Holy Lent, Great Lent 

Lent means Springtime. It also refers to a period of personal, spiritual discipline. For the natural world and for us, it can be profoundly beneficial. 

The approximately forty days of Lent 

  are a time of renewal, 

    a hope for new beginnings. 

For Unitarian Universalists, as for many others, 

  especially in times like ours, 

    hope is a most welcome experience. 

Most of all, we need hope for new beginnings. 

We human beings are all too capable 

  of making something as important as hope 

    into a source of division between us. 

Early Christianity split 

  into eastern and western factions. 

At different times, 

  the factions even fought wars against each other, 

    often over things as small 

      as the way they would make the sign of the cross. 

The use of different languages, 

  Greek in the East and Latin in the West, 

    became the emblem and source of divisions. 

The word, Lent, was used for the season

  of preparation for Easter, 

    but in the East it was called Great Lent, 

      and in the West it was called Holy Lent. 

Those terms persist into our own times, 

  as does the human ability to find or create 

    ways to divide ourselves, 

      even among people of good will. 

I hold on to the hope 

  that good will among human beings 

    will prevail over and above 

      our penchant to emphasize 

        the differences and disagreements between us. 

Hope is something we especially need to sustain us 

  in the times we are living through. 

With the wider availability of vaccines, 

  we are hoping for the beginning of the end 

    of the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic. 

There is yet another more universal hope 

  that we have with the changing of Seasons now. 

Many of us have a strong feeling that this Season, 

  whether we think of the Season of Lent 

    or the coming Season of Spring,

      really is a time of hope, 

        despite some of the appearances. 

The hope is not only for all of us human beings, 

  but also for all living things, 

    including, and maybe especially, 

      the Planet Herself. (Gaia) 

If you had the script of today's service in front of you, 

    you would see that the H 

      in the word Herself is capitalized

        as is often done 

          when the pronouns refer to God. 

This is out of respect for the Gaia Hypothesis. 

One approach to the hypothesis says, 

  "It is a theory, put forward by James Lovelock, 

    that living matter on the earth 

      collectively defines and regulates 

        the material conditions 

          necessary for the continuance of life. 

The planet, or rather the biosphere, 

  is thus likened to a vast self-regulating organism." 

One version of the hypothesis 

  treats our home planet as a Goddess 

    Whose name is Gaia. 

If some of this seems familiar, 

  the Gaia Hypothesis can be seen as an approach 

    to our UU Seventh Principle, 

      "Respect for the interdependent web 

        of all existence 

          of which we are a part."

So... What does all this have to do with Lent, 

  Holy Lent, Great Lent? 

In my view, at least for us as UU's, 

  the connection is deep and strong 

    even if it isn't exactly obvious. 

In the first place, 

  the very term, "Lent,"

    is associated with Springtime. 

As you may recall hearing me say before, 

  the word, "Lent," appears to have the same root 

    as the word, "lengthen." 

We watch the days grow longer, 

  as is becoming more and more obvious, 

    and the increase of light every day 

      can bring lots of hope to our hearts. 

So, the remembrance of our close connection 

  with all living things 

    and with the planet on which we all live 

      can bring new hope for well being 

        into all our hearts. 

Lent is more a time for hope and spiritual renewal 

  than a time for sorrow 

    in the face of our human weaknesses 

      and our mistakes. 

For us as UU's and for many others Lent can be 

  a time of spiritual renewal. 

As such, we need spiritual discipline, 

  and discipline means learning 

    more than any other single concept. 

The word "spiritual" refers to breathing 

  at its root, at its heart. 

So we can remember the "five finger breathing" 

  method of meditation we learned last week

    from Rev. Erin Walter. 

It's simple and so all the more useful, 

  just using our five fingers to remind us 

    to be conscious of our breathing in and out 

      through five breaths. 

To say, "Just breathe!" 

  can provide a method of spiritual discipline, 

    especially if we can keep it simple. 

Learning can be a source of great joy and comfort 

  to our human hearts 

    at any time of life. 

We learn to make new connections 

  among our experiences, 

    among the people we encounter in our lives, 

      and among many elements of our lives 

        and our world. 

Those connections are especially important 

  in these days in which so many people 

    are feeling isolated, 

      whether they are in quarantine or not. 

We do have new, technological methods 

  of staying in touch with each other, 

    such as the Zoom meeting we are using now, 

      and those make a huge difference. 

They aren't the same as seeing each other in person, 

   but they are a lot better than nothing! 

Until we see more signs of our pandemic isolation 

  coming toward its end, 

    we are in need of more and more opportunities 

      to learn new things about ourselves and others. 

The old saying applies: 

  "The darkest hour is just before dawn!" 

To begin to focus on the light that is increasing, 

  this Season of Lent and of Spring 

    is a wonderful metaphor 

      for the hope in our hearts. 

Hope has to be sustained, 

  and we have never needed the sustenance more. 

We can seek out new things to learn 

  that will help sustain the hope we depend upon. 

Hope is profoundly reliable. 

After all, in the Pandora myth, 

  the very last item to escape her container 

    was hope, the one thing needed 

      to enable everyone to endure the horrors 

        that preceded the arrival of hope. 

Poetry is often a great resource for feeding hope, 

  even if we don't understand the connections 

    at a first reading. 

As we are thinking of hope 

  and these Seasons of hope, 

    a favorite poem by a favorite poet comes to mind: 

"Hope" is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

- Emily Dickinson

As is often the case, 

  too much analysis could weaken 

    the impact of the poem, 

      but a few of the ideas need to be highlighted, 

        especially now. 

The bird of hope is a wonderful metaphor. 

Birds sing! 

They brighten their neighborhoods 

  with color and action. 

A study of birds could be a source 

  of personal and spiritual renewal 

    in the current season. 

The bird of hope according to Emily Dickinson 

  sings a song without words, 

    never stopping, 

      and never seeking any reward for itself. 

The bird of hope is a great example 

  of hope for everyone. 

We can offer hope for each other, 

  especially at times like ours 

    in which no words will bring hope or help. 

Sometimes the tune without the words, 

  never stopping at all, 

    brings a message that we are not alone, 

      that someone cares. 

Just remembering and reminding each other 

  that the bird of hope 

    perches in our souls 

      can remind us of the strong reality of hope 

        just when we need it most. 

Hope is the thing with feathers 

  singing the tune without the words 

    to bring us all 

      and our planet, Gaia Herself 

        the hope that better times 

          are indeed at hand. 

Lent is not the only time to hear the tune, 

  but it is a good time. 

Spring in our part of the world 

  can be a deceptive source of hope, 

    but it is a reliable reminder, 

      even on the days in which weather is not. 

Longer days, more light, and a hope of warmth 

  can be a symbol of new life and health. 

So may it be. 

Amen. 

Blessed be.