Growing in Grace:

the nine whys on gathering to study for Lent 2025.

Grace is often a tiny seed, a small kernel needing a bit of watering and light and nourishment to grow. Perhaps we grow together in grace when we bring our little seeds together: to water, nourish and shine light on them together. I write in the hope that we may read, reflect, discuss and grow in grace together.

Just coming from our annual Bishop’s Retreat at the beautiful Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls, where we usually have some interesting learning with a chaplain. This year, our chaplain was Jason Zinko, Bishop of Manitoba and Northern Ontario for the ELCIC.

Jason lead us in a process called Purpose-to-Practice, and I readily confess I didn’t follow along the whole process - my brain was pretty tired as I prepare to take a few much-needed rest days. But one of the most useful exercises we did under Bishop Jason’s guidance was the “nine whys” exercise.

The goal of the exercise was to dig deep and excavate our way to the bottom of our motivations or purpose in engaging in whatever we do. I applied this process, in group, to my desire to use some of the articles I have posted recently here for a Lenten Study.

Janaki: I’d like to do a Lenten Study using a series of articles I’ve written on substack. In these articles, I’ve intentionally chosen a gentle story-telling approach to introduce something that may be difficult to talk about (racism, immigration politics, birthright citizenship, cultural differences, privilege, ). My goal is to put each article with a scripture and some study questions, and have people gather to discuss together.

group: Why do you want to do this study?

Janaki: Because I think the world is becoming increasingly polarized. It feels like, often, news is presented to further this polarization. I think we all, and especially people of faith, need to learn how to be present with our own internal reactions, to hold space for difficult conversations, and to be compassionate with each other as a means of standing together against polarization.

group: Why do you think this is important?

Janaki: Because, without learning to listen to each other and ourselves, how can we speak with each other in love? How can we bridge the growing divides?

group: Why do you want to bridge the divides? Why does it matter to you?

Janaki: Ultimately, because God has bridged a much greater divide than any I could ever ask orimagine. God has created an ever-living bridge for crossing all divides in Jesus. And I believe that Jesus calls us to be bridge-builders, to be holders of the sacred spaces in which differences are negotiated with respect, love, compassion and even laughter and joy.

group: Why do you think studying your articles during Lent will help with building bridges or holding these sacred spaces?

Janaki: Because each article has an element of (at least one) something challenging in it: from racism to immigration politics, from cultural differences to economic disparities between nations and people. And because each article seeks to present the challenge with a story, using a framework of gentleness and grace. Each article seeks to model a gracious way to look at a difficult earthly reality. Each study will take an article and hold it in tension with a carefully selected scripture and some study questions for reflection and discussion.

group: Why do you think including scriptures and questions will be helpful?

Janaki: Our scriptures give us good challenges for how to approach real-world situations. For example, Jesus said “Love your enemies.” This is not an easy one - it doesn’t mean allow ourselves to be doormats, it doesn’t mean surrender ourselves to bullies. But it is a call to step into that hateful space that is so easy to occupy between ourselves and those with whom we disagree. We need this call, this invitation into love in this time.

group: Why do you have to add questions, on top of the articles and scriptures? Seems like a lot!!

Janaki: The questions will be designed to draw us into the invitation of the scriptures, with the challenges presented in the articles. The questions serve as diving off points for us to talk together, in a more than superficial way, about the things that arise within us when we hear and read about difficult things.

group: Why do you think talking will even be helpful?

Janaki: Because talking is a way to foster relationships in a time that seems to invite us into oppositional stances with each other. Talking with each other, listening with each other, listening to ourselves helps us to understand the position of the other, and helps us to see the person behind the opinion or strongly held belief.

group: Why do you think participants won’t just end up fighting and mad at each other?

Janaki: Because we will begin each session with some carefully laid out ground rules, along the principles of Indigenous Talking & Listening Circles. We will listen as one person speaks at a time. We will speak from our own perspectives, without rebutting or putting each other down. We will listen (perhaps most importantly) for our own inner reactions: noticing where we feel contracted and resistant, noticing where we feel expansive and resonant with what we hear. This frame work for talking and listening is meant to function as the scaffolding for the safe sacred space of our conversation.

group: Well, that was nine whys!

The how for the Lenten Study will be:

Gathering on ZOOM alone: Mondays at 7 pm during Lent (Mondays in March - 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st and April 7th). If Mondays work well for you, mark these in your calendar.

Gathering on ZOOM and in-person (Wiarton at 441 Brown Street and Tobermory at Tobermory United Church): Wednesdays at 2 pm during Lent (Wednesdays in March - 12th, 19th, 26th and April 2nd and 9th). If Wednesdays work well for you, mark these in your calendar.

Before each week of study (on Mondays), a posting will be published here on substack with:

• a link to the primary article (these are the five primary articles: Mango time, My Father’s Skin, United Nations of Fruit, Stop the Bleeding, Capybara Privilege).

• an audio of the primary article (read in a lilting Caribbean-Sri-Lankan accent).

• a scripture reading.

• questions for reflection and discussion.

• Zoom link for the upcoming week.

You can access the study material for each week as they are posted by subscribing or by emailing me to go on the study email list at: janakibandara@diohuron.org

First Study Link will come out Monday March 3rd! Stay tuned!!

If you have any questions, you can also email me at janakibandara@diohuron.org

Please feel free to share the material at home, around a meal table, or however makes sense for your circle of reach. Let us find ways, creative and loving ways, to grow in grace together. First Study Link will come out Monday March 3rd! Stay tuned!!

Photo by Nik on Unsplash