People tend to self-divide into two major categories in my experience: Givers and Takers. No one is totally one or the other, but it seems to me there is a predisposition to one or the other in each of us. Givers default to a posture of seeking to benefit the “other.” Takers lean the other direction, most often concerned with what benefits them.
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As a congregation named “Holy Trinity,” we are familiar with the trinitarian name of the One God – “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” That does not necessarily mean that we understand the three persons of the One God, who exists in a union of Divine Love. It is often the Holy Spirit who is overlooked and misunderstood most – at least in our tradition of Christianity. Yet, it is the Spirit’s work that is most obvious in our daily living. The Work of the Spirit is often the most concrete manifestation of God right now, right here.
Secularization is a big word used to describe a long-term trend in our culture. It refers to the simple fact that all sense of the Holy has been drained out of our existence. When everything and everyone becomes an object useful only for my enjoyment or my purchase, nothing is sacred or holy anymore. The only subject that matters is me because everything is about me. There is nothing bigger than me, beyond what I can consume or enjoy. Life becomes watered down to a simple hedonism – “Eat. Drink. Be merry (not happy or joyous). For tomorrow we die.” I was speaking with someone the other day about being in a hurry even when we aren’t going anywhere. We get up in the morning and we hurry to make a pot of coffee or a favorite cup of tea. We must get to our prayer and devotional time. We hurry from that to then making a list of things to get done around the house. I act like everything must happen now. The First Sunday in Lent always presents us with a gospel account of the temptation of Jesus. I don’t think most of us really know what to do with this story. Jesus is propelled into the wilderness (like the ancient Israelites) to contend with his identity, his survival, his purpose. Satan is part of the story and that leaves us a little uncertain, if not squeamish. For me, the season of Lent always begins in the same way. I pour olive oil in a bowl. Then I stir in the ashes of the palms we raised in worship last Palm Sunday. I mix the two ingredients into a paste, roughly akin to peanut butter. This will become the crosses born on the foreheads of the faithful on Ash Wednesday with the words, “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” It is a sign of our baptisms. It is a reminder of our finitude. It is a reminder that only God’s grace can transcend the human condition. Lent is coming up quickly. Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, is next week. With Lent fast approaching, it makes me think about the invitation to observe Lent with forty days of self-examination and repentance; with prayer, fasting, self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Word. Beyond that though, are the voices in my head asking, “What are you giving up for Lent this year?” |
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