Lenten Friday Five

1. Did you celebrate Mardi Gras and/or Ash Wednesday this week? How?

We had pancakes and sausage at the biweekly lunch for Mardi Gras, and celebrated Ash Wednesday with a special worship service and the imposition of ashes. God is really working on me in the intimate moments in worship lately, and perhaps I'll blog about that later. Suffice it to say, for now, that lately I've had a real sense of the intimacy of God and between us in the face-to-face moments of worship, notably communion and imposing ashes.

2. What was your most memorable Mardi Gras/Ash Wednesday/Lent?

This one, probably. Mostly because one church member who is, shall we say, hair-impaired, followed his wife to me to receive the ashen cross. She brushed her bangs out of the way when she got to me, so he did too, and then realized how silly it was--we didn't crack up but we both grinned. He later apologized to me for disrupting the solemnity of the moment, but I told him that in every moment of solemnity in church is also the joy of the resurrection, which I thought was a nice turn of phrase.

3. Did you/your church/your family celebrate Lent as a child? If not, when and how did you discover it?

We gave something up for Lent, but I never really discovered the full meaning of Lent until I was in college. I also treasure the knowledge I didn't have then, that every Sunday is a feast day...so the coffee I gave up for Lent will be back in my life--prominently--on Sundays...

4. Are you more in the give-up camp, or the take-on camp, or somewhere in between?

I'm a both/and kind of person: I have given up coffee with the commitment that in those times when I would drink coffee, I will drink water. So far I'm sitting in the coffee shop (a Friday ritual), drinking tea...but there's water to come.

5. How do you plan to keep Lent this year?

See #4: I gave up coffee. I'm reading Bread and Wine with my Bible study group, and drinking more water.