"The 'what-ifs?' increase exponentially when your heart is walking around outside of your body wearing Buzz Lightyear light up shoes."
- BlestWithSons
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
A few questions.
Do you follow the church calendar, including observing Ash Wednesday, Lent, and all that? Do you not observe any of it?
Why or why not?
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Trackback URL: http://thinklings.org/bloo.trackback.php/3658.
1. the Requiest
- 02/22/2007 10:36 am CST
… I got better. Well, I’m getting better. My apologies for not posting in a while, but I’ve been down and out with a sinus infection. Don’t usually get ill but when I do, well my wife can vouch for what a whining little pansy I...
Comments on "Lent":
2. Alan
- 02/21/2007 5:28 pm CST
I'm not so much taking a poll as I am just asking out of curiosity.
You do raise an interesting point, though-- the pervasive, yet selective, use of the church calendar by evangelicals. One could say that Christmas and Easter are days to observe particular events, but then again, Lent is observing the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness.
So, if you don't observe it, why not? I'm not necessarily asking for a defense of non-observance, but more a question of whether your observance or lack thereof is mostly out of inertia.
3. The Ancient Mariner
- 02/21/2007 6:50 pm CST
Well, I'm leaving the house in half an hour to get ready for our Ash Wednesday service (just dropped in here to see what's going on)--is that enough of an answer for you? :)
We don't do everything--the church paid at least some attention to the major seasons before I came, but tonight's service, for instance, is something I've added to the church calendar; I'm adding things one at a time, so we don't, for instance, have services for Epiphany or Ascension, or an Easter vigil service. I do believe in the value of the church calendar, though, so we do as much as possible, and we take Advent, Lent and Holy Week with particular seriousness.
4. imonk
- 02/21/2007 6:53 pm CST
I started our house church for this purpose. The Christian year and the practices that go with it shape me spiritually, replace the consumeristic evangelical version of "Christian music and t-shirt" spirituality that dominated most of my life, and it's just plain soaked in Bible. I love it.
5. Brian in Fresno
- 02/21/2007 6:55 pm CST
This is something that I've put some thought into. I grew up in the Nazarene denomination, my mom has attended Nazarene churches for 70 years. Even though we were protestant for some reason we had fish on Fridays. I was possibly in my 40's before I fully understood that there was a church calendar.
I find it interesting that Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is such a big deal to so many people around the world and it makes me wonder if any of them understand it to be the day before the season of Lent. I think most people just see it as a chance to party.
About 2.5 years ago I started attending a church that observes the church calendar and the Anglican lectionary. Today at the ripe old age of 50 I will be attending my first Ash Wednesday service.
I view it as a symbolic token to what I desire in my life. Recognizing that I am a sinner and putting on "sackcloth and ashes" as I seek greater circumcision of my heart.
I have heard many people talk of what they are giving up for Lent. I once entered an online convo about this and suggested that what needs to occur is a complete emptying and giving up of ourselves. I was stunned when the response to this idea I had was, "Well, that would be nice, in theory".
From what I read in the Bible God isn't interested in theory.
So I'm leaving in about 5 minutes to spend some time on my knees mourning my sinfulness and recognising the grace and mercy of Jesus who reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
6. Dr Mike
- 02/21/2007 7:06 pm CST
I don't observe the calendar: I don't feel any need or desire to do so. But I think we're free to do it or not, i.e., it's an area of freedom similar to Paul taking vows and observing Jewish rituals after his conversion.
It falls under Rom 14.5 - "One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind." - or it's an application of 1 Co 8.8 - "But food [observing the calendar] will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat [observe it], nor the better if we do eat [observe it]."
7. Maripat
- 02/21/2007 9:19 pm CST
Being a Roman Catholic, Lent is a very big deal for us. We of course start with Ash Wednesday with Mass and receiving the ashes on our foreheads. Funny story there with the ashes, but I digress. Of course, no meat on Fridays and Ash Wendesday. Additionally we fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, which means only one meal (Catholic version of fasting?). You are also supposed to "give something up" but I always "do something" and "give something up" So spiritually I'm doing something positive as well as doing a penance by giving something up for 40 days. All of this is of course to prepare ourselves spiritually for the Death and Resurrection of our Lord. For me, it helps me to maintain more of a focus on the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for us.
