My grandmother passed away in January. The last few months have been full of going through the things she left behind. We are discovering Grandmom was quite a collector. In some ways, this is daunting because it means quite a bit of stuff to sort through. In other ways, it’s been fascinating. We are making all kinds of family discoveries – like finding letters and pictures of relatives long deceased. I love learning new family history. One of the special finds is poetry my great-great-grandfather wrote to my great-great-grandmother in the early 1900’s. I always thought my love of the written word came from my father’s side of the family. It’s so cool to see it on my mother’s side of the family, too.

Lent is a little bit like going through the family history. Every year we observe Lent and practice traditions that have been passed down generation to generation. When we forget exactly why we observe Lent a certain way, it’s our opportunity to look into it and see where that tradition comes from and why it matters. Remembering why we do something helps give whatever it is we’re doing deeper meaning (versus just “going through the motions” or doing something “because we’ve always done it that way.”). In Deuteronomy, when Moses instructs the people to give their first fruits of their new land, he tells them the giving is about remembering – remembering where they were and where they are now and how God got them there. The first fruits of Deuteronomy 26 are a way of remembering a family history. “The Lord brought us out of Egypt,” Moses said, “with a mighty and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders” (Deut. 26:8). Do this in remembrance of I AM.

As we move through Lent again, as we have so many times before, pay attention to what God is doing. Imagine how God has been a part of not just our Lenten observances, but the Lenten observances of the whole great cloud of witnesses that came before us. We are also writing what will be our future family’s history, so be sure to leave a trail of breadcrumbs to tell future generations they are part of something much bigger than themselves.

Rev. Rebecca Mallozzi, Faith Presbyterian Church, Emmaus, PA