FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT

READING:
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Luke 41-13
 

Thin places of encounter

I wonder if you have made any plans for how you might keep the season of Lent this year? There are countless ways to embrace these forty days – a time to become more attuned to God and to prepare our hearts to celebrate Easter Day with joyful expectation.

In the early Church, Lent developed as a period of spiritual preparation – a time of fasting, soul-searching, and study. It was particularly significant for those preparing for baptism , the catechumens, whose journey of faith would culminate in baptism on Easter Day. Lent was also a season of reconciliation, where those who had become estranged from the Church could be welcomed back into the community.

At its heart, Lent is an intentional time – a time to seek peace and harmony with God, with one another, and within ourselves. It calls us to become more aware of God’s presence in our daily lives  a far cry, perhaps, from simply giving up chocolate however hard a discipline that might feel!

A Season of Gratitude and Remembering

The Old Testament reading chosen to begin this holy season comes from the book of Deuteronomy-  a passage that invites us into the practice of thanksgiving and remembrance.

The Israelites, having finally entered the Promised Land after years of wandering, are instructed to offer the first fruits of their harvest to God. This was more than a simple offering – it was an act of gratitude and trust. By offering the first and best of their crops, they were acknowledging that all they had came from God’s generous provision. The passage also encourages the people to share their blessings with others, especially with those in need – the stranger, the orphan, and the widow.

It is a beautifully gentle yet profoundly challenging passage if we allow ourselves to dwell with it. Perhaps you might find time this week to sit quietly with this reading –  to read it slowly and prayerfully.

Recalling, Noticing, and Thanking

As you reflect, you might like to ask yourself:

• What would my response be if I imagined this passage was speaking directly to me?
• The Israelites were called to remember where they had come from -their struggles, their journey through the wilderness, and God’s faithfulness at every step. What might it look like for us to engage in that same practice of remembrance?
• One way to do this could be to create a timeline of your own life either on paper or simply in your mind. Take time to recall the significant moments – both the joys and the struggles.
• Are there times when, like the Israelites, you have found yourself in places of difficulty or uncertainty?
• Are there threshold moments or times when you have stepped into something new? A new job, a move to a new home, the arrival of a child or grandchild?
• What about the high points -the moments of deep joy and fulfilment?

Once your timeline is complete, look back over it slowly and prayerfully.
Where was God at work in these moments?

Perhaps you were aware of God’s presence at the time , or perhaps, as you look back, you can only now recognise how God was quietly accompanying you through those times.

A Journeying People

In the passage from Deuteronomy, there is one particularly striking phrase:
“ wandering Aramean was my ancestor”

This phrase reminds the Israelites of their humble beginnings. It speaks of Jacob, whose journey took him far from home, through times of hardship and uncertainty. It is a reminder that God’s people have always been a journeying people dependent not on their own strength, but on God’s grace.

I wonder if that resonates with your own life?

Many people of faith describe their spiritual life as a journey -a pilgrimage in which they are constantly discovering more about the mystery of God. There may be times when God feels distant, and times when God’s presence feels close and immediate : what the Celtic Christian tradition calls “thin  places”

Thin places

Thin places are those sacred moments or locations where the veil between heaven and earth feels especially thin — places where God’s presence feels palpable. They can be found in ancient holy sites like Iona or Lindisfarne, but they can also be found in nature or in moments of deep stillness.

Perhaps for Jesus, the wilderness was such a thin place – not necessarily comfortable, but a space where he was deeply aware of God’s presence as he wrestled with the choices before him.

Creating Thin Spaces in Lent

As we begin this Lenten journey, perhaps we too are being invited into a thin space  if only we can find the courage to step aside from our busyness and create space for God.

A thin place might be found:

•  In a quiet corner of your home
• On a familiar walk where you feel at peace
•  In this very church, where the prayers of countless others seem to linger in the silence
• A thin place can be found anywhere that we find to just stop, listen and reflect

Wherever your thin place may be, the invitation of Lent is to dwell there – 
to listen, to remember, and to become aware of the God who journeys with us.