Prayer for the Week: We stand at a transitional moment in the life of the church. We find ourselves standing on the edge of one season, as we peer into the next. O God who taught how there is a season for every purpose under heaven, we look into the shadows and darkness of Lent. We do not fear it, for the darkness is, in part, to limit our outside distractions so that we might look deep within ourselves. Prepare us for the journey; guide us along the path; provide us the courage to ask the thorny and often exhausting questions about where we fall short. We make this journey in the knowledge of your grace. We do not believe our discovery or any confession that might come with it will be met with punishment. In fact, it is the unnamed and unseen brokenness in our lives that is already punishing us. It is this brokenness that confines us and limits our capacity to live the abundant life made real in your gift, Jesus. In the dark ashes, what remains from a Palm Sunday celebration last year, we begin the work of putting behind us what needs to be behind us. Be our partner in this difficult work, God, and let us leave behind only what we have truly acknowledged, genuinely confessed, and for which we have taken full responsibility. It won’t be easy, yet faith that includes a cross is not intended to be easy. Thank you for loving us at every point along the way. Amen.
