‘Cause we’ve been seen
As blessed not mean
So we fling it around
From sky to ground.

We are blessed by the good thing
You are the good thing
We fling the good things
We fling the good things.

Image above (and on front-page mastheads): "Golden Eagle" by Ryan Lee Smith

Words above: from "Fling It" by Spirit Journey Youth, a Native American Episcopal Youth group from Northern Arizona working on their faith journey step-by-step (an Outreach program of the Diocese of Arizona since 2000). Read "Fling It" here. Read more about Spirit Journey Youth here and here.

Note: Kaze Gadway works with the emerging leaders of the Episcopal Church within the Native American community of Northern Arizona. She says: "They are youth of promise from twelve to twenty."

Episcopal Church and Visual Arts (ECVA) has launched their new exhibition, "Jesus Our Brother."

Diane Walker, who curated this exhibition and who is ECVA's Exhibitions Director, writes:

"As we begin the long slow walk through the 40 days of Lent, who is this Christ who has promised to walk with us? Inspired by thoughts of Jesus as brother, the artists whose work appears in this exhibition responded with a variety of images, some traditional and some less so."

“Spending prayerful time with each of the pieces in this exhibition, I felt faith and hope shine through, and found myself thinking of the words of Mother Teresa, as she looked upon the faces of those whom she served: ‘Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.’ Each of these images, in its own way, offers a gentle reassurance — that wherever we may find ourselves, our brother Jesus is with us, just as the sun and the rain continue to feed, support, and nurture us, helping us to grow into what we are called by God and Christ to become.”

Seen above (top)and on front-page mastheads: "Transfiguration" by Linda McCray.

Seen above (bottom): The exhibition is led, from ECVA's home page, with an image by John Giuliani, "Navaho Compassionate Christ."

Click HERE to visit ECVA's exhibition: "Jesus Our Brother."

Reflection for the First Sunday in Lent (February 26, 2012)

How will we see the angels if we don’t go into the wilderness? How will we recognize the help that God sends if we don’t seek out the places beyond what is comfortable to us, if we don’t press into terrain that challenges our habitual perspective? How will we find the delights that God provides even—and especially—in the desert places?

Blessing that Meets You
in the Wilderness

After the
desert stillness.

After the
wrestling.

After the
hours
and days
and weeks
of emptying.

After the
hungering
and the
thirsting.

After the
opening
and seeing
and knowing.

Let this blessing be
the first sweetness
that touches
your lips

the bread
that falls into
your arms

the cup
that welcoming hands
press into
yours.

Let this blessing be
the road that
returns you.

Let it be
the strength to carry
the wilderness
home.

This reflection, by Jan Richardson, is part of the series “Teach Me Your Paths: A Pilgrimage into Lent.” If you’re new to the series, visit the first post, Teach Me Your Paths: Entering Lent, to pick it up from the beginning.

Image above and on front-page mastheads: "And The Angels Waited On Him," by Jan Richardson.

Words above by Jan Richardson.

Using scripture, prayer, and art, Diane Walker shares her Lenten practice.

Seen above (and on front-page mastheads): Digital collage, 1Lent2, by Diane Walker.