PERSPECTIVE —
Some Lenten Reflections
by Larry Kehler
I am writing these notes during the opening weeks of Lent, the season when we prepare ourselves for the commemoration of Christ's death and the celebration of his resurrection. Some churches and individuals use this as a time of penitence and fasting. Although most Anabaptists have not formally become involved in some of these preparatory rituals, Lent can be an important time for remembering and recommitting ourselves to the core aspects of the Christian faith.
Several things have happened during the commencement of Lent which are helping to refresh my views of Christ and the church.
The first experience I will highlight is a mission transformation meeting I attended during the first weekend in Lent. Several teams came together at a Catholic retreat center near Winnipeg, Canada, to take a careful look at how Mennonite Church Canada's missional relationships should be shaped in the coming decade. This reshaping is happening because of the reconfiguration of two binational churches into two national bodies, Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA.
One of the core goals we looked at in my team was that we want to recommit ourselves to the planting of missional peace churches. We said we want to be prepared to do this even in places where there is conflict and in countries which prohibit overt Christian witness. Taking a step like this means that we need to take a new look at what it means to follow Jesus even when it may result in suffering. Are we as biological parents and siblings, and as sisters and brothers in the church prepared to bless persons when they respond to calls which will take them to areas where there is conflict?
It was underscored during these discussions that our relationship to the global church is crucial to us. Our Christian sisters and brothers who are living and worshiping in many countries around the world need to join us in helping us to discern what we should be doing as a church in mission here at home and around the world. We reiterated how important the Mennonite World Conference is to us in this ongoing discernment process.
A second experience I wish to share comes from the preparation of a sermon I've been asked to preach on the second Sunday of Lent. The text is Luke 13:34, Jesus' lament over Jerusalem: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!"
We as congregations around the world are to be like a mother hen, inviting marginalized, wounded, angry, hard-of-hearing, stubborn individuals and families into the loving environment of the church, Christ's body. This requires courage and love, strengths we can only muster through prayer and the ministry of the Risen Lord and the Holy Spirit within us as individuals and churches.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Larry Kehler, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is MWC News Editor.
