I have just received a new purple stole, created by Janet Armstrong from Vernon, BC, just in time for Lent.

It took me a long time to finally settle on what I wanted on it.
I have loved being involved in designing this whole series of stoles for each season of the liturgical year, mixing ancient, traditional, Christian symbolism with more modern, contextual imagery.  

As a result, this Lenten stole has a labyrinth on it – actually, it has two. This points to the idea of Lent as a pilgrimage – a 40-day journey of accompanying and being accompanied by Jesus in the wilderness.  

This is a fairly traditional piece of Christian iconography.

However, the other major symbol on my stole is mushrooms. Turkey tail mushrooms to be exact. This is not a typical Christian symbol, but maybe it could become one?

Turkey tails are a mushroom that is part of the white-rot fungus group. They are one of the few organisms that can break down the lignin in wood. Lignin is what makes wood so hard. Without them, branches would fall, trees would die and just accumulate (maybe burning from time to time). Before the evolution of white-rot fungus, this is exactly what happened, dead wood accumulated in vast quantities, which is the origin of the world’s coal deposits.

The decomposing work of turkey tails is so important in making space for new growth and returning nutrients to the earth, so that out of death life can spring anew.  

In Lent, we talk a lot about giving things up to make space for something new. We talk a lot about dying to ourselves that we may live.

And so, I wonder if turkey tail mushrooms are a perfect Lenten symbol, for the work that we are called to undertake, as well as the work that we invite the Holy Spirit to do in our lives.



Therefore, maybe our Lenten prayer may be:

God of death and life and mushrooms, this Lent, break down the hard, dead wood in our lives. May there be the decomposition that is needed to make space for the new life in Christ that you are growing to spring up from the soil of our hearts.

Thanks be to God! Amen.

 

CG+