Finding Our Way Home - A Lenten Reflection from Rev. Kathy Cramer

I was recently in a small discussion group with a few other women. We were discussing our lives and our heartbreak at the things going on in the country, and our concerns about growing older. One woman mentioned a Jewish belief that sharing one’s true gift, living in alignment with one’s true nature, is how the world will be saved. I found the idea intriguing, so I did a little research online and learned that this concept is the principle of “pikuach nefesh,” which means saving or preserving a life. The article said that living truthfully and justly is a means to saving human life and thus the world. Now I am sure this is a radical oversimplification of the idea, but it spoke to me about something we can do in times like these. We can be true to ourselves, to our faith, to what is just and kind.

Lent is a season that calls us to remember what lies at the heart of our faith. The central activity of Lent for me is repentance. I used to equate repentance with feeling bad or sorry for what I had done. But when I learned that the word repentance literally means to turn back or to change one’s mind — to turn back towards God, it had a profound effect on me. This emphasis on returning rather than remorse was enlightening to me.

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, there is that moment when the son realizes that he would be better off going back to his father’s home and asking for his forgiveness. In describing that moment, the text says, “But when he came to himself…” When he came to himself — when he woke up and realized that it was time to go home — that was the act of repenting. And that is what the Lenten season has become for me, a time to come home to God, to come home to myself, to come home.

As much as I might wish that coming home equated to “snuggling in” around the fireplace, the reality is that coming home to God means standing for truth and justice. When you think about it, God’s people have consistently lived in challenging times — times of oppression and of being the oppressor. Jesus came to set us on the right track — the track of loving our neighbor and caring for the outcast — and so we return to that. We return to being kind, to taking care of those around us. We return to challenging lies when we hear them and speaking truth. It might not seem like a lot, but it does mean there is always something we can do — we can live the lives God wants us to live.

In the poem titled “Return” by Jan Richardson, she describes this process of turning towards God and says, “You were built for this, the ancient path inscribed upon your bones.” We were made to keep turning towards God. Lent invites us to find and follow that ancient path. May you find your way home this Lenten season.

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Rev. Kathy Cramer (DSF/PSR graduate, M.Div./2002) is a lifelong member of the Disciples of Christ denomination. After working in the Mental Health Field for over 30 years, she heard the call to ministry. Currently, she serves as a Co-Pastor to a small community-based church in Bodega Bay, CA that meets primarily on Zoom. She also leads weekly Chi Gung classes and lives in Napa, CA with her husband Alan.