Discovering Lent

I’ve never considered observing Lent before. I was raised Baptist. For the last several years, TM and I have been moving in a more historical and liturgical direction. I’ve noticed the modern evangelical Church has "thrown the baby out with the bath water" in many respects (i.e. if the Catholics do it, it’s wrong). So we have been looking back at ancient creeds and church practices to see if, in fact, it would behoove us to carry on some of these traditions rather than "reinvent the wheel". This idea is also related to a topic for another day: ecumenism. C.S Lewis so cleverly pointed out in The Screwtape Letters that Satan must be very pleased with the weak, splintered state of the Church today. If only we could be strong and united without sacrificing doctrinal purity!

Back to Lent. I did some reading on the subject and was challenged by what I learned. Lent is the 40-day period leading up to Easter. It is a picture of Christ’s 40-day fast as well as an opportunity to focus more intently on Christ’s amazing work on the cross. This is not dead orthodoxy.

TM and I have decided to give up coffee. This may be a little overly ambitious--ever since my first Frappachino 8 years ago, I’ve been hooked. I was happy to learn, however, that I can still have it on Sundays. Sunday is the Lord’s day; it is always a day of feasting. I will also follow the 1928 Anglican Book of Common Prayer for morning and evening scripture readings. I’ll let you know how it goes.