Mother Laura from over at Revgals says: Ready or not, Lent is upon us! And asks us to consider these questions:
1. Did you celebrate Mardi Gras and/or Ash Wednesday this week? How?
We did not do "Mardi Gras" on Tuesday, but our church held our annual "Mardi Gras" brunch on Sunday. We have egg bake, cake walk, face painting and silent auction for a variety of homemade theme baskets. All of the proceeds go toward our congregation's participation in community organizing for social justice.
On Ash Wednesday, we had three services here at church: 12:15, 5:30 and 7:00, with imposition of Ashes and Communion; also our first soup supper. It's a busy time.
2. What was your most memorable Mardi Gras/Ash Wednesday/Lent?
One year our campus pastor at Gustavus read T.S. Eliot's poem Ash Wednesday. That was memorable. And the first time I participated in the imposition of ashes, as an intern, was memorable for me, as I reflected here.
3. Did you/your church/your family celebrate Lent as a child? If not, when and how did you discover it?
Although we were a church-going family, I don't remember us doing much for Lent. Sometimes we had a cardboard bank on our kitchen table, for "almsgiving", although I don't think we called it that. Probably it was for World Hunger. We always went to Good Friday services, though. We had 7:30 Tenebrae, and it was very sad and solemn.
4. Are you more in the give-up camp, or the take-on camp, or somewhere in between?
I think I fall into more the "take on" camp, although sometimes you have to "give up" something to take on something else! At least, that's my take on it. Anything, whether it be "giving up" or "taking on" that helps us to realize what is Most Important -- is a good discipline.
5. How do you plan to keep Lent this year?
Well, for one thing, I am going to read the daily selections from Bread and Wine. I hope also to read from Emilie Griffin's new book, Small Surrenders. I think that preaching all of the midweek and Sunday services will keep me pretty busy, so I'm thinking that I need to "give up" something to accomplish those things.
Hmmm. Maybe I should give up self-defeating attitudes for Lent.
12 comments:
Some great reflections here Diane- if you find an antidote to self defeating attitudes I'd love to know... ;-)
Great idea for a give-up.
I was really struck by Certified Healing Counselor's FF at My Lesbian Family Blog. She successfully gave up self-criticism for Lent, and for good, by adopting a practice of following every self critical remark with a balancing positive one. Maybe you (and I) could find something like that for the self-defeat....
What a great idea to have a Mardi-Gras brunch. That one is going in the keep file. Thanks.
oh preach it sister! in a solo call... well i'm used to preaching all the sundays, all the wednesdays and twice each time at that... but you are right that means making room for it.
you can do this and still have a life!
Sounds like you had a busy week!
Lent has fallen so darn early this year that it had done caught me by the short hairs as I find myself drowning in life!
I thank you for sharing yours. So I can live vicariously.
You've been tagged!
These are great-- and so honest!
PS: I've tagged you for a little book meme.
Wonderful thoughts here. My niece, her husband and family are missionaries in Japan and have been for the past 5 years.
Are you Scout's mom who talks to Rusty?
Sharon, yes I am! And as you can tell, I am an absolute beginning at wordpress. hoping it gets easier and I can make Scout's page a little more interesting.
Great thoughts. I too am reading Bread and Wine.Instead of self-defeating attitudes, I gave up making excuses, another undermining behavior. Caught myself once. Just accepting forgiveness can be hard
I hadn't heard of Emilie Griffin's new book. I love her writing. "Clinging" was an important book for me to read years ago, and I've been considering reading it again. Thank you!
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