'GIVING UP' FOR LENT

I'm not sure if there is a Lenten practice more misunderstood than that old 'I'm giving up'.......one, to which one fills in the blank with something like chocolate, candy, alcohol, tobacco, dessert, or whatever.....

This is NOT to say that there is no value to 'giving up________for Lent', but rather that any religious practice which becomes customary or habitual runs the risk of simply not being thought through. This is NOT limited to Lenten devotions of any one church. This tendency is there well beyond Lent in all denominations, in all religions.....

BEWARE OF IT!.............

Yet, I WILL suggest that 'giving up' properly understood can serve many useful spiritual functions...

Do you think so? If so, would you mind explaining? Same thing, if not....

I'll develop this more as we go through Lent....

PB

A LENTEN PRIMER

LENT begins tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. Growing up Roman Catholic in the 60's and having the experience of being an altar boy,Lent has left an indelible impression upon me. In fact, though I freely chose to express my Christian faith by affiliating with a Protestant denomination and congregation many years ago, I continue to maintain that one of Catholicism's great gifts is the spirituality associated with the seasons....and that includes the season of Lent. The recognition of this has led many Protestant congregations to highlight devotional practices that long ago were seen as possessed solely by their Catholic friends and colleagues....

I thought it would be helpful to start off with a simple LENTEN PRIMER in which I attempt to highlight the heart and essence of thios season. I encourage YOU to write about what Lent HAS MEANT or MIGHT MEAN to you....here in the 21st century.

Let's begin with this.....WHAT IS LENT? Well, it's a 40 day season of PREPARING for Easter. In the earliest days of Christianity, that meant the church preparing adult candidates to be baptized and in so doing to renew their own identity as baptized Christians. It really remains so today.

Over the years, Lent evolved into a living remembrance of the suffering and death of Jesus and the notion of coming to terms with and sharing in this suffering. Certain devotional emphases became identified with Lent, ALL of which are valuable parts of our Christian life 365 days per year. Generally speaking, therefore, Lenten devotion is associated with:
PRAYER
FASTING~ the value of which is often misunderstood..
ALMSGIVING~giving to those in need, caring for the poor, etc

In our contemporary lives, it's important to ask how Lenten devotional practices can help us get to the heart of what it means to be a believer, in particular, a disciple of Jesus.
We will try to get at that in different ways, recognizing that properly understood, adapting certain prayer emphases, fasting or abstaining, and setting money and time aside for the needy can be important spiritual practices. Improperly understood, they can become silly superstitions, a concern that has always been present in the Protestant approach to Lent.

Hope this is a good start...

PB

Another great column by Susan Campbell

Those of us who have regular access to the Hartford Courant are most fortunate as we have the opportunity to read columnist Susan Campbell on a regular basis. Ms. Campbell, author of the recent and superb DATING JESUS( see my archived entry!), has a wonderful way of putting before us those topics that really matter and challenging our consciences. Today's column reminds us of the serious reality that HUNGER, basic hunger, both exists and dominates so many lives right here in Connecticut. If you get a chance, go to today's Courant. You may also be able to find it at http://www.courant.com/

If you want to read it and can't find it, please let me know.

For those seeking to enter the spirit of Lent, it is important spiritual reading. You can bet I will refer to this topic this Sunday as suggested-

PB

LENTEN REFLECTIONS

Watch this blog for Lenten reflections beginning tonight February 24-

PB

ASH WEDNESDAY- FEBRUARY 25

Since I have been on the road much of this week, this BLOG's been quiet! But I'm back...and ready to write!

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday this Wednesday February 25.....On this BLOG, watch for:

* Some commentary/ thoughts on LENT
* A message about the Feast of the Transfiguraion which we celebrate on the Sunday BEFORE LENT BEGINS!
* Some ramblings generated by reflecting upon miles on the road this week!

All the best...

PB

THE LEAST OF THESE

These are tough economic times.....and everyone is cutting budgets: companies, families and churches. As we saw in Connecticut this past week, state governments are being forced to make significant budget adjustments and local governments will have to as well.

