability
to be forgiven and to forgive.
—Phoebe Roaf

Saturday, March 13
No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who
confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
—Proverbs 28:13
See me, love me, recognize my humanity! That is the cry of
many people today. It seems we’ve been crying out for centuries,
hoping that the image of God reflected in us be acknowledged
and not dismissed.
Concealing and ignoring our transgressions and those of others
is what’s hurting our society the most. We can’t keep pretending
that all is well when we have front row seats to a never-ending
show of horrific human darkness. It’s time to turn to God, to the
source of love and mercy, and courageously acknowledge our
role in this show.
The work of repentance is a work of courage and transformation
that comes from the heart. Repentance means facing our
darkness, fighting oppression and injustice in real-time, and
boldly rejecting everything that is not of God. I dream of a day
when we all decide to turn in the direction of the Gospel of love,
a Gospel that is life-giving and where all are truly seen, loved
without measure and where the beauty of the image of God is
recognized and celebrated in all human beings.
—Sandy Milien