I struggled with lent - starting well; finishing not so well. This year lent has exposed to me how difficult it is to sustain the same activity for forty days (a habit I didn’t make). Life is so loud and my drive to be a part of doing what I want, when I want overtakes Lent’s call to slow down, simplify, and surrender. Lent is countercultural even in a recession - it is a call to participate with Jesus in dying to self, walking in God’s will and pursuing a path of penance. Our culture while it may recognize these as noble pursuits is more suited toward materialism, consumerism, consumption, individual determination and pragmatism… and this year I became aware of just how influenced I am by my culture.

It is no surprise that an individual would be lured and formed by the dominant culture in which they live; but at the same time we can talk ourselves into being “above” such influences or striving toward a counter-cultural alternative. I admit - I am neither. My hope is that it will change.

I was only in to the third or fourth day of Lent this year when I was struck with how communal the guide I was using was, and I knew this was a missing aspect in my observance. Lent (the Christian Faith for that matter) is not meant to be observed by individuals, it is a season for a community. The Celtic Saint Brigid warned: a Christ follower without a soul friend is like a body with no head. I went into Lent be-headed.

My desire to follow the Christian year and to practice a more traditional liturgy has made me make some hard decisions - my family and I are going to be joining a new Christian community which can help us in these areas of our faith. It will be difficult to leave our current church (to a degree); but at the same time this realization has been a long time coming. So this Sunday (or Saturday Night) we will worship with a new portion of God’s family as we remember and rehearse Jesus’ last time entering Jerusalem for Passover.

So to recap - Lent 2009:
-Eye opening.
-Lent is not a solo sport.
-I am addicted to more and better.
-I can talk well about surrender but living it… not so much.
-Finding a soul friend is not a mere suggestion.
-(Sorta) said, “Goodbye” to one community in order to walk toward another that can help us be formed by liturgy (in all its forms: liturgical year, liturgical prayer, liturgical practices and traditions).

Peace.

Last night I was struck again - like I seemed to hear a tune for the first time. I was finishing up in the barn casually listening to the iPod when the lyrics stopped me in my tracks - and I went from casual observer to completely arrested by the music. The song truly brought me to my senses. The fifth week of Lent settled into my mind and I thought of this story (a story of Lent - a preparation story; a repentance story and a story of life after death… don’t miss who is present at this event!)

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him. [John 12.1-11]

A story worthy of our consideration this week - so many intriguing story lines - but mostly a story of complete surrender as Mary of Bethany goes from sitting at the feet of Jesus to laying down everything she had in complete abandon. A picture of authentic brokenness - not brought on by pain or by circumstance - but seemingly by devotion. My hope as I approach Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem next week is that I will learn from Mary of Bethany; what keeps me from this kind of devotion?

Back to the song in question: The song comes from Matt Maher and is found on his latest recording, The Empty and The Beautiful:

Lay It Down

Everything I am
Everything I long to be
I lay it down at Your feet

Oh pearl of greatest price
No act of sacrifice
Can match the gift of life I find within Your gaze
Oh, what a sweet exchange
I die to rise again
Lifted up from the grave into Your hands of grace’

(BTW - don’t just skim over the words above - check out the images and words in the bridge section of that tune… so many things there - let that just fill your head again).

Just stumbled across an acceptable video of the greatest band too few have heard…

the 77’s!

Enjoy (and it is definitely a song appropriate for this season of lent - as we face our mortality and death).

I love this prayer from Phyllis Tickle’s The Divine Hours for the second week of Lent:

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

I find the power in that prayer behind the fact that Jesus who was tested by temptation to go another way - instead chose willingly and obediently the walk to the Cross. I find hope that the one who chose the cross is mighty enough to empower and assist me in facing my temptations. I find great love underneath the phrase - as you know us.

A wonderful prayer to accompany us this second week of lent.

