lenten thoughts on sight
Lent is a season when followers of Jesus intentionally try to move closer to God, so this year, we will try to move closer by considering the countless ways we encounter God through our senses.
This week, we are focusing on sight and seeing. Our reflections are from Paula Droege and Chad Hershberger. Paula and Chad each share some thoughts on the prompt:
“What sights help you feel the love of God?”
look up
“I lift my eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help.” Psalm 121
This is one of my favorite Bible verses because its truth is real in my life. I like to hike and look up the trail, look up the slopes that surround me, and look up to the sky and sun in glory above the trees. Whatever mood I had at the start of the hike is transformed into hope when I look to the hills. My steady pace and deep breath focus my mind on the climb as I look up.
During my semester abroad in Germany, I learned that all those European churches are so tall because the height reminded worshippers of heaven. Light streaming through stained glass windows inspires awe and a sense of divine power.
Not many churches in the US share the height and grandeur of European cathedrals. Lutherans at Valparaiso University are lucky enough to have one of them. My father was a Lutheran theologian at VU, so the Chapel of the Resurrection was my ‘home’ church. As a kid, the academic sermons were super boring. Instead of listening, I gazed at the bright Christus Rex and the colorful images adorning the 98-foot-tall windows. From an early age, I have found the peace that passes all understanding by looking at light, from the heavens to the earth.
Paula Droege, Faculty Advisor to the Lutheran Student Community and Philosophy Professor at Penn State
night lights
I lay on the grass looking upward, pondering the mysteries of the universe while looking at the sky dotted with millions of stars. The stars shined with varying intensities, mapping out a masterful plan of creation, forming constellations no matter what their brightness.
To me that night, the stars represented the people who I had met in my life. In some way, everyone I meet touches me. But each does so to a different degree. The brightest stars in the sky are like people who mean the most to me in my life. Their influence is very bright. Other stars, which are not so bright, are like people who I consider just passing friends and acquaintances. The dull stars are like people I have met but who have only been part of my life for a very brief season. Each of them has been placed in my path by God with some being brighter than others.
The brightest object in the sky that night was the moon. I thought to myself, God is like the moon. Sometimes we can see the moon and sometimes it is covered by clouds. But it is always there. Sometimes we purposely go out to see the moon in the sky, but most times we take it for granted. God is that way. Sometimes it is obvious to us that God is with us. But sometimes God is covered by our clouds and harder to see. No matter what, God is always there. And God’s love for us is immense!
Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” You are the star in other’s lives. Let your light shine brightly so that they may see and feel your love and know that you are God’s.
–Chad Hershberger, LCM Board Member, PSU Alum, and Director of Camp Mt. Luther and Synod staff for the Upper Susquehanna Synod.
Lent 2025: Sensing God
O God,
Your creativity fills my sight every day.
There are brilliant colors, dazzling lights, fascinating shapes, endless movements.
I look for the faces of people I love and places I call home.
I notice new sights and familiar things.
You are here in all that I see.
Amen.
God created our bodies and gave us marvelous senses through which we engage with the world around us. Every day, whether we think about it or not, we encounter God’s presence through sensory experiences that are holy or silly or powerful or unremarkable. This Lent we will move closer to God by noticing and reflecting on these sense-driven experiences.
We invite you to share your own thoughts and observations on what touch helps you feel God’s love on this link to our Instagram thread this week.
You can share an image or a thought or just a word or two.
Blessings to you this Lent. May we all sense God’s loving presence.
Peace,
Alicia
Lutheran Student Community is a community of faith for students while at Penn State.
You are welcome to bring doubts and questions, to explore what it means to be a person of faith as you grow and discover who you are and what you are going to do with your life.
We gather around worship, discussion/study, service opportunities, and community that are designed with students in mind. Student leaders help to guide our plans and our gatherings – and everyone is welcome. Come as you are. Really.