Invitations and Parties

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.

-BCP, pg 265 

As a child, I never liked going to Ash Wednesday services.  I used to refer to it as "the creepiest day of the church year."  The Ash Wednesday liturgy involves so much intense and gloomy-sounding language...Ash Wednesday always seemed even darker than Good Friday.  And knowing that it was the kick-off for the season of Lent, the whole season of Lent seemed dark and gloomy as well.

What appeals to me about our reading from Nouwen today is the way it speaks of joy and light.  Here we are, on just the second day of Lent, and good old Henri is telling us to choose life.  Jesus is telling us to choose light.

The invitation to the observance of Lent from the Book of Common Prayer speaks of a season of self-examination, repentance, fasting, self-denial, prayer, and study.  That can read like a very gloomy list.  But that list is not the point of Lent.  Fasting is not the point of Lent.  Self-denial isn't what Lent is all about.  These are some of the modes, but they are not the actual expression.

What Lent is about is preparation.  We're spending 40 days getting ready for the feast.  It's kind of like throwing a dinner party.  But before you can get to the actual party, you have to put in the work.  You have to plan and shop and pick the right recipes and put in the time and clean the house.  And all that work can feel burdensome, or all that work can feel exciting.  If you don't prepare well, you're running around at the last minute and may be too tired to actually enjoy the event.  But if you're well prepared, you can enjoy the feast with friends and be truly present to that moment and those relationships.

That's Lent and Easter.  And our time of preparation doesn't have to be gloomy.  Nouwen's suggestion that we focus on gratitude is a direct line to making us more aware of God's presence in our lives and doing so in a deeply joyful way.  We can either take this suggestion or not.  We can choose joy and gratitude, light and life, or we can choose something else.  How do you want to plan your party?