This Lent, we invite you to take some time to lament that which you and others have lost. In her essay, “Four Steps of Lament,” Heidi Weaver invites us to:
• Rest, to take sabbath time to simply be present to our current situation;
• Reflect on that which has been lost;
• Repent for the sufferings and loss we have caused or overlooked; and
• Make Restitution and be Restored to God and to one another.

This year for our Lenten Meditations we have invited ten writers to share reflections on each of these four steps of lament. These writers are all leaders in The Episcopal Church and represent a diversity of perspectives, ministries and backgrounds. As a result, we are blessed to have a unique and rich tapestry of viewpoints on the universal experience of lament, loss and new life. Many of the authors share deeply personal and painful experiences related to a variety of issues including disease, violence, racial injustice and poverty.

Readers, come to these meditations with an open heart. What you read may challenge you and give rise to unexpected or uncomfortable feelings. We encourage you to engage the “Four Steps of Lament,” by resting, reflecting, repenting and ultimately being restored to God and to one another. Finally our wish for you is that God brings you rest this Lent so that you may reflect on your own loss and be transformed in the process. May God then restore your soul and bring you into the bright new life that is our Easter promise. And may you continue to know that you are loved now and always.
Amen.
Robert W. Radtke
President & CEO
Episcopal Relief & Development

REPENT

“For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”
—2 Chronicles 30:9b

During the reign of Hezekiah, the Feast of the Passover was only one of three feasts that required a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem each year. “Come to his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God,” Hezekiah invited (verse 8). As in that day, God’s grace and forgiveness are available today to all who return to God.

According to the Law of Moses, God will be compassionate and merciful to those who truly repent (Leviticus 26:40-42). The same invitation is in force today. No matter what our situation may be, we can turn our face to God. Our mistakes are not that different from those of people in biblical times, and we can see how God showed compassion and mercy toward them.

This is the season to turn to God and invite God’s peace and the fruits of the Spirit into our lives. God will never turn away from us if we return to God. These promises are based on an eternal principle regarding God’s nature: God promises to draw near to those who draw near to him.
—Patricia Martin

Source: https://www.episcopalrelief.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Lent-2021-English-BlackWhite.pdf; © 2021 Episcopal Relief & Development. All rights reserved. Printed in partnership with Forward Movement.