Do The Work

Like Advent, Lent is a season of preparation and anticipation. For many it becomes a season lost on the novelty and trend of giving up coffee, or chocolate, or shoes. It becomes a competition around the water cooler set to crown the most pious martyr. We turn it externally, making it about ourselves in comparison to others. We miss the mark entirely. 

Lent is a season of work. It's not silly or frivolous or an event on Survivor. It's WORK. It's meant to be work. It's the kind of work that re- quires you to dig your hands in the soil of your soul and get dirty; clay under your nails dirty. Lent, if observed correctly, is uncomfortable at best. It's not a time to identify anything but your unyielding need for the cross. 

During Lent, we study Jesus' ministry, where he traveled, his final week, and his death. But, fast- ing and prayer are key ingredients because we need Lent to take a gut check and get our hearts right. You give up or abstain from things not for "cool Christian" points, but to use the moments of temptation to return to what you've given up, as opportunities to draw nearer to God. And why? So you can be transformed. 

We know Easter is coming. Praise God for that third day. But if we've not done the work on our souls, we've failed to prepare for the power of what Easter really means. Lent is a season to dig into the cobwebs in your life and clean house. Seek to identify the weeds in your gar- den that choke out the new life trying to flourish. REFLECT! PRAY! WORK! 

The point of the cross is that God sought to reconcile us to God’s-self. In Lent, we must hunger for that reconciliation. We are to confess where we fall short of the glory of God. We are to lament the ways in which we've allowed other things to keep us from the fullness of our relationship with God. We are to seek forgiveness: from God, others and ourselves. We are to till the soil in daily devotion, weeding out, ridding it of anything that threatens new life. We are to thirst for reconciliation. We are to acknowledge our unworthiness and at the same time truly and beautifully receive the reality that even though a sinner you may be, God desires to make you new because in the eyes of God, you are so very worthy. Let go of shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, bitterness, pride, hatred, jealousy, malice, gossip, negativity, anger, doubt, unforgiveness...get rid of those weeds. 
 

If you do the work of Lent, the soil of your soul will be so prepared for the new life of Easter that you'll bloom in ways you can't possibly imagine. But you must do the work. If you don't recognize the magnitude in which you need the cross, you'll never experience just how big that third day is. Have the courage to face your weeds, fight your spiritual heart disease, and receive an unmatchable love. 

DO THE WORK!

A Lenten Top Ten

Top Ten List: THINGS YOU CAN TRY FOR THE LENTEN SEASON 

by Rev. Penny Ford

10. Try an electronic fast. Give up TV, Guitar Hero, texting, tweeeting, e-mail and all things electronic for one day every week. (or everyday of Lent!) Use the time to read & pray.
9. Start a prayer rhythm. Say a prayer every time you brush your teeth, hear an ambulance, or check your e-mail. Before you text someone, pray for them.
8. Read one chapter in the Bible each day. (Matthew's a good book to start with. Psalms, too.)
7. Forgive someone who doesn't deserve it (maybe even yourself.)
6. Give up soft drinks, fast food, tea or coffee. Give the money you save to help folks in Haiti or others in crisis.
5. Create a daily quiet time. Spend 30 minutes a day in silence and prayer.
4. Cultivate a life of gratitude. Write someone a thank you letter each week and be aware of how many people have helped you along the way.
3. Be kind to someone each day.
2. Pray for others you see as you walk to and from classes or drive to and from work.
1. Volunteer one hour or more each week with a local shelter, tutoring program, nursing home, prison ministry or a Habitat for Humanity project.

For more information on Lent and Ash Wednesday, go to: http://www.upperroom.org/methodx/thelife/articles/lent101.asp

Loving through the Suffering

Artist Unknown

I have been spending the weeks of Lent following the stations of the cross as laid out in the book
Following Christ: A Lenten Reader to Stretch Your Soul by Carmen Acevedo Butcher.  To read my previous post on this reader, click HERE.

