From Ash Wednesday--in which the sign of the cross made on our foreheads with ashes, while the words, "From dust you once were to dust you shall return" are uttered, or at least that is what I'm hearing in my head--to Easter morning, those of us who follow the ways of Jesus are supposed to do something different to commemorate this time called Lent. Giving up a food item that one loves is a standard course of action.
As a child I was not sure I could trust myself to give up chocolate since I loved it so much. All these years later I wonder the same thing. And even though my pastor tells the congregation that doing something so trivial like giving up chocolate is not really the point because we should be focusing on loving others or giving sacrificially of our time or money to offer assistance to someone in need, he obviously has no idea how difficult it is for someone like me to give up chocolate! It is more than just a food group. It is right up there with coffee. (I shudder to think of what I would do if anyone ever suggested I give up that!)
Chocolate has been known to have properties to alter the chemicals in one's brain and give that person a greater sense of well-being. As if I don't need to have that going on! A little dark chocolate is even supposed to be good for you. Well, at least it isn't supposed to be as bad for you as other things. And I find that keeping chocolate chips in the freezer so I can just reach in and get a handful when I need them, which is at least once a day, helps me in the long run to be a better person. I really only need a few pieces of chocolate crunching between my teeth and then melting in my mouth to help me regain my sanity perhaps lost when I left the house that morning and went out into the world. Chocolate grounds me in the reality of love and peace. It makes me happy. It also goes well with coffee. I do not like to go without it. At all. Ever.
That being said, I stumbled upon a bigger challenge this lenten season that I hesitate to even mention, especially since I'm kind of failing at it--miserably. If you've ever gone to church or read the gospels, there is the account of Jesus heading to the Garden of Gethsemane where he asks his friends to keep watch and pray while he goes off to inquire as to whether or not he really has to go through the fate we learned about in Sunday school as children (unless you were raised Catholic and then you didn't go to Sunday school but went to catechism on Wednesday nights).
As it is written, Jesus comes back to find his friends asleep. It was probably late and they had already enjoyed what they did not yet know was their last supper with him (aka Passover) so they had reasons for being sleepy after eating a big meal and no doubt having wine to go with it. But the tone of Jesus' voice that I hear when I read, "Could you not keep watch for one hour?" sounds lonely and disappointed. I picture the men wiping the sleep from their eyes vowing to never fall asleep again. But they do. According to the account, they fall asleep two more times.
Trying to do something different this year for Lent and even giving consideration to how meaningless it supposedly is to give up chocolate (even though giving it up has forced me to pray more than once, by the way) I thought about Jesus' request and wondered if I could keep watch for one hour. Could I make one hour a day a time of prayer and reflection? Could I give that much to God?
So first I tried to define what that one hour would look like. Could I be exercising? If running is too strenuous (and trust me, it is) what about a nice, peaceful walk in the woods? Could I take the dog since he needs to be walked anyway? What about sewing? I can sit in silence stitching and praying, right? Would that meet the requirement? What about cleaning? Or cooking? I can't possibly stop doing all of my work, can I?
The still small voice has continued to ask me to just pray. For one hour a day--give my time, my energy, my heart, soul, mind and strength to God. It is the most challenging thing I have ever tried to do.
As a child I was not sure I could trust myself to give up chocolate since I loved it so much. All these years later I wonder the same thing. And even though my pastor tells the congregation that doing something so trivial like giving up chocolate is not really the point because we should be focusing on loving others or giving sacrificially of our time or money to offer assistance to someone in need, he obviously has no idea how difficult it is for someone like me to give up chocolate! It is more than just a food group. It is right up there with coffee. (I shudder to think of what I would do if anyone ever suggested I give up that!)
Chocolate has been known to have properties to alter the chemicals in one's brain and give that person a greater sense of well-being. As if I don't need to have that going on! A little dark chocolate is even supposed to be good for you. Well, at least it isn't supposed to be as bad for you as other things. And I find that keeping chocolate chips in the freezer so I can just reach in and get a handful when I need them, which is at least once a day, helps me in the long run to be a better person. I really only need a few pieces of chocolate crunching between my teeth and then melting in my mouth to help me regain my sanity perhaps lost when I left the house that morning and went out into the world. Chocolate grounds me in the reality of love and peace. It makes me happy. It also goes well with coffee. I do not like to go without it. At all. Ever.
That being said, I stumbled upon a bigger challenge this lenten season that I hesitate to even mention, especially since I'm kind of failing at it--miserably. If you've ever gone to church or read the gospels, there is the account of Jesus heading to the Garden of Gethsemane where he asks his friends to keep watch and pray while he goes off to inquire as to whether or not he really has to go through the fate we learned about in Sunday school as children (unless you were raised Catholic and then you didn't go to Sunday school but went to catechism on Wednesday nights).
As it is written, Jesus comes back to find his friends asleep. It was probably late and they had already enjoyed what they did not yet know was their last supper with him (aka Passover) so they had reasons for being sleepy after eating a big meal and no doubt having wine to go with it. But the tone of Jesus' voice that I hear when I read, "Could you not keep watch for one hour?" sounds lonely and disappointed. I picture the men wiping the sleep from their eyes vowing to never fall asleep again. But they do. According to the account, they fall asleep two more times.
Trying to do something different this year for Lent and even giving consideration to how meaningless it supposedly is to give up chocolate (even though giving it up has forced me to pray more than once, by the way) I thought about Jesus' request and wondered if I could keep watch for one hour. Could I make one hour a day a time of prayer and reflection? Could I give that much to God?
So first I tried to define what that one hour would look like. Could I be exercising? If running is too strenuous (and trust me, it is) what about a nice, peaceful walk in the woods? Could I take the dog since he needs to be walked anyway? What about sewing? I can sit in silence stitching and praying, right? Would that meet the requirement? What about cleaning? Or cooking? I can't possibly stop doing all of my work, can I?
The still small voice has continued to ask me to just pray. For one hour a day--give my time, my energy, my heart, soul, mind and strength to God. It is the most challenging thing I have ever tried to do.
Just time doing nothing before the Lover of our Soul but talking and listening doesn't seem to be part of our 21st C. American Christianity. I am challenged. A peaceful walk in the woods without the dog would be my choice.
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping the rest of us with the Christian discipline of commitment to do 1 thing differently Mon - Sat. to remind us of the ultimate sacrifice of our Lord and Savior.
BTW, Jew for Jesus will be leading a Seder at Westover Church on Maunday Thursday (Thurs.before Easter)
I am coming to understand that it is more about allowing ourselves to bask in his presence than it is about any prescribed activity. He wants us to do this for our own benefit rather than his.
ReplyDelete(Sarah?)