Lent 1

This morning I was privileged to be preaching on the first Sunday in Lent at St. Luke’s Canton. Much to my amazement me departure from the standard beginning of lent sermon went down well, reflecting as I was on the book by M. Scott Peck about community and how we could deepen our journey together during lent by sharing our discipline (or lack thereof) with one another in love.
I was surprised because St. Luke’s is such a Catholic parish, although perhaps I should not have been so surprised. The congregation engaged with me well afterwards, wanting to know about the book and talking about my ideas. I was, I have to say, nervous about preaching such a sermon. Not that it was heretical, but that it challenged people to become closer, and share together in their journey.
My reflections before writing the sermon included watching a congregation disperse at the end of a service without even a ‘how are you?’ Also the reflection of a priest who recounted one woman saying that it wasn’t a proper service for her unless she shook the vicar’s hand!
Have I missed something? Where in that is the radical Love shown by Jesus on the cross, the time to which all our lenten devotions point?