I was amazed to discover how many Maren Morris songs I knew when my family went to the rodeo on Tuesday night. My daughter is a fan which is why, when we were offered tickets by a friend, we jumped at the opportunity to take her to the concert. I knew at least the chorus to at least half of the songs she sang…which is remarkable because in order to write this Spirit Shot article, I had to look up her name to make sure I had it right. Either way, I have not been able to get the catchy hook “Baby, why don’t you just meet me in the middle?” out of my head since.

I often imagine the very early roots of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The desire to celebrate one last bit before spending several weeks in humble preparation for the holiness of Easter seems like a natural inclination. There is also something beautiful in recognizing that the transition to Ash Wednesday and Lent is ever eminent in that celebration. The fun times roll for sure, but in context, the party isn’t the point. The first time I heard that the streets of New Orleans are completely shut down at midnight on Shrove Tuesday I was amazed at how seriously the transition was taken.

Friends, in regard to what is transpiring in Ukraine and in anticipation of the start of Lent, I invite you to join me in praying for two particular kinds of peace.

First, join me in praying for peace among those in power. The hope of peace among nations is a hope in which unnecessary aggression, violence, and suffering is not visited upon people who have no reason to be made to suffer. The upending of day to day life toward suffering is fundamentally incongruous with how people are meant to share this life and world. Anything that can be done at this time to stop unnecessary suffering, especially of an attacked people, should be undertaken. And so, we pray for peace among the nations as carried out by those with power.

Aunt Becky and Uncle Bill flew in this week to attend Holy Spirit School’s Grandparents and Special Friends Day this week. The excitement of visitors and the joy our kids have of showing them around is something we have been missing until this moment of waning pandemic concerns. Many of these amazing and once-taken-for granted moments seem to be surfacing. Our vestry met fully in person for the first time this week (I will not miss the awkwardness of zoom meetings). We have our Blessings in a Backpack annual fundraiser tonight. Many of our ministries are coming back like first Sunday breakfasts and Prayer Shawl gatherings. I find I am breathing a bit easier and rediscovering a once well-honed ministerial rhythm.

My wonderful wife has somehow managed to keep track of all the art projects our kids did when they were little, some of which are holiday themed. This time of the year all sorts of pink and red heart crafts make an appearance around our house. I am currently looking at a wonderful piece created when Neil was 14 months old. Christmas ornaments and painted eggs also make an appearance in the appropriate seasons. I see pictures of my little ones from just a few years ago and marvel at how much they’ve grown.

The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus stepping away to pray. He often went up the mountain or crossed to the other side of the sea to have an intentional moment by himself and I believe it safe to say that it is a good model for us. I am always hopeful that coming to church on Sunday can be that respite for you every week.

Every last Sunday of January, the Holy Spirit congregation gathers to mark the year. It is an interesting day to do so considering how many other moments we have, both secular and liturgical, to delineate chunks of time. This marking of the year is, at least in appearance, a meeting meant to do what some would call the work or business of the church. I would like to suggest that this meeting is actually about our faith.

Fears often reach back to a reference point for context. When it gets cold and windy, I start praying for ERCOT and the electrical grid. When there is a disturbance in the south Atlantic, I start praying for some kind of pressure system that would take any potential storm out to sea. You can pretty much fill in the equation with words like variant, diagnosis, accident, or threat. Over millennia we have come to be survivors because we learn from previous challenges or tragedies in order to prevent future ones.