I remember the first time I was very aware of Ash Wednesday. It was coming out of the Methodist Church in Magherafelt and seeing a number of people coming towards me with a dark dollop on their forehead. Mass had just finished in the Chapel round the corner and the dollop was put there by the Priest as a visible sign of repentance. We Protestants don’t go for symbolism but it did strike me as being a very clear sign of the start of Lent.
The word Lent means Spring and it refers to the 40 day period leading up to Easter, starting with today, Ash Wednesday. The practice of Lent recalls Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness while the season also focuses on that portion of the Gospel that depicts Jesus’ journey to the cross after Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Christ.
At churchyear.net we read the following description of the purposes and practices of Lent:
“The purpose of Lent is to be a season of self denial, spiritual growth, simplicity, and fasting. Lent can be viewed as a spiritual spring-clean: a time for taking spiritual inventory and then cleaning out those things which hinder our relationship with Jesus and our service for Him.”
Thus it is fitting that the season of Lent begins with the symbol of repentance: placing ashes mixed with oil on one’s head or forehead.
Most of us think in terms of what we are going to give up at Lent and it is usually to do with food, but it is equally good to view Lent positively to use the extra space to get closer to God.
The following poem by the wonderful Walter Brueggemann focuses our minds on the true repentant spirit taking our Wednesday to ASH Wednesday:
Ruler of the Night, Guarantor of the day . . .
This day — a gift from you.
This day — like none other you have ever given, or we have ever received.
This Wednesday dazzles us with gift and newness and possibility.
This Wednesday burdens us with the tasks of the day, for we are already halfway home
halfway back to committees and memos,
halfway back to calls and appointments,
halfway on to next Sunday,
halfway back, half frazzled, half expectant,
half turned toward you, half rather not.
This Wednesday is a long way from Ash Wednesday,
but all our Wednesdays are marked by ashes —
we begin this day with that taste of ash in our mouth:
of failed hope and broken promises,
of forgotten children and frightened women,
we ourselves are ashes to ashes, dust to dust;
we can taste our mortality as we roll the ash around on our tongues.
We are able to ponder our ashness with
some confidence, only because our every Wednesday of ashes
anticipates your Easter victory over that dry, flaky taste of death.
On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you —
you Easter parade of newness.
Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
mercy and justice and peace and generosity.
We pray as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.
So LENT AND LEARNING has changed to “METHOD IN THE MAYHEM” I Hope it will be a useful commentary over the period of lent.
FAT TUESDAY is today. The seriousness of Lent that begins on Ash Wednesday is preceded on Tuesday each year by a day of frivolousness and indulgence. We feast before we fast.
Yet even the feasting and festivities have traditionally served a purpose. During Lent there are many foods that some Christians — historically and today — do not eat: such as meat, fats, eggs, and milky foods. In order to avoid wasting them, families and communities hold feasts to use them up so they do not go bad over the forty days of Lenten observance. Pancakes and other rich confections developed because these were good ways of using up all the eggs, fats, milk, and sweets in the house with just the addition of flour. So While in certain traditions today is known as Shrove Tuesday- Shrove from the word Shrive- to repent, others take opposite tradition of Fat Tuesday, feeding before you fast.
- see this video to see the traditions
So tongues are well embedded in our cheeks as we are reminded in “Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?” (Eccles. 7:16)
So with this in mind Robert Farrar Capon reminds us to enjoy today with this prayer.
O Lord, refresh our sensibilities. Give us this day our daily taste. Restore to us our soups that spoons will not sink in, and sauces which are never the same twice. Raise up among us stews with more gravy than we have bread to blot it with, and casseroles that put starch and substance in our limp modernity. Take away our fear of fat, and make us glad of the oil which ran upon Aaron’s beard. Give us pasta with a hundred fillings, and rice in a thousand variations. Above all, give us grace to live as true folk — to fast till we come to a refreshed sense of what we have and then to dine gratefully on all that comes to hand. Drive far from us, O Most Bountiful, all creatures of air and darkness; cast out the demons that possess us; deliver us from fear of calories and the bondage of nutrition; and set us free once more in our own land, where we shall serve thee as thou hast blessed us — with the dew of heaven, the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine. Shalom
Sunday 9/11 will be an occasion when the world will unite in joint remembering. I am sure you will recall where you heard/ saw the news of the planes hitting the Twin Towers. Strangely enough I was with a group of Americans talking about an up coming International Youth Conference in Jordanstown University. I remembering looking at the pictures in the corridor with sheer disbelief.
