You Are Beloved
And did you
get what
you wanted
from this life, even so?
I did.
And what
did you want?
To call
myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on
the earth.
—"Late Fragment" by Raymond
Carver
The
Christian season of Lent begins this year on March 1, and will continue until
Easter Sunday, on April 16. Many people
regard Lent as a time of wilderness and denial—a time of fasting and
withholding and uncertainty—possibly even a time of fear and suspicion and
anger and violence. And certainly, all
of these experiences and emotions find their way into the Lenten season. But the true message of Lent—and the message
we will explicitly emphasize this year—is the message of Belovedness.
There
is more than enough hurt and hostility in our world. And even so, each of us—each one a child of
God—is Beloved. We might find ourselves
bewildered and confused by the lies and distrust being sown into the fabric of
our society these days. And even so,
each of us—each one a child of God—is Beloved.
During the Sundays of Lent, we will hear biblical stories of people who
struggled to understand and come to terms with the blessings God offers each
one of us and our world. And even so,
each of us—and each of them—each one a child of God—is Beloved.
This
Lent will be an invitation for each of us to practice our awareness that we are
deeply Beloved—regardless of our individual struggles, doubts, fears, and
faults. Whether this awareness comes
easily or whether it feels difficult to comprehend, the truth at the core of
our faith forever reminds us that God loves us completely. And no matter what struggles and obstacles we
face, that love empowers us and sends us out.
I
look forward to beginning this new season with you—and reminding you again and
again that you are Beloved!
See you in church,
Christy