Lent is “an invitation to draw closer to Christ through intentional spiritual practices, while at the same time responding to Christ’s love through compassionate action for others.” Photo: Aldo Luud/Õhtuleht.
“More urgent than ever to preach the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ”
(LWI) – At a moment when some political leaders are openly suggesting that groups of people possess less dignity than others — on the basis of status, ethnicity or gender — LWF General Secretary Burghardt reminds Lutheran churches across the world of “our vocation to bear witness — gently yet firmly — to the God-given dignity of every human being.” History has shown where such thinking leads: to the de-humanization of entire groups, to immense suffering, and even to the loss of countless lives. What many long for, she writes, is peace “in the world and in our churches, in families and in the workplace,” a peace that endures against the powers that sow fear and division.
Lent, Burghardt suggests, is the season to ask not only what we should refrain from, but what requires deeper attention in our relationships, our structures, our own communities. Jesus crossed the dividing lines of his time with compassion and courage. Following him means honoring one another’s gifts and enabling everyone to live into their calling.
The LWF General Secretary also speaks to the erosion of truth and the international order. When respect for law collapses, power becomes the only measure of right — a rule Jesus never taught. In the Beatitudes, those who long for righteousness are twice called blessed, she writes. And in an era plagued false witness and misinformation, Luther’s explanation of the eighth commandment feels urgent: Christians are called to come to their neighbor’s defense, speak well of them, and interpret their actions in the best possible light.
May Lent also be a season that invites us to not only ask what we should refrain from, but to consider what requires deeper attention in our lives.
LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt
Through all of this runs an essential question posed to churches and Christians during Lent: what does it mean to walk toward the cross in this particular moment? Burghardt’s advice is to trust that even small steps may, like the mustard seed, grow and change the world — that transformative peace is possible as reconciliation lived in the interplay of love, justice and truth.
“We are not left alone,” she writes. “Jesus Christ has promised to be with us to the end of the age, grounding our hope and strengthening our resilience,” adding that “It is more urgent than ever to preach the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ in opposition to misleading theologies built on fear, meritocracy and prosperity.”
“I pray that this Lenten season may be a time of prayer, discernment, and renewal of the mind, collectively and individually,” Burghardt writes in conclusion.
Source: Lutheran World Federation
