Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Lent

February 10, 2016

The church where I began my walk with Christ didn't think much of liturgy. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a Christian calendar until I went to college. Observances such as Advent, Ash Wednesday, and Lent were "too Catholic," something no good Baptist Christian would do. These observances however, are hard to avoid in United Methodism, and over the years, I've come to appreciate the rhythmic cycle of the Christian calendar with the order it brings to my life.

Years ago when our children were small, we began with Advent. The weeks leading up to Christmas we would light a candle and have a time of reading, singing, and prayer after dinner. Even now, some thirty years later, our now grown kids can recite the Advent Alphabet that formed the basis for our devotions. Those times around our dinner table helped us all focus on Christmas as the birth of our Savior instead of Santa Claus. We didn't have to badmouth the old guy; he just faded into the shadows as we dwelt upon the Gift of God.

It took years for us to take the next step of observing Lent. I guess I was too much influenced by those who "gave up something" for Lent in a rather perfunctory and shallow way, and didn't see the value in the disciplines of self-denial and fasting. I can't remember just when I began observing this discipline, but it's been a number of years. Linda has often given up chocolate, but sweets are not a big thing with me. Coffee is another matter altogether. I can and have gone without it; I wouldn't say I'm dependent on it. But I like it. I like tea too, but having a up of tea after dinner just isn't the same. Coffee isn't just a drink; it's a social event. So abstaining is a big thing. But it's what I've chosen to do for the past few years. The times I normally would have a cup of coffee become times of prayer. It's really a pretty good trade-off.

This year, I decided to also abstain from Facebook, other than my nightly posts. Linda tells me I don't realize how much time I spend on it, so I've decided to test it out. It is amazing how many times in just this one day away from it, I found myself ready to punch that button just to see what was going on. I guess it was more of a problem than I thought. So tonight I'm grateful for the yearly cycle of the Christian calendar, for the saints who realized how such a calendar could help us order our lives, and for Linda, who has occasionally prodded me regarding social media. It may be a long forty days, but I'm looking forward to seeing what God wants to do with me in this time away. I think it will be good. In fact, I think it will be better than I can imagine.

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