February 23, 2024

I have been immersed in all things Taylor Swift for the past few weeks, doing my best to live up to my promise to the kids of Saint Anne's regarding a Taylor Swift breakout session during Lenten Wednesdays. Oh, the deep dives I've done and rabbit holes I've chased! The best part has been learning from the kids. They've pointed me toward certain songs - and advised me on which ones to avoid, due to inappropriate lyrics! - and let me know which songs are meaningful to them. How does it all tie into Lent and Easter? Well, just listen to the lyrics of the song Marjorie, one that Noah shared as a favorite:

And if I didn't know better
I'd think you were talking to me now
If I didn't know better
I'd think you were still around
What died didn't stay dead
What died didn't stay dead...

Resurrection tones?! And that is just the tip of the Taylor Swift and Lent iceberg.

The truth is, of course, that Taylor Swift did not write lyrics specifically to align with Lent, or Easter, or even Christianity in general. But the deeper truth is that the story we enter during Lent and through Easter, the entire story of Christianity, is not contained by the church. Our Great Story of love, sacrifice, pain, sharing, loss, grief, mystery, holiness, and yes, new life, is universal. It is the blood that runs through our veins and the beating of our hearts. It's community and connection and all the ways we matter to one another. It's the truth we all live, day in and out.

My prayer for you this week is to find our Great Story out in the wider world. To see the creative force of God at work in something new, to feel the presence of the living Christ in unexpected places, and to hear Spirit singing truths about love, connection, loss, grief, growth, mystery, holiness, and transformation wherever you seek it.