Mary's Article

MESSAGE FROM MARY…
This is taken from an article in the March issue of Lutheran Women Today. The article, Lenten Disciple─ing was written by Julie A. Kanarr who serves as co-pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Port Angeles, Washington. Her suggestions for Lent disciplines seemed to put a new spin on an old practice.

May your Lent be blessed, ME

SERVING, NOT SUFFERING
Classic Lenten disciplines such as fasting, prayer, and almsgiving focus on identifying with Christ’s suffering on the cross through personal actions of devotion or deprivation. The ancient practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays is rooted in this idea. Given this, one might ask whether such acts as giving up chocolate trivializes the practice of mirroring Christ’s suffering. If you are planning to give something up for Lent, reflect on your motivation and the personal meaning for your choice. Will this be too easy for you? Will it be too difficult? Is this a form of repentance—of turning toward God? Are you trying to let go of a bad habit so that you might become a better steward of the gifts God has entrusted to you? Is it only a trivial deprivation of pleasure or is this a personally meaningful sacrifice or change in your life?

A carefully chosen Lenten discipline leads us to focus on our call to love God and serve our neighbors. Honest reflection can help us see how some disciplines can be more about serving than suffering. For instance, instead of giving up chocolate to identify with Christ’s sufferings through personal deprivation, you might give up desserts so that you can donate what you would have otherwise spent on treats to help those who are hungry, whether through the ELCA World Hunger Appeal or your local food bank.

Consider Lenten disciplines that combine saying no to one thing (such as watching television or going to the movies) in order to say yes to something else (such as Bible study, prayer, volunteering, building relationships with family). And ask yourself what that "yes" means for you.

Changing your leisure habits? How will you use your newfound time to serve God and neighbor? Changing your eating habits? How does this change your awareness of how God provides you with daily bread and the relationship between the food on your plate and God’s command to be caretakers of the land, ocean, and air, and to care for our hungry neighbors? Changing your spending habits? How does that deepen your understanding and practice of stewardship?

REFLECT AND WRITE
Let your Lenten discipline prompt questions for your ongoing reflection. To ask questions of meaning and purpose is a classic Lutheran practice, growing out of the “what does this mean” question repeatedly asked throughout Luther’s Small Catechism. You may wish to keep a personal Lenten journal to record your thoughts, questions, prayers, struggles, and reflections to be fancy. It doesn’t even need to consist of complete paragraphs. Don’t worry about your writing ability. Some might find it easier to draw or write down words or phrases instead of complete sentences.
As Lent draws to a close, spend time reflecting on questions such as: What have I discovered? What has this meant for me? How have I grown in my appreciation of God’s grace? How has this discipline of Lent engaged me in repentance, in prayer, in living out my faith, in serving my neighbor? And finally, where might this lead me in keeping Lent next year?

Lenten disciplines come to us with an invitation, but not a demand. Remember that God won’t love you more if you practice a Lenten discipline or love you less if you don’t. As we enter into the season of Lent, let us do so both with discipline and freedom, purpose and flexibility. Lent invites us to reflect deeply upon the gift of God’s grace.

Lent is a time for renewal, a time to focus on the gift of Christ’s death and resurrection, and to grow in our understanding of living as God’s beloved children.