Comments on: Why I Love Lent http://www.episcopalatduke.org/food-for-thought/2007/02/09/why-i-love-lent/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:04:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Sarah http://www.episcopalatduke.org/food-for-thought/2007/02/09/why-i-love-lent/#comment-376 Sarah Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:21:52 +0000 http://www.episcopalatduke.org/food-for-thought/2007/02/09/why-i-love-lent/#comment-376 Wow, I'm really struck by the beauty of the new Lenten disciplines you've taken on. Each one gets at what's probably #1 on the top ten list of sins we're most likely to commit: idolatry. We humans have a tendency to make idols of all sorts of things and to allow our view of them to obscure our view of God. I, too, am a fan of jewelry and have been ever since I was little. And while it's fine to enjoy beautiful things--God delights in His Creation, after all, and created Leviathan for the sport of it (Psalm 104:27)--you are right that we can get too attached to them. I love your idea of giving up wearing jewelry as a way of focusing on the truth that we are dust and to dust we shall return (and hope you won't mind if I borrow it!). And, boy oh boy, do many of us ever make an idol of time, of 'chronos,' as you so eloquently noted. Your giving up wearing a watch is not only a way of being more mindful of God's time, of His 'kairos', but of learning better what it means to trust in God's work instead of your own. *And* on top of all that, it's also drawing you into community and into a deeper awareness of the day. 'Letting go'is a great way to describe what Lenten disciplines help us do. Faith requires a lot of letting go: of our sense of self-reliance; of things we do that cloud our awareness of God; of our need to feel in control. And it is frightening to let go of those things because they give us a sense of security. But, then, being a disciple of Jesus Christ isn't about a false sense of security, but about things that are much deeper and richer, things like grace, and joy, and blessing. I pray your Lent will be full of grace and joy. And may God bless you on your journey, now and always. Your sister in Christ, Sarah+ Wow, I’m really struck by the beauty of the new Lenten disciplines you’ve taken on. Each one gets at what’s probably #1 on the top ten list of sins we’re most likely to commit: idolatry. We humans have a tendency to make idols of all sorts of things and to allow our view of them to obscure our view of God.

I, too, am a fan of jewelry and have been ever since I was little. And while it’s fine to enjoy beautiful things–God delights in His Creation, after all, and created Leviathan for the sport of it (Psalm 104:27)–you are right that we can get too attached to them. I love your idea of giving up wearing jewelry as a way of focusing on the truth that we are dust and to dust we shall return (and hope you won’t mind if I borrow it!).

And, boy oh boy, do many of us ever make an idol of time, of ‘chronos,’ as you so eloquently noted. Your giving up wearing a watch is not only a way of being more mindful of God’s time, of His ‘kairos’, but of learning better what it means to trust in God’s work instead of your own. *And* on top of all that, it’s also drawing you into community and into a deeper awareness of the day.

‘Letting go’is a great way to describe what Lenten disciplines help us do. Faith requires a lot of letting go: of our sense of self-reliance; of things we do that cloud our awareness of God; of our need to feel in control. And it is frightening to let go of those things because they give us a sense of security. But, then, being a disciple of Jesus Christ isn’t about a false sense of security, but about things that are much deeper and richer, things like grace, and joy, and blessing.

I pray your Lent will be full of grace and joy. And may God bless you on your journey, now and always.

Your sister in Christ,

Sarah+

]]> By: Pamela A. Lewis http://www.episcopalatduke.org/food-for-thought/2007/02/09/why-i-love-lent/#comment-374 Pamela A. Lewis Thu, 22 Feb 2007 03:14:14 +0000 http://www.episcopalatduke.org/food-for-thought/2007/02/09/why-i-love-lent/#comment-374 Perhaps it is a sign of growing older, but with each passing year, I look forward to and become more appreciative of Lent. In many respects, it is a "gift season" during which the Christian can venture inward and give deeper scrutiny to areas of the spirit that he or she would prefer to ignore but can not if that Christian seeks to change and be closer to God. While I recognize that abstaining from favorite foods may be particularly important for some in the lenten observance, over the years I have moved from food to the less "tangible" but no less significant concerns and habits that need examination and even elimination. I am the member of a church that provides many liturgical opportunities for the observance of Lent, therefore my fellow parishioners and I have many services from which to choose throughtout these forty days. I have obtained various reading materials pertaining to Lent and include them in my daily devotions. I abstain from using the internet on Sundays. New this year for me will be "giving up" wearing jewelry, including my wristwatch. I adore jewelry and realized that I am to a large degree too attached to it; to be unadorned for forty days will for me signify a glimpse into the truth of human existence in that we come into this life with nothing and likewise do we leave it. Like many professionals (I am a teacher), I am a slave to time, often worrying inordinately about schedules and punctuality and rushing to be at the next place. Leaving my watch behind now obliges me to think about God's time, moving from "chronos" to "kairos." I become dependent on others by asking them what time it is, rely on my intuition and the "feel" of the day to determine the hour. It is both a little frightening and liberating to "let go" in this manner. And of course, all of this, with God's help, will be helped along by prayer and meditation. Perhaps it is a sign of growing older, but with each passing year, I look forward to and become more appreciative of Lent. In many respects, it is a “gift season” during which the Christian can venture inward and give deeper scrutiny to areas of the spirit that he or she would prefer to ignore but can not if that Christian seeks to change and be closer to God. While I recognize that abstaining from favorite foods may be particularly important for some in the lenten observance, over the years I have moved from food to the less “tangible” but no less significant concerns and habits that need examination and even elimination. I am the member of a church that provides many liturgical opportunities for the observance of Lent, therefore my fellow parishioners and I have many services from which to choose throughtout these forty days. I have obtained various reading materials pertaining to Lent and include them in my daily devotions. I abstain from using the internet on Sundays. New this year for me will be “giving up” wearing jewelry, including my wristwatch. I adore jewelry and realized that I am to a large degree too attached to it; to be unadorned for forty days will for me signify a glimpse into the truth of human existence in that we come into this life with nothing and likewise do we leave it. Like many professionals (I am a teacher), I am a slave to time, often worrying inordinately about schedules and punctuality and rushing to be at the next place. Leaving my watch behind now obliges me to think about God’s time, moving from “chronos” to “kairos.” I become dependent on others by asking them what time it is, rely on my intuition and the “feel” of the day to determine the hour. It is both a little frightening and liberating to “let go” in this manner. And of course, all of this, with God’s help, will be helped along by prayer and meditation.

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