In today's Hartford Courant, Susan Campbell reminds us of the continuing needs of our most vulnerable people, including the homeless and those with AIDS. Even as we face economic hardship, we must do our best not to forget those who very well might suffer most from this difficult time.

Churches who face budget difficulties, and, in varying degrees, most churches do, must find ways to keep front and center in peoples' minds, the needs of those who suffer.

In our little church, our Deacons felt it important to lift up the needs of those in our area in need of food and fuel this winter even as we had to make necessary cuts in our own budgets.

May followers of Jesus continue to remember the clear injunction of our Teacher and Lord:

' Whatever you do TO THE LEAST OF THESE.....you do to me' ( Mt 25)

If you have today's Courant, read Ms. Campbell's article...

PB

ALL ARE WELCOME

These words are important in our church community. It is unfortunate that all too often people do not associate the words 'church' and 'welcoming', often feeling uncomfortable around and threatened by 'religious' people who strike a posture of self righteousness.

Marty Haugen's song ALL ARE WELCOME puts it all on the line......I hope you sing it wherever you worship......If you don't know it, check it out here:

http://www.kandle.ie/2009/01/08/portlaoise-concert-with-marty-haugen-and-tony-alonso/

In my view, it is important that those who experience guilt because of past sins find forgiveness in the Christian community, that those who feel like 'outcasts and strangers' feel at home when they come to church. It's important that those who have been explicitly discriminated against, often in the name of religion, including homosexual Christians, find a place in the local church where they can pray, work and experience the incrdible presence of God.

In the Christian lectionary next week, there is a story of Jesus encountering a leper. May His church in this age reach out to those who have been cast aside, even in religion's name, with the hospitable welcome He did, a welcome born of an amazing LOVE-

PB

RELIGIOUS TERMINOLOGY

In preparing this weekend's sermon, I was reminded once again of how religious terms are so often used to divide believers from one another-

In Christian usage, such is the case with the terms EVANGELICAL, REFORMED, and CATHOLIC...

I want to propose that in reality, ALL Christian churches are called to be ALL THREE and that these words should not be 'battle' terms...

We who follow Jesus should all be:

EVANGELICAL...committed to telling the 'good news'

REFORMED......open to change within the institution......willing to be open to the Spirit...aware that human knowledge is limited and so too are human made rules

catholic- Universal, part of a larger body than the local church.....united with other Christians in spirit and working together with them in visible unity wherever possible....actually striving to make it possible...

These terms need not be religious weapons, as they so often are!!

PB

Talking to others about your faith.....

I find myself always encouraging people to 'invite someone to church' with them. It's struck me quite a bit that we 'mainline' Christians tend to be far more hesitant about talking up our faith or what we believe than those who are quite active in more 'evangelical' churches, including the megachurches that have sprung up all over the place. I suppose there are a lot of reasons for this ranging from the fact that for many, religious choice is seen as a 'private' thing to a concern that in speaking about one's religion too fervently, one can come across as intolerant of those whose beliefs are different...

So, even as I encourage people to 'invite' others, I find myself wondering how comfortable they REALLY FEEL in doing so.

What's all of this getting at?

Well, if you have found life and hope and vitality in your religious faith, it seems to me that would be a good thing to pass along to people whom you love. If you like your church, it would be good to invite people to that community where you have found something meaningful.

I honestly believe that 'mainline' American Protestants and Catholics and Orthodox Christians as well, members of churches that are deeply historical and connected with Christian origins and open to understandings that come from good biblical and scientific research , really need to start getting more comfortable in talking about their faith lest this evangelical ground is yielded to churches in which the continuity of Christianity is downplayed and which, all too often, pit faith unnecessarily against reason, a faculty which we humans have received through the grace of a loving God.

I'm going to try to explore all of this in practical terms in my sermon this week, which i've dubbed ' The E WORD'

PB