CALL TO WORSHIP
Psalm 16

MUSIC
Curated by Kevin Borst
I Believe - Bethel Music
A Thousand Hallelujahs - Brooke Ligertwood
Reign Above It All - Bethel Music
What a Beautiful Name - Hillsong

MEDITATION FOR OUR BODIES
Written by Bobbi Salkeld

It helps to think of Lent as a pilgrimage. We began the 40-day pilgrimage with ashes this past Wednesday. 

Ashes are symbols of an end – the mess left after a fire. By placing them on our foreheads, we acknowledge a reality of Lent: a reality we know in our bodies. 

We know that all of life is a cycle. The light and dark of a day. The winter and spring of a year. The breath and blood of our bodies. Some cycles rip through our lives with destruction, like the end of life or war. Some cycles lift our eyes with wonder, like the face of a newborn. 

I invite you into a meditation for our bodies on this first Sunday of Lent. I’ll draw your attention to Lenten themes as they connect to your experience of being you, in your body, right now. 

Let us pray. 

We begin with our breath, 
noticing the cycle of inhaling and exhaling. 
The way our chest rises and falls. 
Rises and falls. 
Spirit, inspire in our bodies 
the silent reflection of self-care. 

We look down at our arms and hands, 
noticing the opening and closing cycle. 
Our hands can be open to receive, and our hands can clench to resist. 
Receive and resist. 
Spirit, inspire in our bodies 
the fullness of living in service for others.  

We pay attention to our stomach,
noticing how wisdom churns in our gut.
And when we listen to unease and pleasure within, 
we find divine knowing. 
Spirit, inspire in our bodies 
trust for what is good. 

We sense our feet on the floor,
noticing that we are grounded. 
And still, the pilgrimage of Lent asks us to move 
and make sacrifices for love.
Spirit, inspire in our bodies
the movement toward new life. 
Amen.