A Change of Heart and Mind
Here we are at the beginning of another season of Lent. We are all very familiar with what that signifies. It is time to give up some of our pleasures or vices, reflect on how we are interacting in the world around us, repent for failing to live up to Jesus's teachings of selflessness, and trust that God is guiding us in all we do. Living in a world threatened by COVID, we find ourselves in a situation whereby we have been giving things up, through no choice of our own.
What has abstinence from our daily lifestyles, hobbies and habits brought us? If the 40 days of Lent are meant to make us more aware of how we are living our lives in this busy, materialistic world, then can we not consider we have indeed been living over 40 weeks of Lent during the COVID pandemic? And if so, perhaps this Lenten season should be about reflecting on if we have changed for the better during this time. Have we been more in tune with the needs of those around us? Particularly the vulnerable?
Think of heart warming stories you have heard of, or have personally been a part of, to bring joy, hope and company to those suffering under these difficult times. Hopefully we shall emerge from the pandemic and this Lenten season, living a life closer to what Jesus invites us to live, a life of serving others.
Perhaps we will acquire the Change of Heart and Mind needed to make the world a better place for all people, animals and the earth itself.
Lenten Reflections
Lenten Sacrifices?
by Rev. Shalini Rajack-Sankarlal | February 16, 2021
With a year of pandemic living under our belts, everyone has had plenty of opportunity to practice "giving something up" in some form or another. Where does that leave us when approaching Lent this year? Will giving up chocolate make us better people this year? Perhaps reflecting on this past year of altered living, we will discover that we have become more conscientious of how we are living our lives.
A True Look at Africa
by Pastor Samuel Vauvert Dansokho | February 16, 2021
In this write-up Pastor Samuel Bauvert Dansokho presents us with a request that colonial societies consider reflecting on how Africa, its people, its history and its land, is regarded. As a pastor in Quebec he has encountered several incidences of ignorance regarding Africa's diversity of culture, geography and tragic history of oppression and exploitation of its people. During this season of Lent, and Black History month, perchance a Change of Heart and Mind can help nurture a much needed healing...
Stewards of the Earth
by SALT team | February 16, 2021
We will be following the Podcast "Strange New World" as posted under Contemporary Service for the season of Lent. Here are the accompanying notes. As Christians we are encouraged to use the 40 days of Lent to reflect, repent, pray and prepare, so that we will be ready for the joy and gratitude of Easter. We are called to undertake a Change of Mind, and a Change of Heart. In doing so, we can become good stewards of this earth, taking care of that which God has gifted us.
Living Our Faith Day-to-Day
During this Pandemic, Don't Miss the Opening
by Dr. Robert J. Wicks | The Fetzer Institute
This time of the pandemic can be seen as an inconvenience and time of distress, or as an opening to deeper understandings. As we enter the reflective season of Lent, in the time of the pandemic, let us not miss the opportunity to gather our deeper wisdom.