Tell Me All Your Thoughts On Lent…
So I’ve been pondering Lent for a bit. I have a love hate relationship with Lent — which is the 40 days before Easter. On the one hand I resist the tendency of the religious culture I was raised in to see Lent as a nice long period of self-flaggelation and general bad feelings. On the other, I adore the idea of spending 40 days with Jesus — in the desert or otherwise. Added to this is my general love of all things self-improvement oriented and 40 days of any sort of noble goal is very motivating to me.
This year, I’ m trying to think through a couple of things about how we at Monkfish Abbey should celebrate Lent. Some of us are very Jesus-y people and are anxious to spend some time telling the kids Jesus stories and learning to be with Jesus. On the other hand, a number of us aren’t connected to Jesus in any personal sort of way. So my question is, how do we practice Lent together? What might these 40 days look like for someone who doesn’t connect with the big JC? I guess it’s just our general Monkfish question — “Where is the overlap and how can we dance in it together?”
It’s an interesting journey — learning to be authentic to one’s own cultural and faith practices, but also making space for the culture and practices of others. My hearts desire is not to just “make space” for other faiths and ideas, but to honestly approach folks with an attitude of wanting to learn and grow through their understanding of the world/life/the Divine, etc. The more I live outside the church bubble, the more I learn about God. I’m so grateful to have people of many walks of life and faith in my life now. I’ve never felt quite so….real.(?)
Well, here’s hoping that the path will be revealed before us when we gather tonight. Onward and upward!
-Rachelle
Hi Rachelle, I wonder if the overlap might be looking at in terms of a season, the spirituality of winter to spring. A time to lok at roots that sustain us in winters, of being stripped bear, and looking at what matters most to our lives, the things that give it meaning. Then reflecting, and looking forward to the spring, the fragrance of newness, the budding of new growth in areas of our life and community…and the excitement about the fruit we will bear, the varieties, the taste…and how it will be a blesing to others.
I think youv’e hit on something here, taking the root, the best of each faith, planting it, reflecting, mediatating on it, watering it…and seeing what God grows out of it…maybe in that we find a common thread that maybe we have not seen before. Man, I’m all excited now…wish I could join you all. Pax…Ron+
Having worked with a group that included a muslim, a RC monk, an Anglican nun, a UU Paganist, a baptist, a Jewish rabbi, along with a few epsicopalians and other UU’s it was interesting to bring together each week something from each other’s faith tradtion. Each week one person planned our worship service and led the prayers. It was intentional space that allowed each of us to learn from one another and yet, encounter the God of our understanding.
What was amazing is that when we shared our “experience” of God most of us spoke the same language. I think when folks get caught up in “beliefs” about God is when we begin to kill one another.
Have a look: http://anothercountry.blogspot.com/2006/02/companion-blog-walking-man.html#comments
Lauren Winner opened my eyes to Lent with Mudhouse Sabbath, where she talks about missing the traditions and disciplines of Judaism, and how she is integrating some of them back into her Christian life.
Lent was one of them. She writes of how her spiritual director urged her to give up something really meaningful…not the usual chocolate or whatnot. He told her to give up books! She resisted, but ultimately went through with it. She goes on to tell what she learned, and how she gathered with friends to bring the items they are going to give up at the beginning of Lent, and then they meet again and talk about what has changed in them…
It’s much different than Lent as another New Year’s resolution. I think part of the exploration for the less church-y might be discovering what in your life needs releasing, and finding out just how much control/ presence it actually has in your life. How much more room there is in your life when you take it away for a brief time. Even something as simple as TV.
Like Winnie-the-Pooh, I have a “thinking spot,” and it usually makes its home in Lent.
(Think, think, think.)
In Godly Play we talk about Lent as the time we get ready to celebrate the mystery of Easter. Easter is such a big mystery that it takes a lot of time to get ready. Having grown up evangelical, where my understanding of Lent was as the church’s diet program, I’ve found the idea of “getting ready” to be a very helpful one, and have reframed my understanding of lenten fasting to focus on what I could give up (or take on) in order to be truly ready for Easter. As a general year-to-year practice our family of 5 designates one meal a week during Advent and Lent as a “rice” meal, which we eat in solidarity with the large portion of our world who depends on grains as their primary form of sustanance. We also set aside $5 from the grocery budget each week and at the end of advent/lent we decide as a family what hunger ministry to send it to. So far we’ve often leaned toward Heifer project (I have to admit it has lots of kid appeal!), Tent City, tsunami and hurricane relief, etc. Our kids love to do this, and spend many rice meals debating which hunger offering would be the best one to support “this time.”
