Tag Archives: Lenten Calendar

Lenten Calender: Star-stuff

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Saltwater by Finn Butler

poem and photo by Finn Butler

Remember you are dust. That we are all dust. That we are each made of the same earthy, elemental, universal stuff that God has seen fit to bring to life. That we are all mortal and responsible for not quenching the divine Spirit in our own or in anyone else’s frail earthen vessel.

It may feel like we’re made of dry clay and only held together by sweat and tears, but it is just as true to say that we are made of the sea and stars, hand-crafted by a loving God, and set spinning with a will and a purpose. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Purposes come in all shapes and sizes. What is one thing you know that you have been set in place to do? Set aside some time today or this weekend to pursue it with a will and a purpose, in a spirit of hope and with a mind set on the future.

Lenten Calendar: Ash Wednesday

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jan richardson ash wednesday

The imposition of ashes. Most of us don’t relish any kind of imposition, so what brings us out on a school night to rub dirt on each other’s foreheads? What kind of season kicks off with people lining up to be reminded of their own mortality? A rather grim one, you’d expect. But Lent turns morbidity on its head and makes it an invitation into life. Lent begins where we end, but ends with the death of death.

Ash Wednesday is an in your face, on your face, square between the eyes reminder that we’re all going to die, so let’s stop wasting life being anything less than God made us to be. Also, we’re dust, so let’s not feel any pressure to be anything more than God us to be, either. Accepting that our days are numbered teaches us to number our days and so gain a heart of wisdom. Life is precious in its finitude and we live it better when we are mindful of what we are spending it on.

Many of our modern fasts take into account that time is a limited resource. What practice would you like to build into or moderate or remove from your life to make the most of your time?

 

Lenten Calendar: Another Season, Another Fast

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Julie Elfers Winter to Spring

art by Julie Elfers

I’ve blogged a few of years of Advent reflections, but Lent calls for a different kind of pace and energy that I’m just now trying to summon and articulate for the first time.

Both Advent and Lent are fasts, designated times of preparation that allow us to better celebrate the feasts of Christmas and Easter. Both seasons are quiet, but Advent mirrors the deepening stillness of winter’s approach, where Lent channels the subterranean stirrings of early spring.

Advent is lament, crying out in our need and powerlessness as the darkness deepens around us. Lent is repentance, throwing off every self-imposed impediment so we can walk in freedom and power in the light, The discipline of Advent is to cultivate hope in spite of the darkness around us. The discipline of Lent is to spite the darkness within and share the hope that is also within us.

During Advent we meditate on the wonder of God coming to be human as we are: small and vulnerable. During Lent we follow Jesus in his earthly ministry, striving to become human as he is: whole and restoring others to wholeness.

In Advent we fall to our knees in anticipation of a blessing and receive the gift of a savior. In Lent we rise to our feet to be a blessing and learn to give sacrificially in the model of the Savior.

Advent is dwelling on the promise of Isaiah 9:6; it’s a call to wait on the Lord. Lent is embracing the exhortation of Isaiah 58:6; it’s a call to action.

Each of the 40 days of Lent I will try to post a little something to get us moving. A song, a poem, an article, a study, a wandering exploration, a quote…. We’ll see. I have no overarching plan beyond the grand tradition of the disciples – just praying to be able to keep up as Jesus quickens his pace toward Jerusalem.