It’s that time of year:
pancakes all tossed,
on with the forty days and nights.
Our annual repentance is now under way,
of heat and dust.
Whilst you survived the heat and dust of the desert
helped by angels and wildlife,
we, for whom pancakes
come easier than repentance,
do not look forward to returning to
this place on our annual visit.
The desert may have
its moments of beauty;
still star-filled nights,
awesome vistas,
weather etched outcrops
but as we enter the desert together again,
we wonder if we’ll ever find
the road to Jerusalem
on the other side.
Lenten Christ
when we are tempted to practise skills
only for self-survival,
remind us of the company we keep,
of the revolutionaries and holy fools
with whom we travel,
of the footsteps in which we tread,
and of the timely nature of our journey.
Janet Lees
Taken from the URC Prayer Handbook 2009
© The United Reformed Church
Used with permission