Week One: The Threshold

Lent begins before the first step is taken. It finds us at the doorway, in the hush before movement, in the moment before commitment.

To enter Lent is not about feeling ready. It is about showing up as we are—with longing or hesitation, with certainty or uncertainty. It is about pausing at the threshold long enough to name what we carry and what we are willing to lay down.

This week is not about effort. It is about presence. It is about listening at the doorway before we step through.

This is the invitation of the first week of Lent:

  • To pause before the journey rushes forward.

  • To name what we bring with us—grief, hope, longing, fear.

  • To let the season meet us where we are, without demand or pressure.

Weekly Scripture

📖 Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly."

This is the heart of Lent—not striving, not performing, but stepping into a different rhythm. One that is not rushed. One that invites us to lay down what we were never meant to carry.

Core Practice: The Open Hands Ritual

Each day, take a moment to open your hands.

  • In the morning, hold them in fists, feeling the weight of what you carry.

  • Then, slowly, open them, releasing the need to grip so tightly.

  • Whisper: "I do not enter this journey carrying everything I once did."

This simple practice is a way of honoring the threshold. It reminds us that Lent is not about adding more weight to our lives—it is about trusting that some things can be released, even if only for a moment.

Additional Offering: A Guided Reflection – The Doorway of Lent

Find a quiet space. Close your eyes.

Imagine yourself standing at a threshold.
Behind you is all that has been—the worries, the hopes, the weight of what you carry.
Before you is the unknown—the season ahead, the invitation that has not yet fully revealed itself.

There is no rush to step forward.

Simply stand here for a moment.
Breathe.

Ask yourself: What am I bringing with me into this season? What am I willing to set down?

Do not force an answer. Let the questions rest.

When you are ready, imagine yourself taking one quiet step forward. Not because you know the way. Not because you have it all figured out.

But because something sacred is waiting.

A Final Word for Those Walking This Pathway

Lent was never meant to be another burden.

It is not about keeping up, about proving your devotion, about exhausting yourself in the name of faith. It is a slow work, an unfolding, a way of noticing.

Whatever you can give to this journey is enough.

Some days, you will have space for deep reflection. Other days, all you will have is a breath, a whisper of prayer, a single moment of stillness.

Both are holy.

The threshold has been crossed. You have already begun.

Let’s walk forward, step by step, into what is waiting.