First Sunday In Lent 2011

So, as I blogged on Wednesday, I am following a Lenten Path this year. My plan is to follow my path, and blog about my experiences on Sunday. This Lenten week was short (Wednesday through Saturday) and the items I chose to accomplish were as follows:

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.

So, the Day 1 activity was pretty easy… I signed up to receive a daily devotional email to my SCNC-UCC Conference Email account (washburn@scncucc.org). On that particular day, the devotion was entitled “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust” and the devotional encouraged the reader not to take our time here for granted.

The Day 2 activity was to fast for lunch. Fasting, I have found, is a great way to be mindful of our bodies and our relationship to the world. Going hungry for a meal reminds me of those who go hungry all the time. The pinch of hunger I felt is nothing compared to those who don’t know where or when their next meal is coming. I have been very blessed in my life by what I have.

My Day 3 activity was to pray for those who are lost… This has many different meaning at many different levels… I really wasn’t thinking of a disaster like an earthquake and tsunami to hit Japan… but there it was. I have friends and colleagues living and working in Japan… I have friends in Hawaii… I was fearful for my friends and colleagues and tremendously saddened by this disaster. My prayer on Friday was taken from a piece by John Dalles:

O God of all, grant us your peace,
we share one human bond,
and so when others seek release,
God, help us to respond:
to heal the sick, to seek the lost,
to set the captive free,
to serve and never count the cost—
may we live peacefully!

Day 4′s activity was to donate $20 to a non-profit. We currently donate to several different non-profits and (not that we were really looking for a new group) we were invited to participate in a walk sponsored by the National Foundation for Autism Research (NFAR). So, Pam and I are signing up to participate in this 5K Fun Run/Walk.

Overall, my Lenten activities this week served to point out and highlight my connectedness to the world. I am a member of the human community and that comes with some basic responsibilities such as to be available to others, to reach out to others, to help provide for others (within the bounds of reality), and to be pray for others.

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