Dear Friends,
This is a line from the British poet Caleb Femi – a constant companion with me this Lent: “streets clean like repentance.” The words of Lent are with us in every moment, public and private. Self-reflection of the season invites us to see ourselves in the words of Lent.
“Starving sin…”
“I whisper my sins to the ashes…”
“I am gall; I am heartburn.”
“It is my Lent to smile at pain
But not ignore its touch.”
“The sins, others see, and I only wear.”
“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for 100 miles through the desert, repenting.”
The power of words can take us many places. Through tradition or away from it. The wisdom speaking to us may come from different places.
The important thing in this season is: to listen.
Keep tellin’ the Story,
Mike
Here is a recording of organ and voice on the Lenten Hymn: “Ashes”
Here are the four takeaways from this week’s Loop:
- “Streets Clean Like Repentance” – words of poetry help us see the world new.
- The world around us – ashes, knees, prayer, pain – remind us of God’s presence.
- Words can take us to places we didn’t imagine before.
- Listen.