Lent begins this week, are you ready?
Did you grow up observing Lent?
Anabaptists have an interesting connection with Lent.
Historically, Anabaptists may have been reluctant to participate in Lent.
Maybe because whilethis practice appears to have originated very early in church history, it was formalized at the Council of Nicaea in 325, presided over by the emperor Constantine, with whom it is associated the development over the following years of the Christendom system to which Anabaptist have strongly objected.
Or perhaps it is because even though Lent can be linked to the Gospel account of the temptations of Jesus at the end of a period of fasting in the wilderness, the Bible doesn’t specifically mention Lent. Others would say why are limiting such important practices of fasting, self-reflection, and increased prayer time to just forty days before Easter, shouldn’t we be doing this all year long.
We also are aware of an incident of ‘breaking the Lenten fast’ in March 1522 is associated with the reform movement in Zurich turning in a more radical direction, leading soon afterwards to the emergence of the Swiss Anabaptist movement. Remember The Affair of the Sausages… thanks Linden.
However, the Anabaptist prayer book, Take our Moments and our Days, has a section on Lent and includes two short prayers that resonate with the spirit of Lent and invite us to acknowledge our own weaknesses and the injustice and hunger that many experience:
God our only hope,
Feed us from your mouth, that we may see the poor,
listen to the lonely, and nourish our hungry neighbors
in the strength of your Anointed.
Humble Christ,
your body is broken in the rocky soil of human fear.
Lovingly tend and till us, that we may, at this day’s dying,
entrust ourselves into the hands of the merciful One.
For me, Lent has become a time of self-discipline and self-examination. I have appreciated the time to take a spiritual inventory which helps me to fully embrace Holy Week and to celebrate Easter.
For many people, Lent means “giving up something”, like fasting or taking a break from social media, or desserts, or caffeine. It could also mean adding something that is worth deliberately cultivating: like increased Bible reading, praying more often or writing a note of gratitude to someone each day. I read about a gal who decided that her Lenten practice would be to pray with someone every day of Lent. For others, instead of giving something up they decide to give something. This could look like being more involved in their community, volunteering, putting their faith in action by sharing the extravagant love of Jesus.
This Wednesday is the start of Lent, and we have the opportunity to be together, to share a meal and learn some things about autism. I hope it suits your schedule to come and spend some time at Marion on Wednesday evening. I can’t think of a better way to start our observance of Lent.
This year our Lent theme is, Dwelling in Dissonance. We will be invited to wrestle with scriptures that stir up different feelings and emotions in us.
What do we do with scriptures that make us a little uncomfortable?
What do we do when situations in life make us uncomfortable?
John 11:1-44 will be the scripture we will be closely examining… Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and Jesus.
Let’s talk about it on Sunday.
~ Pastor Dustin
