Walking with Jesus

Collect for Saturday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Mercifully hear our prayers, O Lord, and spare all those who confess their sins to you; that those whose consciences are accuse by sin may by your merciful pardon be absolved; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Walking with Jesus

As I reflect on our walk through Lent, and as we get closer to Holy Week, I wonder how our walk with Jesus has been going this Lent.  This week I was volunteering in my son's kindergarten class and they were talking about what they were doing differently for Lent (he goes to a Dominican School.)  Each child got to say what they were working on and how it was making the more helpful, respectful, strong, healthy, etc.  Their responses were wonderful and all were heartfelt.  "For Lent, I an cleaning my room, so I'm being helpful to my mom and dad."  "I gave up ice cream cones, but I still eat the ice cream, just not the cone.  But I'm trying to be more healthy."  "I gave up whining, and that makes me more respectful to my parents."

All of these kids had been working on something and no matter how small it seemed to us "adults" as they were sharing you could tell that it really made a difference for them.  It gave them focus and it allowed them to know that this season was really different and that it was about doing things that not only effected them, but others as well.  

This weekend, I'm at St. Mary's Church in Dousman with 45 other youth and adults doing the Happening Youth Event.  This event is meant to give youth the chance to take time out of their lives to have a similar focus, to pay attention to their walk with Jesus, to pray, sing, laugh, talk, dance and come to know God in a new way in their lives.  Having this during Lent is so powerful as it gives them time during this holy season to pause and look at their journey, to hear about what others are experiencing on their own journeys, and to meet others who may be struggling with similar issues.  This youth event gives all of us the opportunity to Walk with Jesus in a new way.  

I pray that during your Lenten Journey, you have had or will have the time to pause and reflect on your journey, to meditate on your walk with Jesus.  No matter how small, no matter what you are doing to draw closer to Jesus, it is enough.  God wants us to journey with one another because it is only together that we can come to know who God really is.  

I offer a prayer that I have prayed every day of Lent (one that reminds me of this walk with God and with one another) is a prayer for Compline.

"Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace."  

Go in peace.  Walk with Jesus.  

The Rev. Shannon Kelly

Bishop's Assistant for Christian Formation

Diocese of Milwaukee