Thoughts on Lent

Dear Friends,
Now that the season Lent has begun, I though you might be interested to read my thoughts about Lenten disciplines that I wrote for the March 2009 issue of our church newsletter.
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From Your Pastor…
The season of Lent is here again. Lent is a period of 40 days (plus 6 Sundays) that begins on Ash Wednesday and leads up to Easter Sunday. During this season, the church takes time to remember the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for each of us. It’s important that we take time to remember, because the Resurrection would not have been possible without the Cross. As we remember all that Christ has done, we take time to repent and renew our relationship with God.

One of the ways we can renew our relationship with God is by observing a Lenten discipline. Traditionally a Lenten discipline has been thought in terms of giving up something for Lent. Giving up something we enjoy for 46 days is a powerful lesson in sacrifice and can give us a greater appreciation of all that Christ gave up for us.

Some of the things people often give up for Lent include cigarettes, coffee, chocolate, meat, sugar, etc. Now there’s nothing wrong with giving up any of those things. However, there may be other things we would be better off giving up for Lent, and perhaps for the rest of our lives. In Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit, Rev. David Leininger shares a list he received from another pastor that suggests some interesting options of things to give up. See what you think of his list:


· Give up grumbling! Instead, “In everything give thanks.” Constructive criticism is all right, but “moaning, groaning, and complaining” are not Christian disciplines.

· Give up looking at other people’s worst points. Instead concentrate on their best points. We all have faults. It is a lot easier to have people overlook our shortcomings when we overlook theirs first.

· Give up speaking unkindly. Instead, let your speech be generous and understanding. It costs so little to say something kind and uplifting. Why not check that sharp tongue at the door?

· Give up your hatred of anyone or anything! Instead, learn the discipline of love. “Love covers a multitude of sins.”

· Give up your worries and anxieties! Instead, trust God with them. Anxiety is spending emotional energy on something we can do nothing about: like tomorrow! Live today and let God’s grace be sufficient.

· Give up television one evening a week! Instead, visit some lonely or sick person. There are those who are isolated by illness or age. Why isolate yourself in front of the “tube”? Give someone a precious gift—your time!

· Give up buying anything but essentials for yourself! Instead, give the money to God. The money you would spend on the luxuries could help someone meet basic needs. We are called to be stewards of God’s riches, not consumers

· Give up judging by appearances and by the standard of the world! Instead, learn to give up yourself to God. There is only one who has the right to judge, Jesus Christ. Now aren’t you glad you don’t have to do that anymore?
[from David E. Leininger, Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit Servies VI, Cycle B (Lima, OH: CSS Publishing, 2008), pp.91-92.]


Now, you might not agree with everything Leininger has listed here, but doesn’t this put a different spin on Lenten disciplines? Instead of giving up something rather benign like chocolate, we give up a bad habit like grumbling. That’s not only a sacrifice, but also a step towards living more like Christ.

No matter what you might choose to give up, I invite you to use this Holy season as an opportunity to grow in your Christian faith. Take time to refocus your life on Christ. Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart and give you a spiritual tune-up. This Lent can be another way for all of us to make things fine in Two Thousand and Nine!

Grace and Peace,

Clayton

Join the Revolution

Here's a good quote I came across recently.

"Kindness is a revolution that needs as many leaders as possible. When will we know we have succeeded? When we look behind us and see no followers, only people walking beside us, doing their best to meet life with an open heart."
-Margo Silk Forrest

These words remind me of a line from a Beatles' song: "You say you want a revolution? Well, you know, we all want to change the world." So putting these two thoughts together--yes, we can indeed change the world. Let's have a revolution of kindness as walk together, doing our best to meet life with an open heart.

A Good Message

I was flipping through my copy of Eugene Peterson's version of the Bible known as The Message and came across these words:

I, Jude, am a slave to Jesus Christ and brother to James, writing to those loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus Christ. Relax, everything's going to be all right; rest, everything's coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way! Jude 1-2 (MSG)

Not a word-for-word translation, of course, but I really like how Peterson puts it: "Relax, everything's going to be all right...love is on the way!" These are definitely words to live by--words that can help us make it through the ups and downs of our day-to-day life. And in times like these, we can all use some words of hope and encouragement.

Have a blessed day!
Clayton Peak