“I am a God who is everywhere and not in one place only. No one can hide where I cannot see them. Do you not know that I am everywhere in heaven and on earth?”
Jeremiah 23:23-24 (GNT)
Where do you see God? God is everywhere!
Some people naturally see God in everyday life and the things around them. The beautiful sunset, the rock formations, the snow and other natural wonders created by God. They can see God’s presence in people and situations. And each creature that God has created, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, the beloved pet…God shows up there too. I call these people “old souls” because they see things beyond their years. They can suspend logistical reality to be able to see spiritual wonders.
But most of us have to learn this beautiful technique of seeing God around us. And it may take some time to practice and realize that God is everywhere. If we start with “God is always working for good in the world” that helps. Because looking for goodness is somewhat easier than looking for God who we believe we’ve never seen. But once we get the hang of seeing God around us then we can start looking for God in others…in the sparkle of their eyes, in their feisty personality, in their creativity, even in their thoughts that are different from ours.
This Lent, you will read stories of where others have seen God around them. We hope that through these stories, you will believe with your own eyes where they have seen God. It is a rich world as God shows up through people’s unselfish actions, the beauty of the earth and in our own hearts.
The Season of Lent
Lent is the season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. The season of Lent is a preparation for celebrating Easter. Easter is the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the vernal equinox. For this reason, Easter is never the same date two years in a row.
Lent is a time for penance by all Christians. The First Sunday describes Jesus’ temptation by Satan; and the Sixth Sunday (Passion/Palm Sunday), Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his subsequent suffering and death. Because Sundays are always little Easters, the penitential spirit of Lent should be tempered with joyful expectation of the Resurrection.
Ash Wednesday emphasizes a dual encounter: we confront our own mortality and confess our sin before God within the community of faith. The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and repentance has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship, and the Imposition of Ashes can be a powerful nonverbal and experiential way of participating in the call to repentance and reconciliation.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and continues through the great three days from sunset on Holy Thursday through sunset Easter day. This is the climax of Lent and the whole Christian year, and a bridge into the Easter season. These days proclaim the mystery of Jesus Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. During these days, the community journeys with Jesus from the upper room, to the cross, to the tomb, and to the garden.