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

“And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.”
—Mark 6:32

Taking pause in our spiritual journey is life-giving. Jesus understands this need for a pause in our lives to move us into a time of rest and meditation. Jesus shows us in Matthew how we may reflect, pray and draw strength from the One who is allknowing and all-powerful in the way of the cross. Jesus goes to God for divine strength in his sacred heart, that special quiet place where he and God meet intimately. Jesus, in his knowing, takes his disciples to a deserted place by themselves to rest for a little while, where God might enter through their powerlessness and renew them with God’s strength.
My experience of rest has been in the outdoors, listening among the trees, plants and waters. I seek strength from God in these moments of rest. I experience my powerlessness. I am shown
humility. When our bodies are exhausted from the stresses of life’s terms, the Divine Spirit reminds us that we, too, need to take pause in our spiritual journey to divert to a lonely place and rest. Jesus is eternally present, ready to hear and listen to our sacred hearts comforted by words of harmony, Hozhó—Peace be with you.
—Cornelia Eaton

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.