Thoughts on Lent...by Lisa

When I was growing up, my family attended the United Methodist Church in our small Indiana town. I don’t specifically remember Lent being celebrated there, although I’m sure it was. Later, when I was in junior high and high school, I spent a lot of time at the Greek Orthodox Church with my grandparents. I will never forget the pageantry and beauty of the cathedral at Easter. I remember my grandmother talking about the other neighborhood women at bunco and what they were giving up for Lent—pop, chocolate, smoking, etc. My grandmother’s perspective was that instead of giving up something that we indulged in selfishly, perhaps we should spend the time learning something from someone who wouldn’t always be around. For example, my other grandmother was a knitting fiend, and no one else in the family knew how to knit—so why not learn knitting from her during Lent? Alternatively, instead of giving up a selfish indulgence, why not make a selfless contribution of time, money, or both, to others in need? I really liked both of these ideas, although at times I too have given up something and spent the time meditating on Christ’s sacrifice. It wasn't necessarily during Lent, but she and I used to go on cover missions to help others--and one was covert because it irritated my grandfather, so we went "shopping", wink wink. She had a generous heart and I'm so thankful to have been influenced by that.

I decided that when I started a blog, some of the topics would require research—banish the thought that I would write something inaccurate! So today, I dutifully googled the meaning of Lent. I was quite surprised that one church’s website stated emphatically that the observation of Lent is not biblical. Jesus did not command his disciples to observe Lent—this ritual came about later thanks to a command by the council at Laodicea (AD 360, see this link if you want to read about it http://www.thercg.org/articles/ttmol.html#c). Jesus did, however, command his disciples to keep the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.

So what is one to do? Well, in my humble opinion, do what feels right for you. I have to admit that although I am surprised and disappointed that this well-known ritual of observing Lent isn’t a biblical directive, I have taken much comfort in observing the ritual over the years and seasons of my life. My beloved grandmother, with whom I spent the time at the Greek Church, passed away during Lent, making her death even more poignant to me (I was quite possibly her biggest fan). Twenty-three years have gone by and yet I still cry when I remember Father Ev’s cross adorned with daffodils, my sister’s sob, and his chanting resounding through the near-empty cathedral as her casket was brought to the altar on the morning of her funeral. So if observing Lent in your own way gives you a time-out from these hectic days to nourish yourself spiritually, I say go for it. I suppose giving up iced tea, or gin, or anything else I like, and which I have given up in previous years, isn’t of much value in the grand scheme of things, unless I redirect the resources spent on those in some constructive, unselfish way. I think I will take my newfound knowledge about Lent and ponder it. I will try to open my heart to what God would have me do during this season of preparation for the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection.