Lenten Words

This week, we have been letting these words slow cook in our souls.  When of the reasons why the list of words are important is because the ways they can inform...influence...mix and mingle together are like the ingredients in a recipe  So what ways are the words coming together for you this week?  Any connections between this list and ones from the past few weeks?

27.  Uncertainty/Doubt
28.  Justice
29.  Kindness
30.  Humility
31.  Want
32.  Need
33.  Palm or Parade

As I work my way through these words...I arrive at "want" and "need"...I instantly think of my parents asking, "Do I really need that item or just want it?"  We know that our needs are relatively few ~ food and water...shelter...some kind of relationship.  Yet, even that last one might be debatable.  And on top of it...how much of each of those things we need is as different and diverse as the people reading this blog.  Some people need more food and water.  Others need a certain kind of shelter to truly feel safe and secure.  Some folks need lots of friends and an active social life...others get by with less.  Even if we agree on a list of common needs...how much we might want still lingers in the back ground.  Secondly, we can so shun our wants...but they actually shine a light on our deepest desires.  If I want something, it might be something that could help me.  Quick example, I recently took up photography.  This is a total shameless opportunity for me to post a picture I took last weekend:

This freeze-frame moment of time where the bird perched on a tree limb stood still for just a second for me to capture this beautiful moment.  I love the way the clouds and blue sky mix and mingle together.  To be sure...photography is a want...a hobby...something I have the privilege to do because I have time/money.  Yet, photography is a need for artistic expression that helps me connect with God whose creativity is all around us.  The line is not always clear.  I cannot always answer clearly that question, "Is it a need or a want?"  And yet, perhaps it isn't always about categorizing and compartmentalizing our lives.  We cannot neatly put things into boxes.  Sometimes, like walking outside, seeing the handiwork of God in a bird, can fill a need I didn't even realize I had.

Which leads me to our final set of seven words:

34.  Expectations
35.  Hunger
36.  Thirst
37.  Communion
38.  Death
39.  Silence
40.  Resurrection/New Life

These seven correspond to our most holiest week of the Christian year.  From the expectations that hover and hang in the air after the Palm Sunday Parade.  To the hunger and thirst found at the communion table.  To the death of Christ on the cross...a Saturday of silence...and a Sunday where we proclaim God's new life/resurrecting power.  This is the week we find ourselves on the brink of....and I pray the words so far have helped paved the way...provided you with a meaningful and life giving Lent with more than a few traces of God's grace.

Blessings ~~