"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world."
-Karl Barth

During Lent this year, our emphasis is on prayer.
Each week of Lent, we are lifting up a spiritual practice of prayer that is central to the life of faith and provides a special emphasis during this season.

WEEK 1: FASTING AS A PRAYER PRACTICE

Fasting as a spiritual practice has always been a vital part of our ancestral Christian traditions, yet with the modern convenience-driven lifestyle, fasting (as well as many other forms of prayer) has become less of a focus. Jesus fasted in the desert after his baptism. Esther, King David, Saul, Daniel, Moses, Nehemiah and even Paul all fasted at pivotal times in their lives when hard decisions or clarity was needed. If you’re new to fasting but crave an opportunity to slow down- let this be your invitation. Select what you want to “fast”- and set a realistic time limit for your fast.

Here are some ideas to fast from: cell phones, cars, spending money, sugar…even speaking! While enjoying your fast, take time for contemplation. Perhaps you can enjoy a long walk or let your body rest during an extended nap or even read a book you’ve been meaning to for months. You’ll be amazed by how the gift of fasting will connect you to peace. It may be uncomfortable at moments, you may even experience some boredom, but you’ll find ultimately that this is a great way to grow as a Christian and connect to the goodness of God!

WEEK 2: LAMENTATION AS A PRAYER PRACTICE

How can we pray faithfully amid really difficult times? Lament is part of our wisdom tradition, found in the Book of Psalms, the Book of Lamentations and modeled for us by Jesus when he cried from the cross., “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” It is a prayer form that allows us to express deep issues of the heart like grief, sorrow, or regret in a way that leads us to healing and to a closer relationship with God. Through lamentation, we can grieve the personal, but it also gives us the space to grieve for issues and crises much larger than ourselves that we see in our community, our nation, and our world.

Of the 150 Psalms, fifty-eight are laments. Forty-two of those are psalms of individual lament and sixteen address community brokenness. The structure of a psalm of lament is first to address our living God, then complain to God, followed by asking God for response. An assumption of confidence in God’s interest in our welfare or other words that indicate a reconciliation with and trust in God always concludes the traditional prayer form.

Use the lamentation psalms to provide structure for your lament, whether personal or community-focused, or write your own. Seek out Psalm 13, 22 (click here), 88 or any of the other Psalms of lament as a place to start your practice of lamentation. Books like Ann Weems’ Psalms of Lamentation can provide further example for ways to write your own – or just pour the pain of your heart to God in direct address, closing with praises and gratitude for God’s constant and abiding love.

Click here for Psalm 22.

WEEK 3: ART AS PRAYER

This week’s prayer is not based on words, but on this image of Rembrandt’s Return of the Prodigal Son. Using the practice of Visio Divina, you will use this work of art to guide your prayer. There are no hard and fast rules here and this practice may take you up to 30 minutes to complete, but it may take just a few minutes. You are free to move at your own pace.

VISIO DIVINA STEPS:
1. Get into a relaxing position and take a few deep breaths to center your mind.
2. Take in the image – first as a whole and then begin to notice certain details that stick out to you or catch your attention.
3. Focus in one detail or aspect of the image. Invite God to speak to you through what you’ve noticed and spend some time listening.
4. Pay attention to the thoughts, the feelings, the memories, the questions that come up as you continue to contemplate this one single aspect of the image.
5. Take some time to respond in prayer to whatever this image evokes for you – gratitude, lamentation, supplication, wonder, admiration, confession, praise, etc.
6. Bring your prayer to a close by resting in God’s grace and love.

“In the beginning, when God began to create…” these are the first words of Genesis and the first description we have of God. We are told that God is a creative being and when we create and engage with art we are living into the imagine of God from which we were made. I cannot imagine my life without art. Whether it is visual arts – paintings, pottery, fiber arts or performance arts – music, acting, poetry, there is something about these creative endeavors that draw me in again and again. And there is something about art that connects us as human beings and connects us to our ancient past, a lineage of artist and creators.

When I find my spiritual life running a little thin and hurried, I have noticed that returning to creative pursuits helps me to reinvigorate my prayer life and practice. I am not one who is particularly drawn to prayer practices that have me sitting still and silent for long periods of time and I have found that when I can occupy my hands that my mind is calmer and I can focus more intently on my prayers.
-Sarah Chancellor-Watson

MORE ON VISIO DIVINA
Like the practice of Lectio Divina, which encourages participants to listen for God’s voice in the hearing or reading of Scripture, Visio Divina, invites participants to pay attention to God’s guidance and nudging through images and to use those images to guide their prayers.

PRAYING IN COLOR
Praying in Color is the intersection of prayer and doodling. It is a visual, active, meditative, and playful way to pray. You only need paper and any kind of writing utensil. You can make it as elaborate as you wish with many colors and fancy pens or keep it simple with a just a ball point pen or pencil

WEEK 4: PRAYER AND COMMUNITY

‘Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom,’ goes the refrain of the Taizé chant that depicts the words of the thief on the cross with Jesus.

