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

“The quest is nurture. It is humility. It is not a test of how strong and brave a person can be, but rather, how vulnerable she or he can be.”
—Steven Charleston

The Four Vision Quests of Jesus

Resting can mean a time of relaxing or a time of quiet for metamorphosis, quiet to hear the still small voice of God, quiet to allow the Holy Spirit in, quiet to allow for transformation. In my Lakota culture and others, when we need guidance, right relationship and to lament, we Hanbleciya (cry for a vision). Traditionally, we would go “sit on the hill” by ourselves, fasting and praying. It is a time for reflection, vulnerability and finding our way back into right-relationship with the Creator, with creation and with ourselves.

In the past year, we have all experienced grief, loss and pain. We are left questioning many things. For some, that has included our faith and our God. Yet sometimes in our deepest sorrow,
in what we think is our lowest point, in that messy, ugly-crying space, the Holy Spirit can transform us. This is the time to cry for a vision. This is the time to fast, pray and find our way back
into right-relationship. This is the time to listen for God and be transformed.

It is difficult to hear God when I’m too busy to pray or think. If my mind is occupied with Facebook or Twitter and my heart with fear or anxiety, where is the room for God’s love, messages and
gifts to fit? Your prayer space need not be a church or a quiet place. I often feel God’s presence and voice while listening to music or going for a walk. While God can speak to us anywhere, think about creating time and space to hear her.
—Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg

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.