This Lent, we invite you to take some time to lament that which you and others have lost. In her essay, “Four Steps of Lament,” Heidi Weaver invites us to:
• Rest, to take sabbath time to simply be present to our current situation;
• Reflect on that which has been lost;
• Repent for the sufferings and loss we have caused or overlooked; and
• Make Restitution and be Restored to God and to one another.

This year for our Lenten Meditations we have invited ten writers to share reflections on each of these four steps of lament. These writers are all leaders in The Episcopal Church and represent a diversity of perspectives, ministries and backgrounds. As a result, we are blessed to have a unique and rich tapestry of viewpoints on the universal experience of lament, loss and new life. Many of the authors share deeply personal and painful experiences related to a variety of issues including disease, violence, racial injustice and poverty.

Readers, come to these meditations with an open heart. What you read may challenge you and give rise to unexpected or uncomfortable feelings. We encourage you to engage the “Four Steps of Lament,” by resting, reflecting, repenting and ultimately being restored to God and to one another. Finally our wish for you is that God brings you rest this Lent so that you may reflect on your own loss and be transformed in the process. May God then restore your soul and bring you into the bright new life that is our Easter promise. And may you continue to know that you are loved now and always.
Amen.
Robert W. Radtke
President & CEO
Episcopal Relief & Development

REST

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
—2 Corinthians 12:9

Our world was turned upside down when our eight-year-old daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. The next day we were in the hospital for treatment. She was scared, and in so much pain, I had to help her use the bedside commode. Afterward, she asked with tears in her eyes, “How am I going to do this?” I was at a loss for words. My mind was racing, thinking about years of treatment, medications and hospital visits, and filled with overwhelming fear for my daughter. I said a quick prayer, and a song came to my mind. It was the old Patsy Cline country-gospel version of “One Day at a Time.” I always made fun of Patsy Cline’s singing but had not thought of it in thirty years. I told my daughter, “We’ll get through this one day at a time.” That calmed her, and it also calmed me. It seemed to slow things down. “One day at a time” became the theme for her as we all focused on beating the cancer day by day, not getting ahead of ourselves because that would be too much. We found rest and renewal in God’s grace as his grace proved to be sufficient.
—Willie Bennett

Source: https://www.episcopalrelief.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Lent-2021-English-BlackWhite.pdf; © 2021 Episcopal Relief & Development. All rights reserved. Printed in partnership with Forward Movement.