Lent is almost upon us, starting on Wednesday 21st February. For many years I haven’t been that engaged with the historical Christian festivals, but recently I have began to appreciate the rhythm of the year, times of feasting and fasting and prayer … or that is the intention anyway!
So in approaching this Lent I have been pondering what I might do. The problem (for me at any rate) is that I am not very good at following through on my resolutions. Every advent I intend to take time to reflect each day on the meaning of Christmas, but fail miserably. By New Year, I have realised that those resolutions only lead to a greater sense of guilt when yet again they don’t last that long. So the thought of being more focused in prayer for 40 days seems a massive mountain to climb.
There are a couple of good posts worth recommending: Maggi Dawn has a short useful reminder of what Lent is all about. Bruce Stanley has some interesting thoughts on “Friends, God and Enemies” at embody. But that all seems a bit like setting myself up for a fall. I need something that will remind me of the Lent, but something that I can commit to, and catch up with, if a day or two (or three or four) turn out busier than expected.
So then I came across this from Christian Aid, called “Counting your Blessings”. The idea is that you give money each day, to remind ourselves that we have so much in the West, and many in this world of ours have so little [Molly has taken this idea rather further than I am suggesting on her 30 days of nothing]. So for example, on Wednesday I am told: “Every year 1.6 million of the world’s poorest people die from respiratory infections, aggravated by smoke from open fires in their homes. Give 5p for every radiator in your home, and 10p for every fireplace.“
On Monday 12th March: “Nearly one-third of the world’s population is ‘off-grid’ – living without an electricity supply. Give 5p for every plug socket in your home.”
And on Thursday 22nd March: “In some countries, the media is strictly monitored and shows very limited and biased news. Give 20p if you bought a newspaper today and 10p for every time you caught the radio or TV news.“
You total up each day, and then at the end of Lent you have an amount to give (to Christian Aid of course). Given how many power sockets we have and what a news junkie I am, this could be an expensive Lent. I think I might have to give up chocolate after all to pay for it all …
Let me know what you are intending on doing?
I’m thinking the same thing, Rupert. (Though the more I read, the more excited I am about giving, and the more shocked I am about just how RICH I am, in comparison with the rest of the world).
Thanks for the link, brother.
Thanks for stopping by Molly. It rather pales into insignificance to what you are doing … hope you will blog your way through it. Inspiring.
You are right about how rich we are. I suppose the only thing that we do have to recognise is the cost of living in our countries. When i lived in Pakistan, i lived like a king on £100 a month (about UD$180), whereas that hardly pays for anything here.
Having said that, we have water, electricity, unlimited food, transport, communication, heating etc etc. So we do have so much, and that is worth remembering.
Yeah, being a part of the Evangelical community since 1991, I haven’t done anything with Lent since..well before then-growing up Lutheran.
We’re going to a Episciple (sp?) Lenton service tomorrow night.
Thanks for the comment David. I was in a very similar situation. I wonder why there is such a hesitation to engage with Lent as evangelicals?
heh that sounds a cool idea
thanks for blogging about it Rupert.
I’ll be doing the 40 days of faith again, which is a bible reading/prayer sprititual discipline that Boston Vineyard [USA] do every year for the last few yrs. I’ll also be praying for Sri Lanka where our church has made some links over the last yr or so and going to my first ever ash wednesday service where we all get symbolically marked with a cross on our foreheads from well ash…
i’m thinking more about lent as a chance to gain/do something rather than giving something up - in my case spiritual disciplines - but i think i might incorporate your one as well
as for evangelicals - i suspect it goes back to our distrust of all things catholic that lurk in our protestant roots
or should i say i’ll be adding to what i am gaining thru lent by incorporating the christian aid idea as part of the spiritual practice of giving to the poor…
Paul - thanks for stopping by and adding your comments. I was going to ask you about the 40 days of faith, but have found more details on your blog. Looks good, and i am going to try to incorporate some of that into my lenten disciplines.
I like your thought of gaining something. Sometimes i think our giving up can seem something we do for the sake of it … rather than a positive intention. For example fasting, so that i can create more space for God.
Oh yes Paul - agree too with your comments on evangelicals. i think this is where a generous orthodoxy is so helpful.