“The Weekend Wanderer” is a weekly curated selection of news, stories, resources, and media on the intersection of faith and culture for you to explore through your weekend. Wander through these links however you like and in any order you like. Disclaimer: I do not necessarily agree with all the views expressed within these articles but have found them thought-provoking.

“Facing Death, Finding Hope: Thoughts on the Lenten Collect” – Esau McCaulley at Renovaré: “

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in me a new and contrite heart, that worthily lamenting my sins and acknowledging my wretchedness, I may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Almighty God, you have created me out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to me a sign of my mortality and penitence, that I may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ my Savior. Amen.

“The glorious thing about this collect, and all the prayers of Lent, is that they presume a loss of zeal. Over time we get comfortable in our sins. They become a part of who we are, a portion of the spiritual architecture of our lives. They are a limp we get used to walking with.  Ash Wednesday (and Lent) is a call to remember our first love, the pursuit of holiness that may have marked the first years of our journey with God. Sin must become repulsive again.  We need new hearts set aflame with love for God.”

“In ‘Gospel’ docuseries, Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores Black church’s music, ministers” – Adelle M. Banks at Religion News Service: “The interplay between song and sermon — and the importance of both in Black churches — is the focus of a new docuseries created by scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. ‘Gospel’ premieres on PBS stations on Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 12 and 13) and is preceded by a related concert that premieres this week on Friday on public television. ‘Gospel and preaching go hand in hand, flip sides of the manner in which we sound the word of God through these two sublimely majestic art forms,’ Gates said in remarks at a late January preview event that showcased clips from two of the four episodes that will air over the two days. Gates, a Harvard professor known for his ‘Finding Your Roots’ program and creator of the book and docuseries ‘The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song,’ noted that gospel emanates from a variety of styles of music — such as the blues, R&B and soul — but as an overall genre has stood the test of time. ‘Gospel is the resonant, living repository of our people’s rich spiritual past,’ he told an interracial crowd that gathered at Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church to hear him speak, view the clips and listen to musicians perform hits recorded by Walter Hawkins, Richard Smallwood and The Clark Sisters.”

“Shooter at Houston megachurch had lengthy criminal history including weapons charges, police say” – Christina Maxouris, Lauren Mascarenhas and John Miller at CNN: “A woman who walked into a popular Texas megachurch Sunday afternoon with a long gun and her 7-year-old son opened fire before she was killed by law enforcement officers on scene. The gunfire left the child in critical condition and another man injured, officials said. Authorities are now probing the shooting at televangelist and pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church – roughly 6 miles from downtown Houston. The woman, identified in a search warrant as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, 36, entered the church shortly before 2 p.m. wearing a trench coat and backpack and opened fire, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said in a Sunday afternoon news conference. Officers ‘shot and killed her in self-defense’ after she pointed her weapon at them, according to the search warrant released Monday by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.”

“Praying the Psalms” – Robert Louis Wilken at First Things: “Athanasius, the heroic bishop of Alexandria in the mid-fourth century—who was sent into exile five times—is best known for his defense of the creed of the Council of Nicaea (325 a.d.) against its Arian detractors. The three-volume treatise Against the Arians is his most substantive theological work. Less known is his little book on the psalms, the Letter to Marcellinus. During an illness, Marcellinus, a deacon in the church in Alexandria, had spent his days studying the Bible, especially the psalms, and he wished to know the meaning contained in each psalm. In his response, Athanasius writes that all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching (2 Tim. 3:16), ‘yet the Book of Psalms is like a garden which besides bearing fruit that is found elsewhere, exhibits things of its own in song along with the words.’ Psalms draws on truths and images from other books of the Bible, but more than any other book, Psalms speaks the language of the heart.”

“Henry Blackaby, author of ‘Experiencing God,’ has died at age 88” – Bob Smietana in Religion News Service: “Henry Blackaby, a pastor and author whose Experiencing God Bible study sold more than 8 million copies, has died at age 88. ‘We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of Henry Blackaby,’ Ben Mandrell, president of Lifeway Christian Resources, Blackaby’s longtime publisher, said in announcing the author’s death on Saturday (Feb. 10). ‘He was a great man of God and minister to the body of Christ, beginning with his time as a local church pastor and continuing through his ministry as an author and Bible teacher.’ Born April 15, 1935, in British Columbia, Blackaby had been serving as pastor of a church in California when he was asked to return to his native Canada and assist a small church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, that was on the verge of closing. At the time, Faith Baptist Church in Saskatoon had 10 members, according to a history on the website of Blackaby Ministries International. Under his leadership, the church not only grew, it eventually sponsored a college and 38 other churches. Blackbacky, with the help of co-author Claude King, would distill the lessons from his pastoral experience in a Bible study called ‘Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God.'”

“Notre Dame cathedral’s spire revealed in Paris as reconstruction continues after fire” – AP News: “Scaffolding that shrouded the top of Notre Dame cathedral following a devastating fire in April 2019 is being removed, marking a milestone in its reconstruction. As the shell at the summit has been taken down in recent days, it has revealed the cathedral’s new spire for the first time, adorned with a golden rooster and cross, offering a glimpse of the building’s expected appearance upon completion. A resident near the cathedral, Frederico Benani, who witnessed the 2019 blaze, felt emotional Tuesday at seeing the spire once more. ‘I can open the window in the morning. I see Notre Dame. I see the spire — it’s for me, beautiful and it’s much better (than) before,’ Benani said. ‘It gives us hope.’ There has been anticipation among Paris residents as Notre Dame is on track to reopen Dec. 8. The cathedral will not be open to the public during the Paris Olympics in July and August, when the city will host millions for the Summer Games. Much of the cathedral remains surrounded by scaffolding, which could take weeks if not months to remove. The spire alone, cathedral officials said, was protected by some 70,000 pieces of scaffolding, totaling a dizzying 600 tons. In a symbol of resilience and renewal, a new golden rooster, reimagined as a phoenix with flaming feathers, was installed atop the spire in December, marking the cathedral’s rise from the ashes. Other restoration efforts include the implementation of an anti-fire misting system beneath the cathedral’s roof and the recreation of the original cross.”

Music: Johann Sebastian Bach, “O Sacred Head Sore Wounded,” King’s College Cambridge (2011).