I should have posted this yesterday but it’s been one of those weeks…
So first, this article by Jane Williams in the Guardian. Quotes in this post come from there.
Observing Lent is something I grew up with (I was brought up Catholic after all) by I was brought up a mother who was raised Salvation Army they have a ‘self denial week‘ which is shorter and tougher than Lent (and I understand led to my Grandad collecting money in some of the more dodgy areas of Paddington in the 50’s and 60’s), so while it wasn’t a big deal, if we gave up something up the money we didn’t spend on that wasn’t for us.
As I got older I decided that giving things up was silly and I’d work on being a better human being and a better Christian. Then at some point I stopped observing it altogether. Last year at Grace we had community meals once a week looking at a book and I found that really vauable.
“For a few weeks, we try to see that the world doesn’t crumble if we don’t have everything we want; we try to make ourselves and our resources that little bit more available for ends other than our own.”
This year I’ve been getting a huge push to do something more about my faith, to actively work at living it. It’s all very well feeling that I ought to do more, the question is how?
I’m a lucky, I live in Western Europe and even in the middle of a recession, compared to most of the people I share a planet with, I’m very, very rich. Despite that money is tight and there’s always a bit of month left at the end of the money. One of my major indulgences is having flowers in the house.
I love lilies, especially stargazer lilies, I love them, I love the smell, I love the colour, they lift my spirits. I’m very fond of daffodils as well…
Anyway, flowers in the house, are my indulgence. So for Lent I’m giving them up.
No more flowers in the house until Easter. The money I don’t spend goes to Shelter. I am aware that the only reason I’m still in this flat is the because of my mother and when you’ve been that close, you want to try and help the people who don’t have people in their life who can help. It’s not much but it’s all I’ve got….
I’m also going to finally get around to reading ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son‘ by Henri J. M. Nouwen because I borrowed it from Kathy and just haven’t got around to reading it and want to.
“but there is really no point at all in a Lenten discipline that isn’t about reimagining the world so that it revolves less about our own desires and more about the good of all. “
Lent is the best place for me to be ‘choosing joy‘ so I’m going to do that.
Finally, Grace is going to continue the Lent meals around the theme ‘Another World Is Possible’ so at some point this weekend I need to find the time to read the book of Luke in one go…
40 days…to think about how God calls me to help remake the world. It’s not much but it’s a start.
