Sad?

When walking, you see things that you miss in a motor car or on the train. You give your mind space to ponder. –Tom Hodgkinson


I learned this year of a Lenten custom known as “burying the Alleluia.” On the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, many congregations, especially those with children, find creative ways to literally bury the Alleluia in the ground, and for the forty days of Lent, no songs with an Alleluia refrain are sung during worship. This serves as a reminder that Jesus was buried in a tomb and left for dead.

Just as Jesus is resurrected on Resurrection Sunday, so then, too, is the Alleluia lifted from its resting place. Typically, we rejoice in worship by singing Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia! Our fasting is finished; our hearts are light.

The implication is that during Lent, we should be sad. Our minds should be filled with thoughts of despair. All in all, it can be a pretty dark time.

But maybe we aren’t called to be sad, but reflective. Maybe the purpose behind burying the Alleluia is to remind us that the destination is less important than the journey of getting there.

These forty days of Lent are a time to slow down, to lean upon the plow and wonder anew with an amazing, hope-filled heart as we reflect on the cross and Christ’s path to get there. Our own path may be filled with potholes; this year may be smooth sailing. However we begin Lent, don’t rush things. Pause. Take your time.

Listen for God’s whispered, promised Alleluia. It will come.

Monday Lent is an opportunity to leave something behind, to discard one of our addictions. What small change can you make that will reap big rewards? Joel 2:15-17

Tuesday If you’ve given something up, does it hurt a bit? True penitence does not come easily. Pray for strength. Psalm 57:1-4

Wednesday It is said that indifference to evil gives evil the victory. Today, ponder how you can speak up and change your world. Matthew 6:5-6

Thursday Do you struggle to know how to pray? (I know I do. . . .) A tremendous prayer during lent is this simple one: God, make my heart more like your heart. Pay attention. 2 Corinthians 6:3-10

Friday Just for today, consider fasting from something you take for granted. It might be a food or an activity. Fill the empty space with meditation (pondering). Isaiah 58:1-12

Saturday Spend some time today outdoors. Listen with your heart for the sounds of nature, even during this wintry season. Watch for signs of renewal. Mark 4:28

Sunday Allow yourself to submit to God’s spirit during worship today. What is God leading you to do when you walk out the doors of your house of worship and back into the world? Psalm 22:22-31


O Lord and Master of my life, remove from me this languid spirit, this grim demeanor, this petty lust for power, and all this empty talk. Endow Thy servant, instead, with a chaste spirit, a humble heart, longsuffering gentleness, and genuine, unselfish love. –Ephraim of Syria (fourth century)

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