If every Sunday is "A Little Easter," then there is a sense in which every weekday is a "Little Lent."
The Sundays between Ash Wednesday and Easter are not counted as days of Lent. In fact, there are forty-six days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. That is why they are Sundays in Lent not Sundays of Lent. Sundays are days of resurrection and celebration, on which we thank God for the gift of his Son, Jesus, and all the gifts of life we have been given.
Lent is a time of preparation for the great Easter, the celebration of the Day of Resurrection. It is a time in which we are invited to a examine ourselves and consider how we are doing, what changes need to be made, and how we can better live lives of meaning and purpose. Such a life is marked by regular worship, prayer and study, and service and hospitality to others. In Lent we may add to our lives some additional activity that helps us in that process of self-examination. In all cases the purpose is to bring us closer to God in Christ through the power of the Spirit.
That is the sense in which I mean that weekdays are "little Lents." We should be at all times seeking to turn our lives around—that's what the nasty word "repent" actually means—in order to move closer to God. Our daily lives should be marked by worship, service, prayer, study, and hospitality.
It is helpful to have some sort of structure or scheme or [GASP!] discipline to aid our efforts in all these regards. The monastic communities called it a "rule of life." During Lent I will be offering an opportunity on Wednesday evenings to learn more about living a life of meaning and of purpose and to consider creating our own rule of life.
I pray that your Lenten experience will bring you closer to the source of all that is, seen and unseen.
Lent is a time of preparation for the great Easter, the celebration of the Day of Resurrection. It is a time in which we are invited to a examine ourselves and consider how we are doing, what changes need to be made, and how we can better live lives of meaning and purpose. Such a life is marked by regular worship, prayer and study, and service and hospitality to others. In Lent we may add to our lives some additional activity that helps us in that process of self-examination. In all cases the purpose is to bring us closer to God in Christ through the power of the Spirit.
That is the sense in which I mean that weekdays are "little Lents." We should be at all times seeking to turn our lives around—that's what the nasty word "repent" actually means—in order to move closer to God. Our daily lives should be marked by worship, service, prayer, study, and hospitality.
It is helpful to have some sort of structure or scheme or [GASP!] discipline to aid our efforts in all these regards. The monastic communities called it a "rule of life." During Lent I will be offering an opportunity on Wednesday evenings to learn more about living a life of meaning and of purpose and to consider creating our own rule of life.
I pray that your Lenten experience will bring you closer to the source of all that is, seen and unseen.
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