In the last few months, I have had the privilege of traveling to various border regions around the world. These visits have left a deep impression on me, as I have seen firsthand the harm caused by physical walls and checkpoints. And now as we go through our Lenten journey, I am also reminded of the emotional and spiritual walls that exist within us.

I crossed into Mexico twice, once to Guadalajara to visit congregations and people with Iglesia Luterana Mexicana, and then to a shelter in Nogales with Grand Canyon Synod and Churchwide representatives. At the US-Mexico border, we saw the physical walls and checkpoints that separate families and communities. These barriers can cause untold harm to innocent people seeking safety and a better life. As Christians, we are called to extend a hand of welcome and compassion to those in need, and to seek ways to bridge the divides that exist between nations and peoples and yet, this issue has been so politically charged that our elected officials have not been able to work together for a humane solution.

In Palestine, along with over 40 pilgrims from our synod and Illinois, we witnessed the devastating impact of the wall that separates Israeli and Palestinian communities. This wall, which is over 400 miles long, has cut off families and farmers from their land, and has created a deep sense of mistrust and fear between the two groups. As followers of Jesus, we are called to work for peace and justice, and to seek ways to build bridges of understanding and cooperation between conflicting parties.

In Belfast with members of University of Arizona’s Lutheran Campus Ministry, we visited the walls that divide Catholic and Protestant communities, and saw the scars left by decades of sectarian violence. These walls were meant to be temporary, but have persisted for decades, reinforcing divisions and perpetuating fear and suspicion. As believers, we are called to break down the barriers that divide us and to seek ways to promote reconciliation and healing.

But the walls around us are not just physical. We all have emotional and spiritual walls that we build and reinforce to shield ourselves from vulnerability and pain. During Lent, we are called to tear down these walls and open ourselves to the transformative power of God's love. We are invited to examine the ways in which we have built walls around ourselves, and to ask for the humility to remove them.

We are also challenged to recognize the walls that exist within us, such as pride, envy, and anger, and to seek the healing and reconciliation that only God can provide.

As we journey through Lent, let us embrace the call to remove the walls that separate us from God and from one another. Let us commit ourselves to the hard work of self-reflection and repentance, and let us open ourselves to the transformative power of God's love for ourselves and our neighbor’s sake.

May this season of Lent be a time of renewal and reconciliation, and may it bring us closer to the fullness of life that God desires for us.

I invite you to join me in a prayer we shared each day at Correymeela in Ireland:

Courage comes from the heart and we are always welcomed by God, the heart of all being.

We bear witness to our faith, knowing that we are called to live lives of courage, love and reconciliation

In the ordinary and extraordinary moments of each day.

We bear witness, too, to our failures and our complicity in the fractures of our world.

May we be courageous today. May we learn today. May we love today.

Amen.

With prayers and blessings for a blessed Lenten season,

The Rev. Deborah K. Hutterer
Bishop
Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA