It is my Lent to break my Lent,
To eat when I would fast,
To know when slender strength is spent,
Take shelter from the blast
When I would run with wind and rain,
To sleep when I would watch.
It is my Lent to smile at pain
But not ignore its touch.
It is my Lent to listen well
When I would be alone,
To talk when I would rather dwell
In silence, turn from none
Who call on me, to try to see
That what is truly meant
Is not my choice. If Christ’s I’d be
It’s thus I’ll keep my Lent.
– Madeleine L’Engle
God our light,
make your Church like a rainbow
shining and proclaiming to all the world
that the storm is at an end,
there is peace for those who seek it
and love for the forgiving.
– A New Zealand Prayer Book
Lord, lead us out from behind the bolted doors
That keep us isolated from others.
Give us the wisdom to see
That locking others out is also locking ourselves in.
Give us the clarity of vision
To look around at our small circle and declare
That the boundaries are drawn too tightly
That too many faces are missing from around this table
Ring the great bell in our dusty house
And call us all out into a joyful cacophony
Of holy laughter and song
Basins clanging, water splashing,
As we throw open the gates
And kneel down with warmth and welcome
To wash the feet of all
– Cameron Bellm
