blog.sinden.org

Dear friends,

I want to start talking about Lent. Yes, already!

Seems early, doesn't it? But here's what I'm thinking:

It was only in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday 2017 that I decided to attempt to compile a collaborative Lenten devotional on hymns.

We called it Songs in the Desert, and the project was such a big success last year that I want to re-imagine this project for 2018.

This year, with more lead time, I want to ask for more submissions to create another collaborative podcast that would serve as a Lenten reflection around hymns.

I could see that there was tremendous interest in what we were doing, and I thought that with a little more notice we could sustain the project for the full season of Lent.

Who: You! If you're reading this, you should probably just go ahead and sign up. If you submitted a reflection last year, I hope you'll submit again.

When: Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2018. Hey, that's Valentine's Day! (More on this in a minute.) Beginning on Ash Wednesday I'd like to have reflections to send out for every weekday before Palm Sunday.

What: A short reflection on a hymn. It can be any hymn you want. Because Ash Wednesday is Valentine's Day, I thought it would fun if the theme was "Love" (but is that too cheesy?). Did you know the word "love" appears 867 times in hymns of the Hymnal 1982?. You can address this theme any way you want. If your chosen hymn is about God it's probably about love (because God is love, right?).

How:

• STEP 1: If you're interested, I hope you'll sign up for a reflection here: Songs in the Desert 2018. (If you have any trouble with the sign-up thingamajig just send me an email at dsinden@gmail.com)
• STEP 2: Send me a reflection (at dsinden@gmail.com. Submissions may be written text or audio. If written, I, or another member of the project, will read it aloud. Audio files may be recorded on whatever you have available (even the voice memo on your smartphone can work). Submissions should be no more than 600 words, or five minutes long.

Where: I'll post updates on the project on this blog and at Sinden.org/hymns. The podcast is still live on iTunes, so new episodes will start showing up there too.

Why: Because it will be fun! Because hearing each other's stories about hymns changes the way we sing, hear, and pray them. Because Lent is a great time to examine our faith, and a close reading of hymns can help us do just that.

Thanks for your interest in this year's Songs in the Desert project, and I hope you'll sign up to submit a reflection in 2018!

Songs in the Desert is a Sinden Production of Anglican Media (SPAM)

Labels: hymns, Lent, Songs in the Desert