I am currently studying, praying about and meditating on the suffering of Christ during his trial and walk to Golgotha, the place where he was crucified.  We can imagine ourselves there, present and in the midst of all that was happening.  We can sense the reality that Christ knew human suffering; emotional and physical suffering.  Christ became human and connects with us through the bond of humanity.  Christ was flogged and beaten.  Christ was cursed at, mocked, humiliated and spat upon.  His head was stuffed inside a crown of thorns, meant to both torture him and to humiliate him as "King of the Jews."  After being tortured to the point of pure physical exhaustion, Christ was then made to carry a cross, speculated to weigh approximately 100 pounds, over challenging terrain to the mount where he would be crucified.  Christ suffered.

I have often felt the comfort of knowing that Christ knows what its like to feel human pain.  It is calming to an extent to know that when I suffer, I do not suffer alone and that Christ indeed suffers with me and suffered for me.  And yet, I must admit, there are times when I wonder if Christ really knows MY pain.  Christ, after all, was a man.  Being of the male gender, Christ never experienced menstruation, child birth, infertility or any other pains that are unique to women.  Given those facts, how can I make sense of my own suffering in a way that draws me closer to Christ?  How can I see my pains in his eyes?

I have never suffered as Christ suffered.  Not even close.  But, I have suffered as we all have.  We have all faced and continue to face various challenges in our lives that are emotionally and/or physically painful.  For me, one that is excruciatingly fresh is infertility.  I faced it before my son was born; I faced it for over 2 years.  I was poked, prodded, medicated, tested, examined...I felt like a lab rat with no personal physical privacy left.  I felt broken.  After all, didn't God make me with a body designed to have babies?  So here I was with empty arms, empty hopes and feeling as if I had failed as a woman and a wife.  I felt forsaken, rejected and broken.  I wondered then, "does Christ know what this feels like?"  I wanted some voice from the Bible to speak to me and tell me they knew my suffering.  Besides the amazing stories of women in the Bible who came before me and experienced life in at least this one way like I have, I also wanted to know if Jesus knew how I felt.  Today is a little different.  I've come along way in my spiritual journey since the days of my first round of infertility.  Then I was still wandering in a desert.  Today I'm out of that desert but on a journey.  On this journey, I found myself in a new and different kind of desert.  This is my second round of infertility and we've been trying this time for over 3 years now.

I guess I'm all emotional about this today because I have started back to doctors appointments, poking, prodding, exams, and yesterday was my first day of my new cycle of fertility meds.  I'm just a mess of emotions.  I think this is partly because of the side effects of these drugs, but also because I'm wanting to be pregnant already.  I want the pain to stop.  I am thankful though that while I'm waiting on the Lord that this time I have a strong faith to sustain me.  I'm not sure if Christ knows what its like to be a woman and face infertility.  Maybe, like my husband, he can compassionately understand to the best of his ability because he too has suffered.  Suffering causes us to have a heart of compassion for those who we see are suffering.  Christ is that friend that may never know the depth of what you feel, but loves you beyond words and will walk across fire, or rocky terrain, or suffer...for you.  Christ may not know what infertility feels like, but I believe he cries with me. 

One of the beautiful stories that comes from Christ's walk with the cross is the story of a man named Simon.  Simon picked up the end of the cross and helped the suffering Christ endure the remainder of the pain of that journey.  So maybe infertility is a cross I have to bare, but I am beyond grateful for the cross bearers who walk behind me.  I feel their presence and their prayers.  I know that Christ is there too.

There is joy in the suffering.  I can see joy in the eyes of the son I have, the one I held in my arms after his birth and said "even if I have to do this all over again, it is worth it just for this one marvelous moment."  We suffer.  Christ suffered.  We can't escape suffering in this life, but we can love ourselves and each other through it.  Simon loved Christ through his suffering.  I am forever grateful for those who are loving me through my suffering.  And I will forever be convicted to love others through their suffering.

No Meat Friday's...What's That About?!?!?!?!

