My Lenten "To Do" List

So, today is the first day of Lent. Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. Lent is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. All churches that have a continuous history extending before AD 1500 observe Lent. The ancient church that wrote, collected, canonized, and propagated the New Testament also observed Lent, believing it to be a commandment from the apostles. So, there is no Biblical mandate to observe Lent, rather, Lent was created as a way for people to reflect, regroup, retreat, restate, and on and on.

Traditionally, in the Western Church, Lent is 40 days long starting on Ash Wednesday and ending the day before Easter. Note that Sundays are not counted in the 40 days, as each Sunday is a celebration; a mini-Easter.

Many people “Give something up” for Lent… like chocolate, soda, Facebook, or ice cream. Some people “Take something on” during Lent… being more even-tempered, working with the homeless, reading scripture, or journaling. For me, this year I plan to jump around a bit. Here is a list of what I am planning on doing for the next 40 days…

 

Day 1: Visit The UCC’s Daily Devotional Page (http://www.ucc.org/feed-your-spirit/daily-devotional/) and sign up to receive a daily devotional. 

Day 2: Fast for lunch (just water).

Day 3: Pray for those who are lost.

Day 4: Donate $20 to a non-profit.

(Sunday) – Celebration… blog about days 1-4

Day 5: Pray for those who are burdened.

Day 6: Find the beauty in the everyday

Day 7: Donate 5 items of clothing to Goodwill or the Salvation Army

Day 8: No Complaining day

Day 9: Help someone with their tasks or chores

Day 10: Buy a few $5 food gift cards to donate to a shelter

(Sunday) – Celebration… blog about days 5-10

Day 11: Call an old friend

Day 12: Pray the News (pray for people and situations in today’s newspaper)

Day 13: Read Psalm 139 http://bible.oremus.org/

Day 14: Sincerely complement others.

Day 15: Don’t turn on the car radio today

Day 16: Educate myself about human trafficking http://www.humantrafficking.org/ 

(Sunday) Celebration… blog about days 11-16

Day 17: Forgive someone

Day 18: Share a meal with a friend

Day 19: Change one light in my house to an energy-efficient bulb

Day 20: Check out morning and evening prayer at http://dailyoffice.wordpress.com/

Day 21: Ask for help

Day 22: Tell someone what I am are grateful for

(Sunday) Celebration… Blog about days 17-22

Day 23: Pray for youth and young adult leaders.

Day 24: Read Psalm 121 http://bible.oremus.org/ 

Day 25: Bake a cake or bread or pie and share

Day 26: No shopping day

Day 27: Say a prayer and light a virtual candle http://www.rejesus.co.uk/site/module/post_a_prayer/

Day 28: Say a prayer and light an actual candle

(Sunday) – Celebration… blog about days 23-28

Day 29: Write a thank you note to my favorite mentor

Day 30: Invest in reusable shopping bags

Day 31: Use Freecycle http://www.freecycle.org

Day 32: Donate art supplies to an elementary school

Day 33: Read John 8:1-11 http://bible.oremus.org/

Day 34: Participate in a service project.

(Sunday) – Celebration… blog about days 29-34

Day 35: Confess a secret

Day 36: No sugar day

Day 37: Donate $20 to a local non-profit

Day 38: Educate myself about Easter

Day 39: Pray for peace

Day 40: Pray for those who are lost

After completing this list, I will decide which activates I want to continue…

  

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