The season of Lent is almost upon us (see what I did there?).
Lent has always occupied an odd corner of my existence. As a family growing up Episcopalian and then Lutheran, Lent was not something we ever talked a great deal about or did anything for. It was mostly a church related activity: the hangings changed, the altar cloths changed, the service excluded certain portions. I knew of Shrove Tuesday (because we always went to the pancake breakfast) and Ash Wednesday (which we occasionally went to). It was only later in high school and after college that more of Lent came into view, fueled partially by my friendship with Uisdean Ruadh (a very strong Catholic) and partially by reading more about the history of Lent.
There have been years when I "gave up" certain things for Lent (sugar is the one that regularly made its appearance, although other things have appeared from time to time, like social media or some activity). There have also been times when I tried to "add" something as a practice - here prayer or reading a particular work.
Interestingly, I do not know that either version particularly changed or improved my Lenten experience.
One of the better ones I remember is reading John Chapters 13-19 weekly. There are seven chapters (which, conveniently, fit into a week's worth of reading) and it covers from the Last Supper to the Crucifixion of Christ. It certainly fit well into the somber tone of Lent, reading of Christ's last hours.
I have not fully decided what I am doing this year for Lent - likely a combination of giving some things up and doing some other things. What is not certain in either category, other than it has to be something that is a noticeable change to my life.
A general question: How do you observe Lent?
I recall as a teen and young adult that it was the custom to give up meat during the entire Lenten season and eat fish instead. Except I never cared much for meat and preferred fish anyway. Somehow the exercise always seemed backward for me. But I never switched it because I knew no one would understand.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, I can't say that I do. Observe Lent. I'm one who considers all days equally holy (Rom. 14:5). But it is a reminder that life as it seems through human experience is temporal. It's not our final destination and that its purpose is not to be happy, but to learn Christlikeness, and learning Christlikeness requires sacrifice. It's a very daily journey.