The Earth Cries Out: Second Sunday of Lent
By Christina Toney-Schmitt
Today, we enter the second Sunday of Lent with a reflection on care for God’s Creation. The theme of our Lenten devotional series is “The Earth Cries Out: Reflections, Lamentations, and Prayers for the Injustices to Our Earth and Our Communities.”
Each week contains a short reflection, discussion questions, and a prayer. We hope that you can utilize these devotions with your congregation, friends, and family.
Psalm 27:
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh - my adversaries and foes - they shall stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
One thing I asked of the Lord, that I will see after; to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter on the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! Come, my heart says, Seek his face.
You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Meditation:
Lent invites us into self-reflection. It calls us to turn inward, evaluate our spiritual practices that draw us closer to God in the season of buried Hallelujahs. In some traditions, people of faith give up things that bring them joy, like social media or sweets. Or, in a religious cultural shift, some folks take on new spiritual practices during the forty day season.
In modern-day Christianity, Lent is purposefully self-centered.
In light of self-reflection, we likely identify with the Psalmist in Psalm 27. We rejoice in the times in which our Creator has shielded us, protected us, and been with us through times of trial. We remember the times we have prayed for the Creator’s presence in seasons that we have felt abandoned. The Psalmist offers us language to speak to these difficult times. In the season of Lent that lends itself to an individualistic framework, it makes sense that we would identify as the main character in the narrative.
But the true gift of Lent is that it calls us into deeper reflection. It calls us to reflect not only on the individual, but how the individual relates to the communal, to the Psalmist’s land of the living.
Instead of turning so deeply inward that we are lost in ourselves, we are also called to remember that we are not always, and actually rarely, the main character in the narrative. Lent is an invitation for self-reflection with the hope of de-centering ourselves. We reflect on our spiritual practices, or lack of, and admit that our actions impact other people in the world. Our actions impact the world.
As a spiritual practice of de-centering, one could read Psalm 27 with a myriad of people in mind. We can read it from the perspective of Ukrainian refugees, who are escaping or fighting against violence. We can read it from the perspective of families with trans youth, who are seeking refuge from the assaults of legislation that deems their expressions of self-identity a crime. We can read it from the perspective of Mother Earth, and realize that she calls out to the Creator to protect her from her adversaries and foes.
We might even realize, and lament, that there are times we are the oppressors in the narrative, and not the main character we thought we were.
Friends, often we are not the Psalmist. Sometimes we are the oppressor; we are the father and mother who has forsaken; we are the land of the living that the earth is trying to thrive in.
When we turn inward, we admit this in ourselves. When we turn back outward, we strive to be not to be the main character in the narrative, but to pursue the community of the land of the living that the Psalmist is confident can still be good.
Reflection Questions:
Did you give up or take on anything for Lent? How does your spiritual practice this season impact your community?
What narrative do you want to center? Practice reading Psalm 27 from the perspective of this narrative and de-centering your experience.
Prayer:
Creator of the living world, we admit that often we are the center of our stories. During this season of self-reflection, center our hearts and minds on the earth that cries out to you against its adversaries. Guide us to be Mother Nature’s allies, not oppressors. Guide us to center others’ stories over our own. Guide us to build a community that represents the land of the living.
About the Author:
Christina Toney-Schmitt (she/her) is the Development Director of the New Church Development Commission, where she is passionate about amplifying marginalized and creative voices in the church. She graduated from Candler School of Theology in 2019 with her Master of Divinity. On the weekends, you can find her and her partner rock climbing and camping all over the southeast.