That Thing Called Lent
I went to my first Ash Wednesday service last night. I'm not, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be, Catholic. But my church is really great in that we explore liturgy and aspects of various denominational worship from time to time. We have such an open and accepting way of incorporating parts of worship and liturgy that aren't commonly found in Protestant churches, but that still have tremendous beauty and value in bringing an attitude of reverance and creativity to our worship experiences. Even though we are not a Catholic church, this year we decided to practice Lent as a church community.

I'm intrigued by the whole Lent thing. The idea behind it is really beautiful. My best friend in highschool was Catholic, so I'd hear from her about Lent and other Catholic practices. We had lots of conversations about the differences in our churches and our beliefs. I grew up mostly Baptist, so much of the Catholic church rituals and beliefs were very strange to me. I never understood much of it, being Baptist. All the stuff my Catholic friend used to do as a part of her church beliefs seemed a bit confusing to me. But I do believe ritual has it's place and purpose at times. There is much beauty to be found in Catholic worship.

I don't consider myself Baptist anymore. More nondenominational than anything else. But I'm excited to have the opportunity to learn more about Lent.

Well, maybe 'excited' isn't the best word to use. Per the purpose of Lent, I've had to give up something valuable for the sake of fasting. I've made a huge sacrifice, and I'm already very nervous about it. Withdrawal has begun. It's been one day, already my life has changed dramatically without this thing that I've given up, and there are 39 days to go until the end of Lent when I can be reunited with what I am missing. By now I'm sure you are wondering what I could have possibly given up to make such an impact on my day to day existence.

I will tell you.

I've chosen to give up M&Ms. I assure you that this is not a joke. I thought long and hard about what would be a significant sacrifice for me, something that would really show that I am taking this Lenten Fast seriously. You have no idea how insane I am about M&Ms. A chemical analysis of my body would show that I am made almost entirely of M&Ms. I have to have my M&Ms. I eat them everyday. I have them stashed everywhere, at home, in my office. There are very few places I go where I am not within arms reach of an M&M. I love the plain M&Ms. Even more, I love the crispy M&Ms. The crispy ones are more like a meal, in that they combine the chocolate with the crunch. They are extremely satisfying when I need a snack.

M&Ms are my sacrifice. I can't talk about them anymore. It's making their absence even more painful. I think you get the point. I made a big sacrifice. And I assure you I am committed to it. I will not falter.

Since I've never really done this before, I don't know quite what to expect. I know the point is not to give something up just for the sake of giving something up. The Ash Wednesday service last night was really beautiful and powerful. It was definitely an appropriate way to kick off the Lenten season, allowing us to be humble and focused as we begin our time of sacrifice. So far, so good.

Hopefully I get past being focused on how much I miss my M&Ms really soon.

C.T.