From Wiki:
Lent, in most Christian denominations, is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where, according to the Bible, he endured temptation by Satan. Different churches will calculate the forty days differently.
The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer—through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial—for the annual commemoration of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, as celebrated during Holy Week, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Lent was to help remind us of the great sacrifice the Lord Jesus paid for our sins, and helped prepare our hearts to truly celebrate His resurrection. I am no longer in the Catholic faith, and I don't practice Lent, per se, but I do respect this practice.
Just today I was reading in our little local newspaper that many Evangelical Lutheran (ELCA) churches will be turning Lent from the focus on Christ to the focus on the created... planet earth.
"The ash of Ash Wednesday is to remind us that we are from the earth and that in some way return, not in a woe-is-me way but in a cyclical way," said Andrew Genszler, director of advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. "We're part of a greater cycle."
Genszler, based in Washington, D.C., is helping put out "Living Earth: A 40-Day Reflection on Our Relationship with God's Creation." The e-mail series, which you can sign up for at http://elca.org/advocacy, will span the 40 days of Lent, beginning Wednesday.
It looks at environmental issues like urban sprawl, buying local and disappearing fish, and offers questions and thoughts for reflection and resources to learn more.
Genszler hopes the series brings more reflection to the public discussion of global warming and other environmental issues.
Humans "essentially have added to what is a broken ecosystem," he said. "What Lent affords us the opportunity to do is reflect on our position in that to the extent that we're responsible for it, and not to wallow in that but to see ourselves as agents of change for the good."
The e-mail series blends the ancient ritual of Lent, a preparation for Easter, with a modern mode of communication.
I read a while back that some people feel that many aspects of the ecological movement have almost religious undertones and adherents. I just find it a shame that Lent has been replaced, at least in this particular denomination, with such a global focus that Christ seems to be relegated to an afterthought, and protection and nurturing of the planet is now in the forefront. I know these things aren't mutually exclusive, however, shouldn't Lent be about Lent?
Pardon my vent.
I would love to hear about your conversion from the Catholic faith. I have several Catholic friends who I talk to often.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware of this trend! Gaah! I look as Lent as a time to reflect on the seriousness of sin in all of its forms. There is a time to mourn and a time to grieve.
ReplyDeleteI read some of your post about the Purpose Driven church business and whole-heartedly agree. Church growth is a sovereign act of the Holy Spirit, not a business plan at the hands of Man. Sigh.
Joy to you!
Tami
I see lent as a time to reflect on my sins, the way they harm other people, (not "mother earth") and my relationship with Christ, all of which is interrelated.
ReplyDeleteTo whatever extent (definitely a debatable issue) my living standards have harmed creation (to include my fellow human); and thereby my relationship with the creator, Jesus Christ; and have not taken seriously the first commandment to take care of His creation; to that extent this is certainly a topic that is appropriate for Lent. (along with any number of others such as: respect for human life, before and after birth, poverty (directly related to the previous point) and fiscal responsibility)
David B - but by your train of logic, then, virtually any imaginable topic could be Lent-worthy. For example, let's say someone came up with a Lenten devotional on pet care. Certainly pets are God's creation, and there are many ways in which we can and should show kindness to them (compassion), so because they are creatures made by God, and Jesus is one with God, then by extension studying how to be better pet owners could be a great Lenten devotional? Nahh.
ReplyDeleteMy point, by bringing the Wiki definition of "Lent" was to contrast what it actually means as compared to that into which some denominations have morphed it. It really is sad to me, as Lent is a beautiful spiritual discipline.
I have no trouble at all with learning more about being better stewards of the earth... I'm not against taking the high road on those issues. It just seems very out of place to me to have Lent denigrated to yet another primer on how to be more green.
I hear you, and as you saw, I did reference several other issues that are worthy of Lenton reflection. As for my logic, yes, I do think any topic can be related to lent, ideally when it it brought to light by the Holy Spirit in the context of reflection and repentance.
ReplyDeleteWhat I hear you saying is that no one issue (green, life, poverty) should be the topic of Lent, but that rather it is much broader than this. Yah, I agree, I just wouldn't want to then not consider green issues, which it sounds like you agree with.
Actually, I'm saying that Lent by definition is a much narrower topic. A time of reflection on the death of Jesus.
ReplyDelete