Five video meditations on Lent

Mike Hill, Station 5, "Jesus Meets His Mother" (pencil drawing)

O Lord and Master of my life! 

Take from me the spirit of sloth,

faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk. 

But give rather the spirit of chastity, 

humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. 

Yea, O Lord and King! 

Grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother; 

For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen 
-- A Lenten Prayer by St. Ephrem the Syrian

"[The story of Christ's death and resurrection] is a story which makes possible the comprehensive act of trust without which growth is impossible." -- Rowan Williams, Resurrection (London: 1982), p. 49



1. TREE by Jeff Lefever: a hauntingly spare visual and musical exploration of trees, which rewards multiple viewings. Please click on link to see video.

2. A lovely matching of "cartoon" images of "Jesus in the wilderness" and the music of "Explosions in the Sky."




3. This is a helpful introduction to the ecclesial practice of Lent by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.




4. If Lent, at one level, is about the mortification and vivification of the human creature, then what better inspiration to bring our whole selves under the good guidance and sanctifying power of Christ by his Spirit than a visually arresting reminder of our first birth.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made, then and now, by a God who knows what he is doing in us.




5. While this video was originally intended to market the Chronological Life Application Study Bible from Tyndale Publishers, it's another fine example of video work by Mothlight Creative: in this case, a stop-motion animation of the whole story of the Bible using colored sand. When we're stuck in the seemingly impossibly hard moments of our Lenten practices, it's nice to be reminded of the big picture. It's also nice to be reminded that we're not alone.