As the Book of Common Prayer reminds us, "the first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection." They prepared for these days during a season called Lent, in which they prayed, fasted, engaged in spiritual reading, repented or turned from whatever was separating them from God and others, and asked God and their neighbor for forgiveness. The aim was to be right with God and neighbor before Holy Week and Easter. Only then could followers of the Way of Jesus truly experience the abundant life Jesus' resurrection brings.

This year our Lenten theme is "Lament Before Resurrection." I chose this theme because this past year God made me keenly aware of the grief members of our faith community were carrying. The people of St. Matthew's are carrying their own grief, as well as grief for suffering family members, friends and neighbors. People at St. Matthew's also grieve for people around the U.S. and the world -- the young children shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School, homeless children and young adults, the Haitians still living in tent camps, the displaced Syrian refugees, all the people around the world whose lives have been turned upside down by natural disasters, violence, and poverty. The people of St. Matthew's are compassionate, and they care deeply about their local and global neighbors.

While life is a gift from God and full of joyful moments, it also includes struggle, disappointment, and loss. As we grow up and as we grow older, we face a series of losses: people we love, our health, friendships, and some of our dreams. We also grieve for those who suffer in our neighborhoods, communities, and around the world. If we can't be honest about and face our losses and our grief, we can never fully understand the power of Jesus' resurrection -- and the hope it offers us for new life and possibility. Our Lenten series will explore a rich resource in our tradition, the Lament Psalms, which show us a way to be authentic before and honest with God. God can handle our sadness, our anger, and our grief.  We can pray the psalms for ourselves, and on behalf of others. Only by acknowledging our losses and the world's losses to God and others can we begin to heal, and to experience transformation through deeper reconciliation with God and others.

Please join us this Lent for multiple opportunities to learn more about the Lament Psalms and how God can use them to help us acknowledge and work through our grief for ourselves and the world.  How can these psalms help us pray in ways that honor our true feelings, experiences, and struggles?

In addition to the services and opportunities for co-learning listed below, everyone interested is encouraged to read Glenn Pemberton's book Hurting With God: Learning to Lament With the Psalms (ACU Press: 2012). Copies of the book will be available at Micawber's Books, 2238 Carter Ave., at a 20% discount; be sure to mention the St. Matthew's Lenten reading group to receive the discount. The books should be available by Wednesday, but you can call ahead to be sure: 651-646-5506. The book will be referenced throughout Lent, and will be the subject of several blog posts to which you are invited to respond. 

Wishing you a Holy Lent,