Ash Wednesday

"We give up something for Lent to align ourselves with the heart, will, and experience of Jesus. Fasting teaches us that we are not utterly subject to our bodily desires."

Lent snuck up on me this year.  It wasn't until a friend mentioned it last week that I realized it was so close.  At first I thought I would just continue my practice from past years.  But, when I was honest with myself, I knew that I needed to do more for Lent this year.

I decided that I wanted to give something up in addition to taking on the practice of reading each day.  So I've decided to fast from sweets.  Abstaining from sugar sounds so cliche, but I know it will be a hard thing for me.

As I was deciding whether or not to fast this year, I found this article by Lauren Winner.  Her words in the quotes above and below were the kick-in-the-pants that I needed.  Of course I won't enjoy giving up sweets, but that's sort of the point.

"We fast during Lent because fasting gets our attention. It is a necessary tool for rousing us from our day-to-day sleepwalking.  

We fast during Lent because when we willingly give up something we delight in but do not, strictly speaking, need, we come closer to participating in, understanding, and reverencing the self-emptying act that is Christ on the Cross."

Tonight we'll be attending an Ash Wednesday service at our church, which, I think, will help me mentally prepare for this 40-day fast from sweets.  But right now, I'm printing out these words by Lauren Winner and posting them in the kitchen so when I'm tempted to grab a cookie or a coke, I'll remember why I'm doing this.

Are you giving something up, or perhaps adding a practice, for Lent this year?

lenten quote

"Do not abandon yourselves to despair.

We are the Easter people

And hallelujah is our song."

Pope John Paul II

lenten practice

"I am sometimes asked why churches should observe Lent at all. Well, I certainly agree that of all the seasons of the church year Lent is the most-often trivialized. Consequently, many churches (including some Presbyterian churches) do not observe the season. There are, however, two good reasons for keeping this tradition: First, this is a wise tradition. Realizing that repentance should characterize the totality of the Christian life, we should see the practical wisdom in setting aside time especially for this purpose. Just as a baseball player may work at staying in shape year round but still give special attention to conditioning before the start of spring training, so we may find great spiritual benefits in setting aside a few weeks to give special attention to the state of our souls.

Second, it is right that we honor the traditional wisdom of the church, and Lent is a tradition that the church has observed for centuries. Inasmuch as the Holy Spirit has been present throughout church history, guiding God’s people into an ever-increasing awareness of biblical truth, we believe that it is foolhardy to disregard history and constantly to try to “reinvent the wheel.” We dishonor our spiritual ancestors when we casually disregard their wisdom. Are Christians required to observe Lent? Strictly speaking, no; Presbyterians have long emphasized that our consciences are bound to Scripture alone, and there is no biblical mandate to celebrate Lent. But countless generations of Christians have found this a helpful tool."

excerpt from "On Keeping a Holy Lent, Part 1" 

by Craig Higgins, pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church

This year I am continuing a tradition I started a few years ago of taking time each day of Lent to read the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion.  I begin reading just before the Last Supper and continue on until Jesus is in the tomb.  


And that's where I stop.


In other words, I don't read about the Resurrection during the 40 days of Lent (Sundays are not counted in the forty days as each Sunday is a mini-celebration that points toward Easter).


As a Christian, the Resurrection is the crux of my faith.  Everything else is built upon this point.  


But what I realized is that I take the Resurrection for granted.  It no longer awed me.  It was something I just expected to happen.  


But I don't want to take Jesus for granted.  


As I thought about this I decided that I wanted to long for the Resurrection.  I wanted yearn for Him to arise from the dead and proclaim victory.  


By spending Lent focused on Jesus' last hours, I find that I have an insatiable, voracious hunger for Jesus and for the story of His victory over the Curse of long-ago.  And on Easter when I finally hear the words I have been longing for; when it is proclaimed aloud that He has conquered, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and with awe.