In every life there comes a point when too much is truly too much. I’m thinking of my art studio, which is also a collecting point for future projects. But now the clutter of stacked options and failed intentions has led to almost no new art in months.
Just in time, Lent arrived—Lent, that spare season of paring down to meet the ashes and bones below the visible world. What better time to discipline an unruly space? New Year’s Day held possibilities, but still I did nothing. What I’ve needed is a full 40 days to make it right.
Genesis speaks of burials and laying to rest former lives so one can move on. The Psalms tell of clouds surrounding the Creator. These are serious matters. Therefore we must soberly prepare a place for God, where work and worship are one, and where play and praise support each other.
Saint Paul advised the church in Corinth to respect the sacredness of the Lord’s Supper. Is not the place where we meet God in order to create something new as holy as any temple?
And so, I sort through forgotten ideas and half-started beginnings. I cleanse the past for burial. Then bury it.
Finally, after 40 days, I can begin anew. Then, as Jesus did, I can step into a boat and set forth on a fresh new journey. Amen.
The readings for Tuesday in Lent IV are Psalm 97, 99, 100,Genesis 49.29-50.14,1 Cor 11.17-34, Mark 8.1-10; and can be found at satucket.com/lectionary/2lent4.
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