Lent invites us on a 40-day trek into the spiritual wilderness alongside Jesus. Unlike a manicured park with paved paths and handrails, this terrain is rugged, raw and often unpredictable. It is a journey we choose to take, even when the urge to “phone a friend” for a ride back to our comfort zone becomes overwhelming. Yet, to retreat is to miss the destination: a profound, life-altering intimacy with God and the fulfillment of our deepest, lifelong yearnings.
This season, our community will navigate this landscape through the theme “Remember, Reflect, and Renew.” We will be guided by the enduring wisdom of Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman. A towering figure of the 20th century, Thurman was a scholar, a pivotal civil rights leader, and a Christian mystic whose poetic insights bridge the gap between the internal soul and external justice. Through his writings, we will challenge ourselves to reach new depths, finding the renewal and blessings that only a journey through the wilderness can provide.
I invite you to venture alongside me as we follow Jesus into the depths of the wilderness. Together, we can navigate this rugged terrain, supporting one another as we seek the transformation that waits beyond our comfort zones.
Blessings, Rev. Gloria