Preparing for Pilgrimage...and Lent

I'm big on preparation.  It probably has something to do with my type A personality.  When it comes to taking a trip, I'm even more fanatical about being prepared.  I want to make sure all the logistics are taken care of well beforehand: flights, hotels, transportation, and itinerary.  I spend hours upon hours researching each detail to ensure the trip goes as smoothly as possible.

So when the dream of going on a pilgrimage to Israel became a reality, I dove right in to the logistics.  Hours upon hours later I had chosen the perfect hotels, birthed an exciting itinerary, discovered a wonderful tour guide, and booked the best transportation.  Next was the packing list and anything that needed to be bought for the trip.  Then there was work that needed to be covered: guest preachers, liturgists, Ash Wednesday service, excused absences from meetings, etc.  But that wasn't all.  I was missing a big part of my preparation. Perhaps the most important part of all: my spiritual preparation.

Preparing spiritually for a life transforming event is essential.  Without adequate preparation opportunities to grow deeper will be missed, whispers from the Holy One will be drowned out, and personal change will only be superficial.  Perhaps that is why the seasons of Lent and Advent were introduced into the Christian calendar.

You see, it's easy to neglect the spiritual preparation for a journey.  Lent is a spiritual journey toward the cross, and ultimately the empty tomb.  Yet for many, Easter preparation centers around Easter clothes, Easter lilies, Easter dinner, and Easter egg hunts, instead of an inward invitation to go deeper into the spiritual life.  We need Lent in order to experience Easter in all its fullness.  We need that time to prepare and do the spiritual work required of us.

Spiritual preparation includes prayer, scripture reading, personal reflection and awareness, discernment, holy listening, journaling, and holy reading.  That's true for a trip to Israel or Lent.  So now that much of the logistics and physical preparations have been completed, it's time to turn to the spiritual.  Time to engage in spiritual preparation for the pilgrimage ahead...the pilgrimage to Israel and the pilgrimage of Lent.

How are you preparing yourself spiritually for Lent?