Lent is an anglo-saxon word which best defined means Spring. The Spring was greeted by another season of the Christian Year the time of Lent (just as Winter sees the beginning of Advent; Pentecost leads us into Summer and Autumn - Ordinary time). Lent is definitely the most solemn of the Christian seasons. A time for serious reflection, repentance and thus renewal. As I have reflected during this first week of Lent and journeyed with the Lenten Guide (Journey Into Wholeness by Christine Sine) it has pushed me to look at my self. It is never pretty.

I don’t often plan well. This lenten season though I had decided to observe an old lenten practice of praying The Litany at least once a week (The late Robert Webber suggested Saturday’s were the tradition in his book, The Prymer, so I said, “why not?”), and that was just what I needed this week.

The Litany is a L-o-n-g prayer. It is really a kind of prayer service. I used a protestant version (without the invoking of the Saints) from An English Prayer Book (published by Oxford as a potential Alternate Alternative Service Book!?). In this version of the Litany it is a seven-fold prayer moving from Inviting God to hear to repentance (personal) to petitions to intercessions to the Lord’s Prayer to corporate repentance and to benediction.

A wonderful prayer. A needed time this past Saturday. It helped me repent. To change my way of thinking. To see with new eyes. To feel like I found my position and place again. This Lenten practice, setting aside and taking time to reflect and repent is something I realize I don’t naturally move toward. I am more apt to “keep going” and put things behind… Lent calls us to put some of life aside and reflect on who I am becoming and how am I living. This is good. The Litany helped me in facing some of that. I look forward to this and it is good.

At the same time I feel strangely alone.

Lent is meant to happen in community and the Litany is written to be said in community (I guess I will be exploring this theme throughout my Lenten experience) but my current Christian community doesn’t observe Lent, so I am observing it solo.

Today officially begins the liturgical season of lent. This is a forty day season of preparation and repentance that precedes the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ. Before we feast though, we are called to fast and before we celebrate newness of life and the power of God, we are called to let go, surrender and remember the humility of our Lord. This season of Lent I am going to attempt to enter into this walk of letting go, surrendering and remembering; I have been giving this a bit of thought and am ready for it to begin.

As I mentioned - I am going to be using Christine Sine’s Lenten Guide titled, A Journey Into Wholeness and I will be sharing some of how that is enhancing and informing my observance of Lent. I also will be:

Praying the Hours using - Phyllis Tickle’s The Divine Hours (Prayers for Springtime)
Praying The Litany from An English Prayer Book - each Saturday Evening

And praying this daily as my lenten prayer:

I beseech You, Jesus, Loving Saviour to show Yourself to all who seek You, so that we may know You and love You.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit our All in All, Amen. (From A Celtic Primer compiled by Brendan O’Malley)

To lent,
To less,
To laying down,
To letting go!
Unto the Lord.

Other Participants in the Christine Sine’s Lenten Synchroblog:

Julie Clawson
Rev Cheryl A Durham
Henriet Schapelhouman
Rebecca Gagne
Leena Prindle
Steve Lewis
Carol Collins
Tim
Michele Morgan
Barbara
Gilbert Purtee
Monica Paper-Bridges
Traci
Steve Fouch
Carolynn
Lyla Lindquist
Todd Hiestand
Joel Daniel
lfbatista
Joan Ball
Banu Moore
A J
Randy Siever
Mak
Maria
Bethany
Rose Swetman
Eric
Taeler Morgan
Thomas Turner
Chris Olson
JR Woodward
Tom Grosh
Karen B.
Kathy Escobar
John Chandler

Today we are on the doorstep of Lent. Lent is that season of preparation and repentance that precedes the Holy Season of Easter. On the Tuesday before all this we are to enjoy a bit of feast in advance of a time of frugalness, withholding and letting go.

As I observe Lent this year I will be joining in with others at least weekly on a Synchro-blog hosted by Christine Sine. Those involved will all be using Mustard Seeds Lenten Guide as a common tool. I look forward to this journey. I will be sharing other things that I have found helpful, as well, in keeping this time of Lent.

In the meantime - you can read what I wrote regarding Shrove Tuesday last year, here

Peace.