Shrove Tuesday - Preparing for Lent
Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
Lord, forgive our outward displays of piety
that conceal our inner carelessness
Our going through the motions
that covers up our lack of conviction
Our forced cheerfulness
that disguises our inner desolation
Make us real, O Lord
Real enough to own our brokenness
And in the owning
open us to your transforming love
that breathes warmth into our coldness
melting the layers we have built on
shifting the defences we have put in place
seeping through our togetherness
until our hearts are broken with yours.
And then, as we gather up the pieces,
may we be unable to distinguish
what is yours
and what is ours
and give thanks for the wonder
of your dwelling in us
bringing wholeness
from the inside out.
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