Our middle school group at church has been focusing on consumer/sustainability issues all year, and the teachers there challenged the kids to consider how they might reduce their ecological footprint during lent. The kids were pretty creative - one is trying to give up all things plastic for Lent (it will be interesting to see how do-able this is - I’d love to do it, too, as I sit here and type on a plastic keyboard . . .)
I’d love to hear some of what you come up with!
cindy at st. mark’s
Another Lenten season is almost upon us and Christians around the world, mainly from the Orthodox denomination/s, are packing their coffee, mars bars and other minor indulgences away for another 40 plus days. The sacrifice, if you can call it a sacrifice, does rather pale into insignificance compared with Christ’s 40 days in the desert — that’s desert and not dessert.
Perhaps Lent has some meaningful lessons for the fashion world too? What if some of the major Fashion Brands gave up exploiting third world labour for 40 days and insisted on fair wages for works during this 6 week amnesty? What if the guilty Fashion Houses (we all know who they are) reflected on the barbarity of the fur trade for 40 days - perhaps their suppressed spirit of compassion would see the light of day? What if the fashion trade gave up production methods that harm the environment and during the 40 days held collective workshops seeking environmentally-friendly alternatives? …And us, the consumer, what if we gave up a piece of designer clothing in our wardrobe and donate it to charity and agreed to buy only ethically and environmentally conducive clothing during Lent. What if? What if? What if?
It’s not all doom, gloom and cynicism — the fashion world can take heart from a growing number of ethically and environmentally responsible brands: KOhZO, Loomstate, Edun, Coexist and Stella McCartney amongst others.
Even icons of consumerism and their devotees should turn to the sacred for at least 40 days each year.
I’m pretty Jesus-y and mainstream
but I’ll throw my hat into this ring.
Lent was not a big deal in the church of my childhood - but since I”ve started practicing lent as an adult, I have to say that my main focus (no matter what I’m giving up or taking on or whatever) has been around coming out of the closet as a God-lover, and being intentional about how my every action should reflect that God is the core of my life. It seems ridiculous that I don’t do this already, but i guess taht’s why we have seasons like this.
Rock on, sister,
-Jennifer
I talked with the girls (5 and 7) about the meaning of Lent for the first time this year.
They asked if they HAD to give something up and I said no, I just wanted them to know that some people did, as a reminder of Jesus giving himself up for us. At which point child 2 said “He didn’t. They killed him.” Which made for a great conversation about Jesus choosing to die, the willing sacrifice, rather than the usual emphasis on the suffering/ the arrest/ the drama.
The lamb of god that takes away the sins of the world…could not live forever and fulfill that purpose.
It is amazing what the collapse of your church can do for the spiritual life of your family.
Rachelle….
about Lent….there is an element of Lent in everday all year round….yet a time set aside..for Him…Jesus and Father God and Holy Spirit…is where we connect….How did Jesus connect with others? Plainly and sincerely…noncompromising with those who do not love God, His Father….He said if we love Him we love His Father…likewise if we love Jesus, the Father loves us…because we love His Son. The old OT states, make no covenant with the Caananites or was it the Philistines…because it will be a snare to you. True fellowship is just that, being true about what you’re doing..within a group or with an individual…truly caring…not becoming like them…influencing and not being influenced….difficult to do, but definitely possible by the power of Holy Spirit.
I am bothered to hear of your pain……..I never knew you well, yet I care…holilly…wholililly….almost completely. The part that makes up the 100% is the part that is lacking trust, and you better believe there are those whom we can not trust. Jesus Himself cared almost completely in that those that received and recieve Him are connected to Him, we likewise I believe need to have the same wisdom….I love those that love me is a verse in Proverbs….Jesus loves everyone yet not all are connected. We can love everyone, I sincerely say I don’t hate anyone, no one. Yet I am not connected to many and most. There is no form, like ritual..liturgical seasons, just sincerity. Holy Spirit gives the increase. He makes possible the promises of Christ, the fruit of Lent and Good Friday. Truly we ARE healed by His stripes. It is for us to walk in that faith. I know a minister, a woman no less, who being diagnosed with months to live, battled a scripture or two into health. The essence that made it not magic is, the current scripture God gave for that miracle. I would that you would recieve yours….your miracle….there is nothing too difficult for Him, and does He want you healed? Most defintely…does Satan….absolutely not. And this is that element that gives us wisdom to leave fire alone.I am so willing to be used by Him….no wonder I have so much opposition. I desire fruit. The fruit of enduring patience and faith and trust in His words. He said He was leaving…..and…would send the Holy Spirit the Comforter….I want to know Him more. Subsequently, He returned. Be sincere and recieve ALL of Father,Son and Holy Spirit. This is my everday Lent.
Be Blessed. And take your healing, through and by, His stripes, His shed blood….
Sincerely in and with the love of Christ Jesus,
Margaret Hepziban