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Posted: February 4th, 2008 at 2:33am By: Rev. Kristi Denham
Honoring the ancient season of Lent is new to many mainline Protestant churches, including my own. But the opportunity to set aside time for renewal and deeper spiritual practice is calling more of us to travel with Jesus into the wilderness for forty days and forty nights.
The season of Lent comes earlier this year than most of us would expect. Easter's date is set as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which this year falls on March 21, so Easter is March 23. The 40 days of Lent have been honored since the early days of the church as a time of preparation for the sacred mystery and joy of resurrection.
The word "Lent" comes from Middle English lenct, which means spring or March. The 40 days are counted from Ash Wednesday, Feb. 6 this year, and excludes all Sundays because they are considered mini-Easters, resurrection days.
Before Henry VIII's break with Rome, eating meat on Friday was considered a hanging offense. Even after that, anyone caught eating meat during Lent could be sent to prison for three months. Church authorities were permitted to set exemptions to the Lenten rule and made a lot of money doing so, even though veal, chicken and all other poultry were helpfully categorized as fish. (All this comes from Bill Bryson's "Shakespeare: The World as Stage.")
Today more mainline Protestant churches are finding value in setting apart a time for inward reflection as the year turns toward spring and we prepare our hearts for the mystery and miracle of resurrection. Whatever our beliefs, it is good to spend some time examining the contents of our hearts and the way we live it out in our character.
We usually shy away from the ritual "giving up" of something for Lent in favor of choosing some meaningful way to strengthen our faith in practice, perhaps by adding a service project to our routine, or spending more time in prayer and meditation, or reading books that challenge us to grow.
However you choose to honor your own journey during this sacred season, I invite you to remember that life is a precious gift. You are a beautiful child of God. May you grow in wonder and practice, practice, practice the Law of Love.
— — —
Rev. Kristi Denham is pastor of the Congregational Church of Belmont, California (United Church of Christ). Her email address is {email RevKristi@aol.com}RevKristi@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Kristi Denham.
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Honoring the ancient season of Lent is new to many mainline Protestant churches, including my own. But the opportunity to set aside time for renewal and deeper spiritual practice is calling more of us to travel with Jesus into the wilderness for forty days and forty nights.
The season of Lent comes earlier this year than most of us would expect. Easter's date is set as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which this year falls on March 21, so Easter is March 23. The 40 days of Lent have been honored since the early days of the church as a time of preparation for the sacred mystery and joy of resurrection.
The word "Lent" comes from Middle English lenct, which means spring or March. The 40 days are counted from Ash Wednesday, Feb. 6 this year, and excludes all Sundays because they are considered mini-Easters, resurrection days.
Before Henry VIII's break with Rome, eating meat on Friday was considered a hanging offense. Even after that, anyone caught eating meat during Lent could be sent to prison for three months. Church authorities were permitted to set exemptions to the Lenten rule and made a lot of money doing so, even though veal, chicken and all other poultry were helpfully categorized as fish. (All this comes from Bill Bryson's "Shakespeare: The World as Stage.")
Today more mainline Protestant churches are finding value in setting apart a time for inward reflection as the year turns toward spring and we prepare our hearts for the mystery and miracle of resurrection. Whatever our beliefs, it is good to spend some time examining the contents of our hearts and the way we live it out in our character.
We usually shy away from the ritual "giving up" of something for Lent in favor of choosing some meaningful way to strengthen our faith in practice, perhaps by adding a service project to our routine, or spending more time in prayer and meditation, or reading books that challenge us to grow.
However you choose to honor your own journey during this sacred season, I invite you to remember that life is a precious gift. You are a beautiful child of God. May you grow in wonder and practice, practice, practice the Law of Love.
— — —
Rev. Kristi Denham is pastor of the Congregational Church of Belmont, California (United Church of Christ). Her email address is {email RevKristi@aol.com}RevKristi@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Kristi Denham.
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