Written by Pastor Cara
Puyallup UMC
Lent and especially Holy Week has always been very powerful and meaningful time for me. As a child, we attended every high holy day which included a Good Friday Service and the Holy Saturday prayer vigil. My memories of both of these services are filled with darkness. Darkness in the sanctuary. Darkness in nature. And Darkness of the soul.
There was always something about this darkness that felt freeing, illuminating, and powerful. It was as if the light existed in the dark even if you couldn’t see it.
As I have aged though, I have discovered that my words fail when I try to explain how deeply this time of year touches my soul. I cannot fully describe the feelings and emotions that well up in me during this week. When this happens, I often turn to the arts. Below are two pieces of art that have spoken to my heart recently. Hopefully, they will speak to yours as well.
The first is a poem by Jan Richardson. Richardson is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church and has written several books of poetry including Circle of Grace, and The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief. Her poetry can also be found on her blog The Painted Prayer Book
Here is a stanza from her poem A Blessing for Traveling in the Dark, found on her blog The Advent Door:
Go slow
if you can.
Slower.
More slowly still.
Friendly dark
or fearsome,
this is no place
to break your neck
by rushing,
by running,
by crashing into
what you cannot see.
The rest of her poem can be found here.
The other offering I have for you today is from Sufjan Stevens who sings Ah, Holy Jesus, a Lenten hymn found in the United Methodist Hymnal #289. Lyrics can be found here if you want to sing along.
I hope both of these artists feed your soul this Holy Week as you wrestle with the darkness of this time. May in your wrestling, you discover the God who has always been with you, even when the light seemed to fade.