"I am hoping you will share why people don't eat meat on Friday's during lent. I've always wondered the reasoning behind it. I am sure it has something to do with Christ being the sacrificial lamb. Thanks again for sharing!!!" - Jen @ Following the Footsteps

Dear Jen,
  Thank you for your question.  I love your blog by the way!
  Hmmm...why no meat on Friday's during Lent?  Very good question.  Having never observed this ritual, I must say that I don't have a first hand knowledge of it.  However, I went out and did a little research and this is what I have come up with.

• Fasting and Abstinence from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Friday's through Lent is a spiritual practice and ritual observed by the Catholic Church.
• According to www.americancatholic.org, "Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In addition, all Catholics 14 years old and older must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent."  The website goes on to say that "abstinence forbids the use of meat, but not of eggs, milk products or condiments made of animal fat."  (Just as a side note, "condiments made of animal fat" sounds disgusting and should be abstained from based on the pure ick factor alone).  Unfortunately, I couldn't really find a place where the website explained WHY one should abstain from meat or what the particular reasoning is behind it.
• In my quest for more answers, I drove myself (electronically that is) to www.catholic.org.  There, I found an article by a journalist who works for www.pittsburghcatholic.org.  According to that article, written by C.T. Maier of the Pittsburgh Catholic (Click HERE for full article), the observance of no meat on Friday's is an American tradition.  "The basics of the precept are simple: Catholics are obliged to fast — to limit themselves to one full meal or two lighter meals — and abstain — refrain from eating meat — on certain days. Only Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and abstinence, and in the United States only the Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence."  Though this article proved to be very informative (for example, it used to be required that every Friday of the year be a day of fasting from meat for Catholics...I didn't know that), it still failed to address the main question, "Why Meat?"
• www.associatedcontent.com states that fasting on Friday's is in observance and remembrance that Christ was crucified on a Friday. (Click HERE for that article).  Okay...that makes sense.  But why NO MEAT?
• Then...just when I was beginning to fear I might never find the answer...I stumble across www.thecatholicspirit.com.  According to Father Michael Van Sloun, a contributing writer to The Catholic Spirit, the overall premice is an abstinence from "flesh meat".  In the article published on Friday, February 19 2010, Father Michael Van Sloun made these statements:

"From the first century, the day of the crucifixion has been traditionally observed as a day of abstaining from flesh meat ('black fast') to honor Christ who sacrificed his flesh on a Friday," according to "The Catholic Source Book."

"Since Jesus sacrificed his flesh for us on Good Friday, we refrain from eating flesh meat in his honor on Fridays. Flesh meat included the meat of mammals and poultry, and the main foods that come under this heading are beef and pork, chicken and turkey. While flesh is prohibited, the non-flesh products of these animals are not (like milk, cheese, butter and eggs)."

 "Furthermore, in former times, flesh meat was more expensive, eaten only occasionally and associated with feasting and rejoicing; whereas fish was cheap, eaten more often and not associated with celebrations."

To read the full article, click HERE.

Well my friends, it appears we have stumbled across our answer to this profound and compelling question.  How very interesting it is to learn about the history of traditions in various religions and denominations.  I think learning about things we are unfamiliar with enriches who we are in our own personal faith walks and life journey's.  I want to reiterate that I am not Catholic and that the information above came directly from the sources referenced and not from personal experience.  Though I do not observe this ritual, I have found it quite interesting to learn about it and it has given me something to reflect on.

I want to thank Jen again for her question and hope that all of you feel comfortable posting your questions here.  I may not know the answers, but I'm excited about the ability to seek them out.  Also, if you are Catholic and have knowledge and/or experience of observing this tradition, we'd love to hear from you.  Your input is valuable and can help us to better understand that which we are not aware of.

Wishing you all many blessings this Lenten season and beyond,

Stations of the Cross

Art by: Abbey Youth

Have you ever heard of the stations of the cross?  This was something else about the Lenten season that was very new to me.  So new in fact, that I had never heard of it before.  With curiosity in tow, I set out to learn about this ancient tradition of walking the stations of the cross.

