The Reason Love Reaches: Poems for Lent

The following excerpt was taken from The Reason Love Reaches: Poems for Lent

One of my favorite hymns was written over 250 years ago by Robert Robinson. In the middle of the fourth verse, seven little words summarize the strong and strange inclination of every human heart–prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. 

Lent is a 40-day season in the church calendar that calls us to name all the ways we wander, some obvious, some subtle. Then, to turn towards the God who loves us and has been eagerly waiting for our return. 

Not only does God patiently wait for us to turn toward home, but God also actively goes out and searches for us. 

The reason love reaches so far into the darkness to find us and bring us back is hard to fully understand. The Bible simply says, for God so loved the world. 

These poems are meditations on scripture that serve to steady your footsteps as you journey your way home. 

Day 1 / Ash Wednesday 

Savior, soak up sin that stains our skin, smears our 

soul, steals our strength and soils us with sadness deep, so deep. 

Psalm 51:1-6 

Day 2 / Thursday 

Forget fasting. Don’t waste time weeping. All that by itself is a bunch of baloney. If your sorry is sincere then show it by sharing your sandwich with some poor soul suffering from stomachache. That baloney is the real deal. 

Isaiah 58:5-7 

Day 3 / Friday 

Heaven’s favor is a renewable resource. Your eye is a solar panel buzzing with brilliance, your spirit is a windmill whirling with delight, your heart is a waterwheel spinning with grace. 

Love is energy-abundant and streaming. 

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:2 

Day 4 / Saturday 

The ego is hungry for human applause. 

The best way to starve the thing–

istoblendin. 

Matthew 6:16-21