Hello everyone.

I know that we are entering the Lenten season, and it was brought to my attention by Reverend Gregory Douglas from the Native American United Methodist Church of Southern California that there is a hymn in our hymnal that was written by Native Americans, it’s Many and Great Oh God, which is number 148.

And in it, it says:

Grant unto us communion with thee,
thou star abiding one;
come unto us and dwell with us;
with thee are found the gifts of life.

They’re singing this song every week at this church in order to be in solidarity with those who are suffering in the world, and especially with the immigrants and the people of Minnesota as they’ve gone through their trials during this time.

The indigenous communities know suffering.

And this season of Lent is, is one for us to examine our own selves and see where we have been part of creating an environment that allows for suffering to occur during Lent.

If you have time to, to do some sort of discipline, like singing this song every week or reading it every week, or deciding to pray differently, or deciding to listen to God differently, reading your scriptures, whatever it is. If you could find one discipline that is different and ask God to help you to hear how it is that you, yourself and me, myself, can be a part of a world in which we prepare for peace, and we shut down the suffering that exists around us, including the suffering that we allowed, too.

So when you examine yourselves this Lenten season, when I examine myself, that’ll be the question I’m asking: “Where have I brought harm and how can I open up for peace?”

I pray that your Lenten season is deep and meaningful, and that you have an experience with God that helps to change your world.