Shrove Tuesday

Well, today is Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, or whatever you want to call it. It is the day before Ash Wednesday, and thus the day before Lent begins. I have had my Shrove Tuesday meal, been indulgent and now feel geared up for Lent. My Shrove Tuesday meal was O'Charley's Prime Rib Pasta with a tall Sam Adams Boston Lager, in case you happened to be wondering. This came about when I told my supervisor that I was longing after some good pancakes. He said, "I'm staying in town tonight. We could go to IHOP" and after a moment, "Actually, I could really go for a big steak and a beer if we're going to be really indulgent about this whole Shrove Tuesday thing." So, that's what happened. We had metaphorical pancakes instead of real ones. If you happen to be reading this outside a liturgical tradition, you may be wondering about the pancakes. You may be aware of the tradition of "giving up" something for Lent, and there has been a long tradition of practicing some sort of fasting for the season. Once upon a time, making pancakes, doughnuts, and other pastries were a good way to use up the richer foods like eggs, milk, and sugar, so they didn't go to waste when the 40 day fast came the following day. Thus, the tradition of the Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. But I digress.

I have indulged and now my mind is looking towards Lent. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is my most favorite day in all of the Christian calendar. It is the first day of Lent. It seems so odd at times when I think of how much I love Lent. Lent is so often associated with somber suffering, a collective commitment to gloom. But no, that's not what it's all about. Here is your history lesson. Lent is connected to the word "lengthen" (it occurs around the time of year that the days start getting longer, at least in the northern hemisphere) and the season is connected with the ideas of healing, growth, and strengthening.

At Lent, we are meant to be in preparation for Easter through prayer, fasting, and those other spiritual disciplines which bring us closer to God. The season is connected to the 40 days temptation of Christ, but it is more than suffering. It is growth. It is strengthening. So, in that spirit, I make this commitment. I will do better at reflection. I will be practicing a Lenten fast, but I will also be taking on the discipline of earnest reflection. I started this blog as a means of spiritual discipline and have failed miserably at keeping up with it. I have found that I will be better as a pastor and a person if I take time to think, to be intentional about what I do. For the next 40 days (not including Sunday "little Easters" for those new to Lenten discipline) I will commit to writing something here every day. I do this in hopes that I will walk a journey, not just towards the cross, but towards Easter, and perhaps someone will walk this journey with me and we may all be better for it.