Concord Lenten Service
March 2007
One topic we never bring up at Green Pastures Camp: baptism. Should you be dunked, dipped, or dedicated? Bible uses 4 words: “Except ye be baptized…” and from that we’ve written entire books on what it means. If John the Baptist were alive today… “What have I started?”
It seems like if God gives us a sacrament or a custom, we manage to foul it up. Santa Claus. Halloween. Easter bunnies. Would a member of Christ’s original church even recognize our church today?
Lent: an interesting history. Lasts for forty days.. 40 in the Bible: Jesus in Wilderness for 40 days, in the tomb for 40 hours, Moses: 40 days on Mt. Sinai, Hebrews: 40 years traveling to the Promised Land, Noah: 40 days of rain, Jonah gave Ninevah 40 days to repent.
Originally it meant 40 hours…complete fasting before Easter. New converts were baptized on Easter Eve then they received a full meal as the sacrament.
In the 4th Century, Rome made Christianity the official state religion and suddenly huge numbers of converts. Christians were afraid that their religion would be diluted so they instituted Lent as a time of self-denial to weed out the true believers. Thus we have today’s tradition of giving something up. Lent: a Practical Purpose……In England they call Lent “the hungry gap.” Traditionally a time when your winter stores of food had run out and the new crop hadn’t come yet.
But even that we’ve changed… During Lent you were to do 3 things: 1) Pray, 2) Deny yourself, 3) Do more to help your neighbors.
In other words, like so many of our traditions, Lent is pretty much something that if we haven’t actually invented, we’ve changed. And since we’ve already changed it a good deal, why not look at Lent again?
Dad: always gave up watermelon. Pretty easy to do in the middle of March. A lady this week told me she was giving up coffee. Another mentioned dessert. Nothing wrong with all this…but what about the 3rd tradition of Lent? The tradition of Lent being a time when we strive harder to serve others?
Did eulogy for Grandpa’s funeral… talked about two fingers he didn’t have.. and other things: anger… a loud voice…a frown Let’s be known for what we don’t have..
What can we give up that will truly serve our fellow man and thus fulfill Christ’s command to Peter to “Feed my sheep”? He didn’t say “Cut out coffee.”
Windshield wiper blades… Maybe Pride would be a good thing to give up this Lenten Season. What can you give up that would help your fellow man?
Play: Faith on Wry… Ann and Granger are both in it. Only 3 weeks. A group of actors who said they could make all but a couple of rehearsals. Then we began. Suddenly the excuses started rolling in. I was angry. Bare minimum.. Last night: two more. When I do a show I want everyone to have my level of commitment.. to think just like me…to be just like me. Maybe for Lent I should give up my desire to make others like me. To have my own way. Song.. not “Have My Own Way Lord.” I’m a bit disappointed…..But you know what? It will work… If I’m going to give up something for Lent, instead of chocolate, maybe it’s stubbornness.
Campus Crusade for Christ has chapters all over the world. Recently stopped people in Paris and asked them what they knew about Christians. They are against abortion. They are against birth control. They are against pornography. They are against gay marriage. Hardly a positive response all day long as to what Christians are FOR. We’ll know we are Christians by what we hate… Maybe for Lent we should consider giving up our reputation of being judgmental.
Catacomb service. I remember the day in Arenzville when the preacher didn’t show up.. one of the most memorable services ever. We had to be responsible for our own worship. We had to think. Maybe for Lent we should give up our slavery to tradition in the way we worship, the way we pray. Story of lady who cut off ham.
How will God be most glorified? If you give up your pride or your iced tea? How will you receive the most from Lent? By sacrificing being judgmental or watermelon?
So… What would Christ have you offer Him for Lent? Simple: Ask Him. Some of you He’s already spoken to tonight. I guarantee you, He’ll tell you before tomorrow. Oswald Chambers: Concerning Abraham putting Isaac on the altar: We seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. It is a matter of loosening the bands that Romans 12:1 (The Message) 1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. It sure beats watermelon.
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