Sunday is the tenth anniversary – that in itself is a shock- and I hope that as people gather together at Ground Zero,to remember, to commemorate and pay repsects the only job the police will have is crowd control.
My cousin in Canada pointed me to this Youtube clip of a Untied Methodist Minister who lost her brother in 9.11 and how she has noved on with one of the hardest subjects in life. How do you forgive people who have taken someone so special from you.
Tennis has been a feature of this household for many years. Largely through Michael, who loves the game, Lesley always enjoys watching it, especially the finals, why even Nicola knows the names of some of the players.
Anyway, did you see the two mens semi- finals from the French Open Yesterday. NADAL and Murray, then Federer and Djokovic as they played tennis of the highest standard, wonderful full on, no quarter asked none given. Well, actually, that is not true.
In both matches Nadal and Djokovic ( Why do I want to call him DORKovic} each did something not seen much on the professional sports scene. During their matches, both at key points, when their opponent served and the lines judge called out, both inspected the mark on the clay, saw the call judge was wrong and volunetered the point to the server. Just so refreshing to see the honest intergrity of the true Sportsmen.
When you see the antics of some professional footballers, diving, trying to get people sent of, holding up an imaginary card to the ref to get someone booked. just so differenet.
So well done the tennis players, you have shown that honesty and intergrity are more imporatnt that cheating your way through. Honesty, what a wonderful policy.
Much of my time is spent getting people to fulfill roles in the church. On my “Weeks Work” Sheet it has a heading all of its own and rarely is there not some post to be filled. Acknowledging John and Bobby on sunday, who retired after decades of service as welcomerS on the door, reminded me of the importance of giving rather than receiving. God calls us to give rather than receive, to offer than to take. e.g
what we ask – we offer
• to be prayed for – and to pray for
• for wisdom and knowledge – to be used to enrich the church
• to be saints – to nurture others to sainthood
• to be resourced – in order to be resourced.
We can ask but we must give back, and thank God we have as many offering to serve as those receiving. The giving actually opens us to growth. Listen to what the theologian Michael Paul Gallagher has to say
““Transforming moments of life come through friendships even through failures, through the
cries of others, or through the strangeness of silence. In each of these zones we found that
there were thresholds to cross. And the courage to cross them is where our human
adventure can open towards God. But there is another human space where we spend much
of our lives – in the valleys of daily non-intensity. What about the ordinary days, where
chores accumulate and tired attitudes can take over? Any yet within everyday dullness lies a
different threshold to be crossed. Here slow wisdom is possible…”
Is he saying that growth comes from daily grind lived with God.
So sunday nights congregational meeting those who stand as candidates for the Church Council may not regard it as a “Transforming” life experience but it is courageous and another example of giving rather than receiving.
The airwaves have had a familiar voice singing out again, that of Andrea Corr. Confession, I feel creditability draining already, But I liked the CORR'S, yes their music. I did buy The live album “Corrs Unplugged”, although it was from a market stall on the beach of Penang, Malaysia so not sure The Corrs saw any of my money. Anyway, where did they go, they disappeared, the group broke up and some missed their brand of Celtic Rock.
But she is back, following her Sister Sharon, Andrea releases her solo Album “Lifelines” on 30th. She was interviewed on Breakfast TV this morning and asked why did she need to go of and learn French. “Because the fun had gone from performing, I needed a break, and now I am back ready to enjoy Singing and entertaining she answered with that lovely Dublin brogue. Sounds like as good a reason as any to me.
Getting a break would be lovely, to not turn up at work tomorrow, knowing the phone wouldn't ring and the boss shout”get yourself down here NOW! Or you could pull the duvet over your head and not be disturbed by the spouce asking” is there anything for the children's lunch DEAR> However wake up Brian and smell the coffee, we can't, few are in the Andrea Corr's situation where we can clear off for over a year and chill.
I was with someone today who has been forced to take a break, and already is feeling the benefit.
If we can't drop everything, and before the emergency forces on the brakes, should we not build into our days, breaks, even for a minute maybe five, an afternoon off leaving the to do list and go for a walk and coffee with a special person or a day away to enjoy something different. On Friday afternoon,I am for the golf course with 3 mates from Cregagh for the first Jolly Boy's Outing of the year.
Then it is so good many of organisation get the summer break, to refresh themsleves. For instance our Sunday School teachers get a well earned rest at the end of a busy year. Enjoy the break, the extra hour on a sunday morning.
