Rev. Michelle's Message March 13, 2025

We are now into our second week of Lent! How is it going? Have you

landed on a particular practice or spiritual discipline you want to

engage in during this time? Or maybe you have chosen to give

something up for this period? If so, I hope it’s going well, but please

remember that if you derail, forget to do it, or otherwise “mess up,”

that is a perfect opportunity for you to practice radical acceptance and

forgiveness for yourself! Just say to yourself, Ooops, I messed up,

and give yourself the grace to simply start over with today. A Lenten

discipline, like any other spiritual practice, is not about doing it

perfectly. It is about being mindful, paying attention, and focusing our

minds and hearts on things of the Spirit.

Also, you may want to break the Lenten period up into sections,

maybe by the weeks for example, so that you practice a different

discipline or “letting go of” practice each week. It does not need to be

the same practice throughout the six weeks. This practice is for you,

so you choose how you want to do it. The most important thing to

remember is that you can begin again at any time while offering

yourself grace, kindness, and compassion.

If you missed our Lenten class after the service last Sunday, we had a

rich discussion about what mealtimes were like for us growing up,

what particular habits or routines our families kept around meals, and

what those times meant for us. For some people, meals were

unfortunately not a happy time because the relationships in the family

were not good. For others, mealtimes were a joyous time of

conversation and sharing, connecting and belonging. We will be

creating our own joyous, inclusive table experience each week by

opening our class with a meal, lovingly prepared by someone in the

class. All are welcome to join us! For more information, please talk to

me or simply join our class this Sunday.

As we move through this Lenten series, Meeting Jesus at the Table, I

invite you to continue to reflect on what the table means to you–what

it meant to you growing up and what it is like for you now. Can you

begin to see why the Bible so often uses food, eating, and the table

as metaphors for the Kingdom of God and for God’s faithful provision?

These were powerful symbols to the ancients and they are still

powerful for us today.

As a Lenten practice, I invite you to begin to pay more attention to

your own daily table experiences. You could start by practicing

“mindful eating,” meaning that rather than rushing through your meal,

you slow down and take time to experience and enjoy the meal. If you

don’t already, you may also want to begin a practice of saying “grace”

before eating. This could be as elaborate as a formal prayer you

remember from childhood or as simple as breathing “thank you”

before you begin to eat.

Every time we sit down to eat, whether alone or with others, we have

an opportunity to be grateful. The simple fact of having plentiful

nutritious food to eat and clean water to drink is such a gift in a world

where so many people lack both. Allow gratitude for the simple things

in life to enrich your Lenten practice. We are so very fortunate and

have so very much to be grateful for.

Lenten Blessings,

Rev. Michelle