As I write this newsletter article, it is early February and I am looking out my church office window at the streets of Minneapolis. These streets have experienced quite a lot in the past few weeks, and it would feel disingenuous not to mention those events as I write to you, our Sing For Joy community. Minneapolis has become the epicenter of an increasingly contentious political landscape, and our streets have held the full gamut of human emotions: fear and pain, beauty and hope, anger and wonder. I am grateful to be grounded in a faith tradition that centers the person of Jesus Christ, whose way is a way of love. However we are experiencing the tumult of our day, we cling to that love, and to the love that God invites us to share with the world.
It feels apt that the season of Lent begins in the wilderness this year. As you heard on our February 22 program, the First Sunday in Lent includes the gospel narrative from Matthew 4 where Jesus is led into the wilderness for forty days of temptation. Those forty days mark the pattern of our own forty days in Lent, a time when the Church quiets down, buries our "alleluias," and turns inward to examine how God might be calling us to live out the gospel more faithfully. Wilderness seasons call on us to double down on the practices that sustain us. Just as Jesus drew on the power of Scripture in the face of the tempter's alluring call, we are invited during Lent to draw on the power of our own spiritual formation practices. By reading Scripture, we remember the wide and wonderful story of God's love for the world and our call to share that love generously. By praying and sitting in silence, we commune with the Spirit and listen for the still, small voice of God. By sharing of our time and resources, we partner with Jesus in the work of building beloved community.
I wonder how the wilderness of Lent will shape us this year. Whether you are here in Minneapolis or somewhere else across the country or world, the quiet season of Lent offers space to move through the wilderness with intentionality. Where will God meet you? Where will the winds of the Spirit blow? Where will the love of Jesus be made manifest?
As you journey, I hope you will let the music of Sing For Joy accompany you. I am, as always, grateful to our Music Director, Andrew Jacob, who chooses anthems and hymns that expand our experience of scripture and liturgical life. Join us as we make our way through the wilderness together!
Blessings to you this month, Sing For Joy listeners!
