MI N I S T RY
THE LENTEN SEASON Pastor Nick Quient
“In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” —Mark 1:35 NRSV Reflection on Lent is essentially an opportunity to think about the unthinkable. We paradoxically sit in the ashes of terror and horror with a holy smile on our faces. We weep with anger at what has happened and we hope with reckless abandon at what will happen. Lent is the cliffhanger of the Christian story, where we are suspended in disbelief amidst the specter of failed expectation. Christ has come and Christ was crucified. The unimaginable became unthinkable. God present among us, God buried in a tomb deep in the earth. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the advantage— we know the ending of the story. Lent is our chance to reflect on the horrors of the world. We remember that we are ash, marked by death, marred by our own sins. We sit and pray and repent of our sins—sins done with intent and sins done under the guise of good. We remember that God is merciful, joyously so, and is willing to forgive before we’ve even gotten that faltering phrase out of our mouths. We know our sin is taken away and we know that God is gentle and kind. We know that sin and death are still present. And yet. We know Easter is near. We find ourselves in a desolate place where God was silent in the midst of unspeakable tragedy—the death of his only Son. Jesus, even Jesus, went out to a deserted place and spent time in prayer. May we, as followers of him, remember that we are dust and that we are loved. Amen. 3