The first thing I discovered is that though this spiritual practice is not limited to Catholics alone, it is primarily a ritual tradition observed within the Catholic Church.  Let me be clear however, that this is not an exclusive spiritual practice and anyone can participate through their own churches (there are some Protestant churches who practice the stations of the cross), or, you can do as I am doing, and observe it in your own personal Lenten devotional time.

The Lenten Reader I spoke of the other day, Following Christ by Carmen Acevedo Butcher, is the one that I'm using during this season of Lent.  One of the things I love about it so far, is that it not only discusses the stations of the cross, but it focuses the devotional to lead me through said stations during my prayer time.  I purchased this reader at Cokesbury, but it is also available at Amazon.com, Christianbook.com and I saw one on the shelf at Barnes and Noble.

So what are the stations?  There are 14 "stations of the cross".  Each station symbolizes or is a marker of certain events that happened during the betrayal, trial and crucifixion of Jesus.  According to Butcher, there are 15 stations, as she includes the resurrection as the final station.  That being said, the following are the stations of the cross as seen by Butcher:

• (1) Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane
• (2) Jesus is betrayed by Judas
• (3) Jesus is condemned to death by the Sanhedrin
• (4) Jesus is denied by Peter
• (5) Jesus is judged by Pilate
• (6) Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
• (7) Jesus carries his cross
• (8) Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene
• (9) Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
• (10) Jesus is crucified
• (11) Jesus promises to share his reign with the good thief
• (12) Jesus is on the cross, with his mother and disciple below
• (13) Jesus dies on the cross
• (14) Jesus is placed in the tomb
• (15) Jesus rises from the dead

The concept behind the stations of the cross is really quite simple, or was to me, when I thought of it like taking a train.  Let's say we are going on a trip to see the countryside of Europe.  During our train ride, we must stop at various train stations, get out and wait for the next train which will be headed to the next station on our course.  While 'WAITING' at the station, we look around, sit in silence, take in the environment that surrounds us...we embrace where we are at, where we are present at that very time.  It is the same concept with the stations of the cross.  We are on a train ride, a journey with a final destination of Easter, of resurrection.  Along this journey, we take time to stop and remember what happened on that walk for Jesus.  Much happened between the Garden of Gethsemane and the empty tomb...but how often do we walk that walk WITH Jesus?  How powerful this must be!

I want to encourage you to walk with me and most importantly, walk with Jesus during Lent.  Stop at each of these stations and silently observe what happened there.  Reflect on how your senses, heightened by the intense emotion of the walk, are speaking with your soul.  Listen for the voice of Jesus calling to you from the cross.

I have already walked through stations 1 and almost all of 2.  I'm going to try and recap that for you and then moving forward through Lent, I'll journal about my devotion time at the stations and how I'm experiencing Jesus through Lent this year.  I hope you'll choose to take this walk.  I cannot even express to you how profoundly spiritual it has already been in my life in the 4 1/2 days I've been doing it.

Following Christ

Happy Lenten Season everyone!  This is a happy time.  A time where we can be filled with the joy of drawing closer to God by joining with Christ in his journey to the cross.

For the longest time, I believed that Ash Wednesday and Lent were things that only the Catholics observed.  I have come to learn however, that I wasn't entirely correct.  Many protestant churches, including the one to which I am a part, the United Methodist Church, do in fact observe and practice these events.  When I first learned of this, I was more overwhelmed than relieved.  This knowledge then made it clear to me that there was something else I had no clue about.  Since then, I have challenged myself to learn more about Ash Wednesday and Lent and what they mean in general and specifically, what they mean to me.  This is more information than one brief post can hold, so we will explore Lent together over the next 7 weeks until Easter.  Along this process, please feel free to comment with questions as I would be happy to address them.

