Starter Prayer: God of both light and darkness, help me appreciate all the movements of life with you. Give me deep connection in times of living, dying, rising, rest and renewal. Teach me about the beautiful protection in the gift of darkness.

Focus Phrase: Beautiful Protection

It’s sad how some Christian ways of thinking lead people to fear or demonize mysterious gifts like: night and darkness, the earth, the world under the ground, the body returning to dust/ash, the death process and aspects of the female body.

In today’s reflection, Hannah Garrity celebrates these mysterious gifts as she comments on Psalm 22 and explains her art piece, “Sleep Unborn”. 

Hannah writes: As I contemplate the idea of people beneath the earth and people in the womb, I feel a sense of beautiful protection.

This way of understanding our safety is essential to the art of Holy Listening. As we learned in the Mark passage this week, the Apostle Peter was afraid of suffering and ignorant of how death works together with life. Peter’s lack of understanding led him to “shush” the wisdom of Jesus and hustle for success.

The art of Holy Listening requires that we feel safe in God at all times– safe on the sunny side of life and safe in the darkness.

Be encouraged in your practice,

Katie Martinez

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE:

• Read Psalm 22:23-31.
• Read and reflect on Hannah Garrity’s commentary and artwork on pages 17-18 of Again & Again. The link is in every Journey email. If you’re not getting those, register here.
• Questions for journaling and spiritual conversation:
  • When have you felt God’s beautiful protection in places of deep darkness?
  • What spiritual practice would help you cultivate an appreciation for the quieter and earthier side of your life with God?
• Prayer Practice this Week: To get started, watch this video about the new prayer wall installed at the Taft Ave. Facility. Each day, write a short prayer coming out of your practice. Then choose one word or short phrase to represent your prayer. Sometime this week, weave one or more of your words/phrases to the prayer wall in the Atrium; or or text your prayer to 970-500-0970, and the prayer team will weave it into the wall for you.

ENDNOTES:

• For daily texts with the Focus Word, Starter Prayer and link to these daily posts, text the word “lent” to 970-500-0970.
• Join Ryan on Facebook Live, every weekday morning at 10am for spiritual conversation on these Lent themes.
• Looking for the link to the digital devotional or your copy of the print version? Register here.
• Join the Orange Dots of Hope Facebook Group for spiritual conversations.

This is part of Again & Again: Journey of Lent 2021 with Crossroads Church. The theme, devotional booklet, poetry and art is the work of the creative community of theologians and artists at A Sanctified Art. Crossroads is grateful for this resource!

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