Whatever else this season of Lent before Easter is, it is a time of remembering. Remembering we are mortal. Remembering our limitations. Remembering we are dust and to dust we shall return. Part of my Lenten discipline in this season is to remember to try and start my day with prayer and to end it with prayer before drifting away in slumber. When I was in high school I attended a youth conference at Mo-Ranch and the session was led by a female African-American pastor on prayer. I remember her asking all of us if we ever prayed before bed and if we did, if we ever fell asleep before concluding our prayer. She asked how we felt about that? I remember always feeling bad about that or thinking what a terrible thing it was to try and pray to God and to not be able to finish the prayer and remembrances before falling asleep. But she encouraged us to think about what a wonderful thing it us to offer up our prayers and to drift off into the arms of God as our prayer gives way to our slumbers. What a gift to be in prayer with God and to fall asleep. A peaceful end to the day.

As we encourage you to focus on the practice of prayer in our life together, may we begin and end our endeavors with prayer, asking God for help, honestly placing the concerns of our lives before God, petitioning God’s actions in the perplexities of life and in the problems of our world, letting God have the last word. A prayer I try to pray at the end of the day comes from the Anglican convert to Roman Catholicism, John Henry Newman. It is a prayer for the end of the day, it is a prayer we often pray at the hospital bed, it is prayer we pray at the end of at life at the graveside. ‘O Lord, support us all the day long, as the shadows lengthen and the evening comes and this busy world is hushed and the fever of life is over and our work is done. Then in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging, a holy rest, and peace at the least; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.’

The work each one of us is called to do is to be about building a community that offers every human life that crosses our threshold a place of safe lodging in a disposable and turbulent world. The work each one of us is called to do is to work to be a church that takes seriously holy rest and Sabbath joy and opportunities for engaging, enjoying, and resting in God’s good creation in a world that prefers to function 24/7 with no breaks. The work we are all called to do is to be bridge builders in a world that prefers burning bridges, we are called to be peacemakers in a world that lives in fight or flight mode, we are called to be engaged in ministries of reconciliation in a world that believes we should tighten our circles into cults of purity.

We are not hardwired to be hold space for safe lodging, building bridges, and practicing reconciliation. We must pray for it, work for it, long for it, and fail and try again. May that prayer be on our lips, shaping our hearts, and transforming our souls in these days.

Grace and peace,
Chris Currie

WEEK 5: PRAYER AND SIMPLICITY

The world constantly tells us we need more—more stuff, more success, more activity, more noise. But what if the key to a deeper, richer spiritual life isn’t in adding but in subtracting? What if, instead of chasing after everything the world says we need, we found freedom in living simply?

Simplicity is about reorienting our lives toward what truly matters—God, love, and the work of the Kingdom. When we clear out the clutter, both physically and spiritually, we create space to hear God’s voice more clearly and to walk more closely with Christ. Simplifying our lives is a spiritual act. Marie Kondo’ing our closets, spring cleaning the walls and base boards and choosing to practice gratitude for what we have in this very moment is holy.

Jesus didn’t own much. He didn’t rush from place to place or strive to impress people with status or wealth. He lived with intention, moving at the pace of love, focusing on what mattered: healing, teaching, and drawing people into the abundant life of God.

And yet, many of us (myself included!) often find ourselves overcommitted, overwhelmed, and overstuffed—with things, with obligations, with distractions. No wonder our souls feel weary. Jesus invites us to a different way: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The way of simplicity isn’t just a nice idea; it’s an invitation into deeper trust, greater peace, and a more intimate walk with God.

So, how do we take steps toward a simpler, more spiritually nourishing life? Here are a few places to start:

1. CLEAR THE CLUTTER--INSIDE AND OUT. Take a look at your home, your calendar, even your mental state. What’s taking up space that doesn’t serve your walk with Christ? Let go of what’s weighing you down—whether it’s stuff, obligations, or old anxieties—and make room for what nourishes your soul.

2. PRIORITIZE REST AND SABBATH. We are not meant to run on empty. God calls us to rest, not just because we need it, but because it teaches us to trust. Make space in your week for a Sabbath Day, for slowing down, for remembering that you are not defined by what you produce but by the God who loves you.

3. HAVE A ZERO SPEND WEEKEND. Prioritize a weekend to enjoy what you have, what requires no consumption or purchasing. Reread books that you love, tidy up the garden and make do with what’s on your property instead of zipping to the Garden Center for a fresh bag of mulch. Consume what you already own! Eat leftovers and let your nervous system reset and your wallets breathe. You likely have more than you realize.

4. SET HEALTHY EMOTIONAL BOUNDARIES. Simplifying isn’t about doing less for the sake of it; it’s about making sure that what you say yes to is aligned with God’s call for your life. Balance your needs with the emotional needs you’re constantly being asked to carry from others who need to learn their own emotional regulation and let’s be honest, need to hire their own therapist!

5. PRACTICE GRATITUDE AND GENEROSITY. When we focus on what we have instead of what we lack, we step into abundance. And when we give freely—of our time, our resources, our love—we loosen the grip of materialism and scarcity, making space for the joy of Kingdom living.

Simplicity isn’t about deprivation; it’s about making space for what truly matters. When we strip away what distracts and weighs us down, we find a deeper richness in life with Christ. We become more present, more joyful, freer. And isn’t that the abundant life Jesus promised?