Lent is an invitation. Each year it opens for us on Ash Wednesday like the mouth of a cave.
It is the cave of Elijah, running from a death threat, heart beating and listening for the voice of God. It is the cave of our desert mothers and fathers, retreating from the excesses of the imperial cities and sitting in the quiet; weaving a basket and finding in the practice the touch of the Divine. It is the cave of our origins and the threshold of the via negativa, an ancient walk through shadows and into the heart of God. It is the cave of our new worship venue, as we say goodbye to sunlight and wind in the trees and instead draw our attention to the flicker of flame and the vibration of voice.
Cave practices can be different for each one this Lenten season. Those enveloped by the strains of life may choose to gift themselves with one meal a day with no distractions or to prioritize some much needed self care: massage, nutritional consultation, or retreat. Others may find the cool simplicity of the cave inviting them to a reevaluation of the material that surrounds them and a desire to strip away nonessentials. This could be as simple as reorganizing a book shelf and gifting superfluous tomes or forgoing a purchase and giving the money to Iris to help buy a water buffalo (info on our Heifer International summer mission project below).
How is God moving in your soul this season? The invitation this Lent is to find shelter in an ancient place and to listen; trusting that the mystics who have traveled before will guide us and the Mystery will meet us.
Join us tonight for an Ash Wednesday service with experiential meditation stations (6:30pm Kessler Theater Gallery) and Sunday for the beginning of our Lenten season.
God’s peace before, behind and beneath you this day,
Courtney
Heifer International Mission Project
Church in the Cliff is a community that listens to our young people and the vision of the world they want to co-create with God. Last year Chloe spoke of her love for working with children and the arts, and she led us in an all-ages mission trip to the lower 9th ward to work with an innovative summer arts program at All Soul’s Episcopal Parish. This year Iris is coming of age. And she brings to our community a love of animals and a strong commitment to the environment. So we are taking a pilgrimage to Heifer Ranch (July 8-11) and dreaming big. We want to buy an Ark. Price tag $5,000. It includes not one but two camels! and supports sustainable development in some of the poorest corners of the globe. Want to get involved? Join us for an info session this Sunday, 5pm, at casa Amory-Pinkerton. 2515 Gladiolus Lane. 75233. Pizza (both gluten free and gluten filled) will be served.
Con/Textualizing Lent:
Readings and Discussions at 10 AM in Gallery. Facilitated by Stephanie Wyatt & Adam DJ Brett
Starting this Week!
March 13 – Rethinking how we read the Bible with Dale Martin
March 20-Conceiving the trinity in light of ideas about God from other faiths – John Thatamanil
March 27-Role and importance of sexuality in theology with the provocative Marcella Althaus-Reid
April 3-Understanding why we post-moderns are as we are with help from Jaime Clark-Soles
April 10-Why the Old Testament and Jesus’ Jewish identity really matter according to Amy-Jill Levine
April 17-Prayers and meditations from our own Jann Aldredge-Clanton as we go into Holy Week
We will have copies of the articles for the upcoming week with us each week, or save us printing costs and receive the whole packet by emailing Adam (abrett76@gmail.com).