We live in a time of crisis and conflict.   We are deeply aware of violence and wars, climate extremes, and the displacement of millions of refugees.  We feel the instability and fraying of the fabric of our communities.  It can feel as if the ‘center will not hold’, as W. B Yeats lamented more than a hundred years ago when he experienced a similar time of shifting foundations in society.  Such times might cause our hope to waver, but the season of Lent reminds us that our hope is rooted in God’s love, a love that makes all things new, a love that conquers death and promises life in abundance.  Guided by scripture, insight from mystics and poets, and our own experiences of God’s love and grace, we come together to open our hearts to Christ’s living flame of love that rekindles the hope that will not disappoint.