Today is the first Sunday in Lent, and I am still figuring out how I am going to observe a holy Lent this year.
(source)
The the Ash Wednesday liturgy in the Book Of Common Prayer highlights these options:
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the
observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance;
by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and
meditating on God’s holy Word.
So far I’ve been focusing on prayer and reading and meditating on God’s holy Word, although my decision to give up gossiping for Lent might count as self-denial, since I’ve already had to bite my tongue a few times!
While contemplating how to observe Lent, I came across these resources. Please click through at least the first one–it’s really not limited to Christians or Lent, but outlines 20 things we all should give up forever.
20 Things To Give Up For Lent (Lutheran Church of the Good Shepard, Old Bridge, NJ)
40 Ideas For Keeping A Holy Lent (House Of All Sinners And Saints)
40 Ideas For Lent (Rachel Held Evans)
My readings this week included Nadia Bolz-Weber’s Ash Wednesday sermon, which inspired the title of this post. I love the idea of Lent being a “refreshing” time when we can experience the freedom of living the truth that we are imperfect and mortal. As she so poetically puts it:
It’s like the moment when you stop having to spiritually hold your stomach in.
But it was these words that really stuck with me:
For we come from God and to God we shall go.
During the Ash Wednesday service, at the imposition of ashes, the priest says:
Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.
(Ash Wednesday Selfie)
Turning these words into
Remember you are God’s and to God you shall return.
gives me a good theme for observing Lent.
I will try to remember that everything I am and everything I have comes from God, and that everything I do should glorify God, because I belong to God.
I’ve been sharing passages from my daily Scripture readings on Instagram. Phillipians 4 includes so many great verses to contemplate, inspire and live by!
Are you observing Lent?
Do you have a favorite Bible verse?
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
We observe Lent, although we are down to one out of three kids in the house. We used to make a poster to hang in the kitchen stating what everyone was “giving up” for Lent. Wish we had done it even though the two are in college now!
We have changed our dinner prayer to include what we are grateful for = what we would want to wake up with everyday. It’s helped us to be more reflective about what really matters to us.
I love that gratitude practice. It really does make you stop and think and appreciate all you have.
Well, we don’t really do Lent but I am keeping with the tradition of giving something up (my happy hour).
My favorite verse has always been Isaiah 40:31.