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Preparation for Lent and Mission 5 March 2003 Dear CDSP Community Members: Epiphany is over and the season of Lent is upon us. In these past weeks we have heard much about who Jesus is and what difference he has made and can make for our lives. We have been challenged to proclaim that light, healing, and the forgiveness of sins have come into the world. And now, as we think about Jesus and his journey to Jerusalem and the cross, we are asked if we are ready to take that journey with him. How will we prepare ourselves for this season and for the mission to which we are all called? While the answers to this question are in part dependent upon our individual circumstances, there are some things happening here at CDSP which reflect a communal call to mission and preparation that all of us can participate in or are affected by. Consider, for example, the mission of CDSP. Next week, 12-14 March 2003, we will be hosting an accreditation visit by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Six “strangers” to our school will be here to help us answer one basic question: How well prepared is CDSP to carry out its educational mission? We have provided much written documentation to help answer this question, and now a series of interviews and exposure to the community is the final part of this process. Some of you will talk with these visitors, some will not. But, finally, the questions they ask and the answers we give in our common life together will help us know where we are doing things well and where we need to grow. Thank you ahead of time, for your part in hospitality to these special guests. I will share the results of this Preparatory Review with all of you as soon as I am able. Last week I was at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Vancouver, Washington, with three CDSP graduates (Robert Rhodes, Jack Erskine, and Grethe Barber). As a preparation for Lent, the parish was reminded to worship, to study, to serve, and to rest. It strikes me that this four-fold call to preparation is equally appropriate for all of us here. These activities and priorities will help us all respond to the challenges God gives us in the coming days. I give thanks that we can do this together in Lent. Finally, there is always one other graceful, and sometimes disconcerting, part of life that comes to us as we prepare for Lent and our mission: surprise! Our best laid plans and our most meticulous preparation will never be enough, for something unexpected, even unwanted, will also come to challenge us, to call us to adjust and adapt. When that happens, and it will, our worship, study, service, and rest, the resources of family, friends, community and most of all God’s faithful presence will help us know what we must do. As we prepare for mission and for living faithfully in a world that needs the peaceful good news of Jesus Christ, I wish you all a holy Lent. Faithfully yours, Donn F. Morgan |
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