Today is Ash Wednesday or, as my friend J-Lo (not Jenifer Lopez) pointed out, the beginning of what the Orthodox church refers to as Bright Sadness (a.k.a. Lent). Some blogging friends have posted their perspectives on this Christian observance (e.g. J-Lo’s post, Bridget’s post) and have given me a new sense of anticipation for this 40-day period leading up to the climax of Easter.
Growing up Protestant, I was completely unaware of what Lent represented until a few years ago. Once I realized that Lent was about meditating and fasting in order to better relate to and understand the significance of Christ suffering and crucifixion leading up to the ultimate victory of His resurrection…well, I knew that taking part would enrich my walk with Christ. By observing Lent the past few years, I have had a greater appreciation and awareness of the breath-taking beauty of Easter.
In the past I have given up coffee/caffeine for Lent. This year, during Lent, Christa and I are going to fast from TV/DVDs. It’s not exactly "suffering" but TV/movies have become our primary form of entertainment and major wind-down activity in the evenings. There’s not a lot of options here in Xining and sometimes you just need that hint of home that a sitcom or blockbuster provides. So not putting our feet up and turning on an episode of Frasier or Arrested Development in the evenings (after the kids are comfortably and thankfully tucked in) will definitely leave a hole in our routine. During this time, it will be good to think on Christ and His path to the cross. (I really wanted to fast from Pizza Hut, but I guess that’s already a given…)
I mention this not for spiritual back-patting and congratulation (especially since fasting is supposed to be private matter,) but to encourage each of you to enter into this season of Lent however God leads you to. You may see Christ and his mission/work in a whole new light…
If you’d like to read more on Lent / Bright Sadness, here’s some links (thanks to J-Lo for passing the first two along):
Daily Scripture Readings for Lent (taken from Book of Common Prayer)
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