Second Sunday in Lent (1)
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
John 4:27-38
Lent, the season of personal
examination and reflection on our relationship with God, challenges us to
deeply know ourselves, to atone and move on from past sins. To consider our successes, sins, challenges, ministry,
and victories is demanding, but invites us to know ourselves with deep
honesty. Then comes the true challenge
of Lent, to atone and change our ways to better reflect Christ’s life in
us.
Every year, I approach Lent with a certain trepidation and reluctance as this annual journey of deep truth is enlightening and sometimes painful. I want to resist this journey, but I know that it is an essential part of spiritual development and personal growth. As I labour through Lent, I often long for it to be over and the rejoicing of Easter to be upon me. It takes me a bit of time to come to terms with the fact that I must walk the journey of Lent to fully celebrate a joyful Eastertide.
In my own life of quilting the initial parts of the journey demand I have a plan before I start. I carefully select fabrics, gather my tools, and create or find a pattern. Each fabric is chosen for colour, design and light or darkness. Then the cutting out of all those pieces begins—precision is essential as it is easy to cut something the wrong size. I am ready to sew the blocks together which demands precise sewing. Once the blocks are completed, I trim them to the correct size. The blocks go up on the design wall to determine the most appealing placement. Blocks are sewn together to create rows, ensuring that everything lines up. Finally, the rows are sewn together and the quilt top is completed, which seems like a time for rejoicing; except that I now need to create a backing, quilt it, and add the finishing binding. Each stage of creating a quilt demands careful preparation, examination, and precision of execution.
Looking at my life during Lent is a similar process. I think about areas of my life that need attention and how it would be best to explore them. I gather tools like scripture, writing tools, conversations with wise people, and the daily reflections parishioners have written to plan my journey. Time is spent in prayer and thinking as I look at aspects of my spiritual and personal life. I consider where I need God’s support and I pray for that. I think about my ministries in the church, with my family and with those I encounter in daily life. What is God calling me to do or say? This is like the careful cutting and sewing of all those pieces for my quilt blocks. Generally, I find that once I know what I need to do for spiritual health, I consider how this would be best accomplished; this is like looking at all the blocks on my design board and considering how they need to be sewn together for best effect. The actions I take and making changes in my life is like sewing the rows together for a completed quilt top. This would seem like a time for celebration, but the work is not done. Reflection and further study of my actions is like the quilting and binding of my life.
I pray that your Lenten journey brings you closer to God and leads to peace in your life. The picture is of Brittany’s and my latest quilts both at suitable stages to for the midst of Lent. Britt has her work on the design wall and is sewing her rows together. My top is finished but the final steps of quilting and binding are yet to come. We can imagine the finished products, but there are still steps to go prior to completion, just like our spiritual journeys where we have hope for the future because Jesus walks with us daily. Having a partner to share your quilting or Lenten journey lightens the load and enriches the process.