So what is Ash Wednesday all about?  Good question.  Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, the 40 days (not including Sundays) that lead up to Easter.  On Ash Wednesday, you might observe many people with black ashy crosses marked on their heads.  What is that all about?  Well...they've been to an Ash Wednesday service where someone, most likely a clergy person, has placed their thumb in the bowl of ash and marked a cross on their head.  Some churches save the palm branches from the previous years Palm Sunday and burn them and crush them into ash for the following year's Ash Wednesday.  The ash itself represents the scripture in Genesis 3:19 that says, "You are dust, and to dust you shall return."  This is really to signify our mortality.  Though our souls may live forever in eternity with God, our bodies are here but for a time.  God made man/woman from the dirt and dust of the ground, and to that dirt we will return.  The mark of the cross is to indicate that we are one with Christ.  It is not a branding, but a symbol that we have chosen to follow Christ, that we belong to Christ.  When we observe Ash Wednesday, we do so with the greater Christian community of brothers and sisters, the Catholics and Protestants, our ancestors in the community of saints and with our own families here and now around the world.

One thing I wanted to point out today is that often times you hear about people giving up something for Lent.  Some people choose to do this as a way of drawing nearer to God.  Lent is about walking with Jesus through the final days of his life, his suffering and his death.  In the giving up of something, we often find that we are challenged, sometimes suffering.  In those moments we turn to God in prayer to help us get through those moments.  It's a way of fasting.  For example, I'm giving up coffee for Lent.  Aaaahhhhhh!  Oh, I know...I can't believe I'm doing this either.  My boys are preparing a storm shelter.  This morning, I got up and slowly walked towards my coffee pot wanting a cup of coffee soooo badly.  As I stood there staring at my coffee pot, listening to the tempting voices in my head, I heard the words, "pray."  So I did.  I closed my eyes right there and began to pray to God.  I lifted up thanksgiving for all that I have, for the ability to CHOOSE not to have coffee and for my savior who faced much worse in the way of suffering than I was staring at that coffee pot.  It's not about having super hero will power, but about acknowledging the choice we're making to give up whatever it is that might be taking away from our time with God.  How many hours do we spend on the computer or with the TV?  Could would not afford some of that time to God?  What about turning off the radio when in the car and using that as a great opportunity to lift up prayers?  We neglect God and Lent is a time to engage God.

Lent is also a time to acknowledge our sins and ask forgiveness.  We draw nearer to God, confessing our sins and repenting.  This is also a part of the giving up of something.  It is our penance.  Let me say here, that it is my belief that our salvation comes to us through God's grace which is received through faith.  Good works is something we do as a result of having received this powerful grace, but is not something we do TO receive it.  For example, we love our kids/pets/etc., right?  If they do something wrong, do we stop loving them?  No.  However, do we realize that there are usually consequences to poor choices and actions?  Yes.  Just because we sin does not mean that we have lost our salvation, but it does mean we have to say we're sorry (and mean it) and penance is our way of proving and/or showing we're sorry.  Some call this a form of self-punishment.  I think of it more as a spiritual discipline.  To be able to say, "okay God, I really messed up here and I am really, really sorry" and then retreat to prayer where you can contemplate and reflect on the situations and then seek God's wisdom.  We are a culture that seeks daily after answers and yet the one place we can get them, God, is the last place we're willing to go.  How much sense does that make?

Following Christ by Carmen Acevedo Butcher

In addition to giving up something for Lent, many people choose to add something for Lent.  For example, this year, to deepen my spiritual experience of Lent and to help me focus (inside the chaos that is often my life) I have chosen a Lenten Reader to guide me through the season.  The photo above is of the front cover of the reader I have chosen.  Click on it to find out more.  This reader goes through the 15 stations of the cross (come back tomorrow to learn about the stations) and has a reading for every morning and evening of Lent, as well as a devotion for Sunday's (even though they are not included in the 40 days).  You can think of Sunday's as "Little Easters".  These are special sabbath days in Lent where I get to acknowledge the spiritual work being done in me by God and...have a cup of coffee.  ;-p

Have you thought about what you might be able to add for Lent?  More prayer time?  Scripture reading?

Ash Wednesday

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Lenten season.  Lent lasts for 40 days (Monday through Saturday).  Most people are familiar with the idea of giving something up for Lent.  Are you giving something up for Lent?  If so, what?

• Chocolate?
• Coffee?
• Sugar?
• Facebook?

Come back tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, for fun facts about Lent...if you've ever had questions about Lent, you won't want to miss this.