Lent Light

Ash Wednesday was of course this week, signaling the start of the Lenten season,...the longest fasting/preparation season of the Christian church year. I always feel a stronger connection to the season when I have followed the entire journey from Ash Wednesday through Good Friday to the whole Easter celebration. To accomplish this, I had to play a bit of planes, trains and automobiles to get from work in LA to church in Mission Viejo Wednesday night, but it was a journey that was well worth it.

Craig challenged us all to have a GREAT Lent through peace, holiness, grace and love. That is no small task, but the good news is that we have 46 days to work through it. The timing generated quite a conversation between Ebe and I later that evening...what is the deal with Sundays? DO they count in the discipline of "giving up", or are they considered "mini Easters" and allow us to step away from whatever discipline of taking on or giving up that we have assumed for this timing?

It was great debate without resolution, other than the declaration that going back on the discipline every week felt a little bit like we were trying to live Lent LIGHT...all the intentions of the regular Lenten season without as much of the pain and difficulty of adhering to it the entire time.

Looks like we've got a long way to go to really declaring ourselves filled with the GREATNESS of Lent!