I bet I'm the only Catholic here, aren't I?
8. Alan
- 02/21/2007 9:38 pm CST
My church follows the church calendar in the order of worship, but we don't generally go for Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, etc.
Much of it is foreign to me. I am starting to see some wisdom in the the church calendar, and in visible reminders like Ash Wednesday. I'm still not totally down with it. I'm not convinced that the idea of Lenten fasting is really biblical (I'll offer no argument here, just my sense at this point), as opposed to deriving more from stoicism and its relatives. But (1) things like Ash Wednesday/Maundy Thursday seem to force the intrusion of the church on the secular work week and (2) the Bible seems to place a lot more emphasis on using our bodies to help shape our spiritual lives than we are generally comfortable with as moderns. Somehow the importance of having our hearts rightly tuned to God was taken to imply that bodily expression was out of bounds. This has changed, thanks in no small part to the charismatic movement.
I would like to see more of us use the church calendar, but also I'd like us to critically re-examine it and try to constantly bring it closer to the scriptures.
9. Brian in Fresno
- 02/21/2007 9:51 pm CST
I agree with you Alan.
I've heard it said that the calendar follows the life of Christ in a macro, am I using the word and meaning correctly, way over the course of the year.
I don't think I've come across any Biblical reasoning behind it, but I like it. I think it helps keep me focused. Speaking only for myself focus is desperately needed.
10. The Ancient Mariner
- 02/21/2007 10:29 pm CST
Biblical? Perhaps not, in the strictest sense; but I see it as the gathered wisdom of generations of God's people (before Christ as well as after) on how best to train and discipline our practices and habits, to form our lives, to follow God.
11. Milly
- 02/21/2007 11:04 pm CST
The year before last my minister asked us to give something up for Lent so I gave up saying negative things about “W†I was surprised how many negative political thoughts pop into my head. My Rep friends so loved trying to get to me.
12. gina
- 02/21/2007 11:11 pm CST
I went to an Ash Wednesday service tonight and I think observing Lent is a great opportunity to to reflect on our walk with Christ and strengthen our commitment to living our lives in a manner worthy of the calling we have received. The ashes are merely an outward symbol of an inward work of humility and repentance.
We live in a culture where self-denial is not a very popular concept, therefore; any spiritual discipline intended to help us recognize the danger in this and lead us back to Christ is a good thing in my opinion.
13. Alan
- 02/21/2007 11:25 pm CST
AM, you're right-- obviously it's not biblical in the strong sense of being an inescapable command of scripture, but the argument would be whether it's biblical in the weaker sense of being the best expression of Christian wisdom we can muster on the topic at hand. I wouldn't necessarily argue that it's not biblical at this point, but it's just something I'm weighing.
14. Pigwotflies
- 02/22/2007 3:46 am CST
I grew up in an Anglican church and now that I'm in a charismatic envangelical church that celebrates Christmas and Easter, but that's about it, sometimes I miss the seasons of the church year, especially Lent and Advent. Of course Shrove Tuesday is a big British thing, so there are always pancakes at the beginning of Lent, but that's more of an any excuse to eat more food thing. Oh and Mothering Sunday gets celebrated, but as much because it's all over the shops as for its traditional roots. My Anglican days were never very 'high church' (do you guys get that? High church Anglicanism is the Anglo-Catholic end, smells and bells, low church is the guitars and family services end, sometimes very puritan) and I don't think I've ever been to an imposition of ashes service, for instance, but sometimes I miss the sense of being connected to hundreds of years of church history and tradition. Kind of a connection to our historical brothers in Christ. Does that make sense?
15. Maripat
- 02/22/2007 9:49 am CST
sometimes I miss the sense of being connected to hundreds of years of church history and tradition. Kind of a connection to our historical brothers in Christ. Does that make sense?
It makes sense to me. That's one of the things I love about the Catholic church, the history and tradition. The High Mass is truly an inspiring and beautiful service!
I don't (and our church doesn't) observe anything but Easter and its preceding days. (Good Friday, Maundy Thursday)
At least as far as I know. Does Christmas count?