Lent 2010

I'm not even going to mention the fact that I haven't posted since July (sorry formerly loyal readers) or the reasons behind me attempting to resume this blogging business (Hi weird spam commenter!) so I'll just get down to business. Lent is here.

Lent for me usually goes something like this. A day or two before or after Ash Wednesday I realize it's Lent. Then I become motivated to do something for Lent. Start a devotional, give something meaningful up, become a better person and solve all the world's problems in 40 days...that sort of thing. I go online, google a devotional, skim a few, and dismiss them all as lame. Then I try to think of something to give up. But all I can come up with are selfishly motivated things (Hello diet!) which almost makes me feel worse about the whole process. So instead of having a meaningful season of repentance and renewal, I end up feeling simultaneously guilty and self-righteous.

This year, I got off to a slightly better start. I realized Lent was beginning the weekend before it actually did. I made it to a nicely intimate imposition of ashes and communion service at my church. I have to confess that my attention wasn't what it normally is, but I liked what I took away from the service. My pastor spoke about how on Ash Wednesday we are "smudged" with ashes. Lent is a time to reflect on how we, both personally and corporately, become smudged with sin and to look with joy towards the redemption and resurrection of Easter Sunday. It really made me reflect on just how smudged I am right now. More importantly, it called to mind just how smudged our world is.

In our attempts to walk more closely with God, we often forget the corporate sins of omission that we are all participating in every day. We live in an imperfect society and world, and just going about our daily lives can innocently contribute to the pain and injustice done to others. As we confess and make ourselves new before God, we need to remember to confess and repent for the many ways that we are complacent in the evils of this world. Injustice surrounds us and yet, how little we do to change it.

With this in mind, I think I finally found a devotional I won't write off after a few days. The premise? A carbon reduction fast. I know, I know half of you just went whoa you're even nuttier then I thought. But really, maybe you should give it a try. Living more simply is a goal that we should all strive for and what better way to do so then by focusing on the waste and extravagance in our lifestyles. The guide calls attention to a different issue each day by having you collect coins in a jar each time you do a different activity. Thursday it was each time you turn on the faucet and Friday is each time you use a sheet a paper. At the end of the forty days of Lent, you give the money you collected to the organization of your choice. To go along with it, I'm going to be reading from the book of Luke and trying to focus on the "social justice" themes found there. And truthfully, I'm excited about what God is going to show me. You can get a copy of the devotional from Alternatives for Simple Living. If carbon reduction isn't your thing, check out the archives for past Lenten devotionals (like the one on hunger). Or just check out the website for lots of great resources on living a more simple, peaceful, and just life.