Lent is for Turning: It's a stumbling-block thing.

I was walking on a sidewalk on the Sewanee campus with my son David this past Saturday and moved into single file to make room for a group passing the other way.  They did not similarly align themselves and effectively forced both of us off the walk.  It was disturbing.

Just common courtesy would say take some level of care for others in a situation like that.  That's what people do.  We adjust our direction and make room for each other.  I'm still trying to figure out how it happened.  Maybe, they weren't aware of us.  They didn't seem to be in a hurry.  They for sure were not competing in a three-legged race or in any way constrained to stay side-by-side.  All they had to do was what David and I did; turn enough to keep our overall direction and leave space for others to pass.

That is also a type of turning that Lent expects of us.  Yes the core definition from the Hebrew of turning is a reversal of course back toward God.  But that only works if we understand repentance as a one and done act.

Check pages 293 or 304 in the Book of Common Prayer and you'll see this question, "Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?"  It is part of our Baptismal Covenant.  We promise to persevere, "with God's help" because our lives do not stop at the moment of our promising.  Because our lives continue to suffer falling into sin.

Like navigating a Sewanee sidewalk we must keep turning, resisting evil, and repent and repent and repent.  Some turns are reversals, some adjustments, some courtesies, and some have nothing to do anyone else but we must keep turning.

Lent is for turning and turning and turning and not for locking in on a path born of stubbornness or dismissal or even worse, fear and enmity.  Like it says in 1 John 20:10, "The one who loves his kindred continues in the light, and his life puts no stumbling-block in the way of others."

It's even harder when we're intending to walk with each other or in parallel.  Sometimes our own failing/falling leaves us unable at least for the moment to adjust or to turn.  Sometimes we need someone to turn and lend a hand or turn and protect themselves and avoid piling up others also coming along the path.

Each person's life is unique and known as such in the eyes of God.  So it will not work to impose -- like lockstep marching -- the exact same gait, pace or progress. Our walking together, our shared passage back to God calls us to turn and turn we must.