The Spirit Searches
AM Psalm 45 • PM Psalm 47, 48
Gen. 37:12-24 • 1 Cor. 1:20-31 • Mark 1:14-28
The Lenten season invites us to follow Jesus into the wilderness. It is a time for self-examination, reflection, and repentance. Paul declares in our reading in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 “However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” This seems like a good theme for my Lenten journey this year.
Lent is the time for my spirit to search, and to ask questions. Often I concern myself with what: what discipline will I adopt; what needs to be winnowed, never to return; what will I abstain from? This year, I am approaching this journey also asking how. How will what I do make a difference, make me a better Christian, deepen my faith? How can I really follow Jesus? How can I learn to get out of the way and listen to God? What is God revealing through the trials of the pandemic?
It seems for some of us, the pandemic has deepened and enriched our faith and our prayer practices, and for some of us our faith has been stretched thin and prayers have become empty and elusive. Often many of us have run the gamut between these. There was for quite a while no regular avenues where we normally found solace. There was no in-person church service, and many of our regular ministries which enriched our lives were halted. And so, during the lockdown, neighbors were meeting to visit in yards and streets at a safe distance, bartering bleach for toilet paper. We were howling at 8pm, trying to find and feel a spirit of camaraderie and connection in our suffering, and our uncertainty. Many of us have become more acutely aware of those in need, and those who are victims of systemic injustice. I have felt very blessed to live in a community like ours.
Now that we have vaccines, maybe we are nearing an end to the worst of this pandemic. However, I am disturbed by what is happening in many parts of our country. Though we have become more aware of the depth of societal injustices and have made some progress towards creating a more compassionate and equal world, much of our society is more polarized and divisive than ever; hate crimes are on the rise; restaurants are actually needing security because customers are acting out in unruly and violent ways; flight attendants and fellow passengers on airlines are dealing with people in-flight who go berserk; vehicular accidents are at an all time high due to road rage and aggressive driving. What has unleashed this? I have to wonder if the pandemic is at least partly responsible. I have felt that God has been revealing a message…about our attitudes, our relationships, and our priorities. As I begin my journey through Lent this year, my spirit is searching for how God is present in all of this and how I can do my part to help create a more loving and equitable world.
Written by Deborah Griffin
...who greatly appreciates her canine best friend Iris, who has been an amiable companion during this long, and sometimes lonely pandemic.