friday after ash wednesday

I began reading Lauren Winner's book, Mudhouse Sabbath, today.  Lauren was an orthodox Jew who converted to Episopalian Christianity.  What she does in the book is give gentiles a taste of Jewish spiritual disciplines, and then reorients them for the Christian life.  The first chapter on Sabbath-keeping left me longing.  Friday is supposed to be the "pastor's sabbath".  So it says on the monthly church calendar.  But it isn't. Rarely are we intentional enough to let Godly rest break into our time.  Not even on Sundays.  She writes, "But there is something, in the Jewish sabbath, that is absent from most Christian Sundays; a true cessation from the rhythms of work and world, a time wholly set apart, and, perhaps above all, a sense that the point of Shabbat, the orientation of Shabbat, is toward GOD."  She wrote about buying and making all the food for Saturday on Friday before Sundown.  She talked about Sabbath rest transcending the Torah.  There are thirty nne prohbitions associated with Sabbath.  But keeping it is about embracing God's rhythm of life. God rested from creating.  And it is about resurrection, renewal, rebirth.  It is about the in-breaking of the new creation.  Jesus interprets sabbath prohibitions from the perspective of living according to God's redemptive and restorative mission.  It is better to heal and give life on Sabbath than to abide by legal prescriptions.  The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.

thursday after ash wednesday

So what can I say to a group of Mennonite Middle Schoolers gathering for chapel at 8:15 am, before school starts? I was invited to speak about Lent.  When I was in middle school I thought the only thing that mattered was my pimply skin, my braces, my oily hair, and food.  I liked sports too.  As for Lent?  My family went to Lenten midweek services, but I went for the potluck dinner!   So what do these middle schoolers need to hear from me?
I talked about the forty days; Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, holy week, baptismal catechesis and mystogogy. I talked about spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and giving alms.  I suggested that people give up certain indulgences during the season.  These are the logistics.

But Lent is not these rituals. Lent is a story, a homecoming story.  I told them the story of the prodigal son, or the overly gracious father, from Luke 15. It's my favorite parable.  And I think it strikes home for middle schoolers at a private Christian school.  There are people who are far from God, who do not live in obedience to God.  They are as welcome in the Kingdom as those who are obedient.  Living the safe and comfortable Christian life is not the only way to the Father's heart.  No matter how far away we go from God, God is not far from us. And we are welcomed home.
Pray for: broken families.  

ash wednesday

"remember that you are dust...and to dust you shall return."

On Ash Wednesday, Christians intentionally remind themselves that we are mortal. And that our bodies are organic material.  The dust that collects under your bed?  Some of it is you! Your skin and hair and toe nails and stuff.  Why do we need to know this or remember this fact?  Because our other faculties can transcend this basic truth about bodily weakness and vulnerability.  So far as to reduce the vulnerability in many ways.  From protective clothing to HVAC, we create an environment that is more comfortable for our bodies. We can become too comfortable.  Not to mention, our minds and spirits take us places our bodies cannot go.  We dream dreams and have visions.  And so we exercise powers, not so much from our physical capacities but from our mental/spiritual/emotional ones. We have, of course, physical strength, which is why athletes are popular. (And so are steroids).  But it is often the athlete's mental determination and motivations that excel some beyond others. But for every athletle, there comes a time when their bodies fail.