Dear Caldwell,
I heard an interesting thing about how some Christians start the season of Lent – by forgiving.
Here at Caldwell, we began our 40-day journey on Sunday by considering an idea from Rev. Dr. Teri Ott, whose devotional we are following (click here to see it). She proposes that, in light of all that is different, unfamiliar and unpaved this Lent, we might need to make our own path to the cross this year rather than following in the ruts of past years. We will be listening to that advice deeply for the weeks to come.
Sunday was also the beginning of Lent for Orthodox Christians, that oldest wing of our faith that practices some of the most traditioinal ways of being Christian. Othodox Christianity is practiced in Eastern Europe, including Russia and Ukraine, where heart-rending acts of war play out by the hour. In the Orthodox tradition, the first Sunday of Lent is always called “Forgiveness Sunday.”
What a witness and what a word. Not only in light of the horrendous war of choice that the Russian President seems to be personally carrying out, but because it asks the people of Ukraine to consider forgiveness in their own faith lives, even as they are under fire and leaving their homes with nothing to flee the violence.
That puts a new light on how we all might think about forgivness as a first step in our Lenten journey. To quote the management guru Steven Covey and his principles of leadership, forgiving first begins with the end in mind. It invites us to conside the words of Christ on the cross, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23)
With the depth of grace Christ showed in that appeal to God, can we begin our Lenten journey with forgiveness? Can we chart a new path to the cross ourselves by considering whom we should forgive? For it is in forgiving that WE are liberated. In forgiving, we are freed of the burden we carry when we allow others to continue to hurt us or hold us captive in some way.
As Teri Ott writes, it is indeed a strange, new Lent in many ways – one of hope and possibility but also of profound pain as we watch what’s happening in Ukraine but also here in our community, where too many suffer amidst one of the country’s most-prosperous cities. How can we chart a path to the cross that allows us to shed the weight we carry when we refuse to forgive one who has wronged us? Can we walk more upright once we’ve shed that burden?
I don’t know about you but it seems too much to ask the people of Ukraine to forgive those who make war on them. And, in this case, we witness the acts of a madman who will be held accountable in the end. We may just have to leave all that up to God.
But, in our own lives, we are left with Christ’s words and Christ’s way, as modeled on the cross. Where, closer to home, far from the front, can I find the strength to forgive as Christ commands? That’s more than plenty for me to think about this Lent.
If you would like to learn more about how the Orthodox faith intersects with the Ukraine tragedy, there is a wonderful interview here with a former doctoral professor of mine at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
Etc. ….
- Would you be open to being an usher for worship? We need several folks to step up and participate in a rotating schedule that calls on each volunteer about once a month. It’s a great way to serve if you are a newcomer or don’t have time for a lot committee meetings. There is nothing quite like giving the gift of hospitality to those who join us for worship. Contact Worship Chair Quentin McGill or me or Gail if interested.
- Nominations for a 9-month seat on session close tomorrow at 5 p.m. Email Nominating Committee Member Nancy Pugh or me with any nominations. Be sure to ask the person being nominated if they are willing to serve. A Congregational Meeting to elect one person to fill this empty seat will be held at the close of worship this Sunday.
- Don’t forget that we are have an all-hands-on-deck worday, Saturday, March 19 at 9 a.m. to handle a number of jobs on campus. Please email Bob Atkinson or email or text me know if you can be there.
- Finally, watch for a letter from your Safe Return Team tomorrow about updating our COVID protocols as COVID cases continue to decline.
May the Lord bless you on whatever Lenten journey is yours to travel.
In Christ
John