We are in the season of Lent -- the forty (ish) days between Ash Wendesday and Easter when the Church pauses to reflect on Jesus' life and resurrection. As part of NEC's Lenten observation, we have begun a sermon series entitled "Living Sacrificially" which will look at stories from Jesus' life and how each step of his journey, each event, each moment was shaped by sacrificial living.
But, we don't want our Lenten observation to stop there, with Sunday morning services. We want to make this series come alive in in your everyday life. Together, as a community of faith, we want to see what it's like to daily, weekly, experience sacrificial living and in so doing reflect on what Jesus' life, death and resurrection means to our everyday lives. To that end we have created The Lent Experience.
As part of The Lent Experience we are asking you to choose something that prevents you from experiencing and embracing the love of God and offer it up to God as a sacrifice. It might mean giving up something -- like coffee, TV or sugar -- or it may mean filling up with something -- like quiet, prayer or kind words.
Then, we would like you to "check in" and share your experience by posting a comment to this blog. What did you decide to give up or add? Why? How is it going? We want to hear it all: your successes, your failures, your triumphs and your trials. Because the goal of The Lent Experience isn't to make us look good or feel good or to earn favor with God. It is about refocusing our thoughts on why the death and resurrection of Jesus is so important, and how His way of life can really, truly transform us.
Join us!
I've given up sugar for Lent and really craved all the chocolate goodies at Missions Market. Couldn't go near them!
ReplyDeleteI have given up WORRY and am filling up on PRAYER...amazing what God can do with that combo! Already I am experiencing the truth of the verse "With God all things are possible..."
ReplyDeleteI started a few days late this year. I really wanted to pick something that I felt impacted my life on a daily basis that was taking away from more important aspects I should be focusing on like prayer. So after a few days I chose to give up facebook. Every night once my son would go to bed, I would hop on the computer and log on to my account most times not for any particular reason. facebook started to feel like a gossip magazine- reading up on the juice of others lives instead of focusing on what I could be doing to improve my own life. I have to date been successful. It has been difficult to break the routine, but I have been using the time to pray even if for a short moment every night, that God will fill up my life and make me complete.
ReplyDeleteWhile pondering what to give up I noticed my continuous use of words such as "I”, "my", “me”……ahah! Self!
ReplyDeleteI will attempt to give up my self-centeredness and replace it with “other-centeredness”.
To add some embodiment to this I plan to count how many times each day I use the words I, me, my, mine, etc.
In time, with God’s help, I can move on to removing not just these words but the thoughts themselves.
I also have decided to give up worry. To make it more tangible, I have decided to wear a red string around my wrist to remind me to "turn my worries into prayers." I have also decided to keep a gratitude journal to turn my thoughts from the negative--the "what ifs"--to the positive--as visible signs of God's grace.
ReplyDeleteElaine-March 5,2012 2:12PM
ReplyDeleteWhen I listened to the Big Kid Professor, I decided not to give up chewing gum, I don't chew that anymore. I decided to do something that would put God in a new place in me. I am giving up 20 minutes in each 40ish days of Lent to create a gift for 40 people who will go to the Dominican Republic. In these 20 minutes I can create a crocheted Bible Bookmark filled with positive thoughts and prayers for each volunteer.
I started giving up on Facebook during work hours (10 am - 6 pm) today. Rocky start, maybe tomorrow will be better. Only exception are business related communications to me throughout the day.
ReplyDeleteI gave up the words, "I can't" and replaced them with, "with God I can".
ReplyDeleteAs a newer member to NEC and a first time "lenter" I had no idea what it even meant to give something up for Christ. How can I give something up that could even compare to the sacrifice He gave? Is there something I can give up for the rest of my life rather than just these 40 days?? Why is it so hard to think of something to sacrifice when there are so many earthly posessions I could do without? I will give up complaining.... each day I will thank God for something which He has given me that I could not live without... That is my little reminder that without Christ's sacrifice none of us would be here today.
ReplyDeleteI have given up all dairy...it is not easy for me. I am especially missing my 1/2 and 1/2 in coffee but it is a subtle reminder of all that was given up for me. The saying "no" has been a small sacrifice in comparison to all that was sacrificed for me.
ReplyDeleteI have given up FIFA Soccer on the Wii for Lent. It is hard sometimes but it is good for me to do. I will give up something next year too.
ReplyDeleteRealized that I had an unhealthy attachment to anything sweet (i.e. cakes, cookies, ice cream ) and chose to eliminate that type of food from my life, not just for Lent, but using this 40 day period to break that habit. Making room for God!!
ReplyDeleteMemorizing a scripture verse each week and carrying the words w/ me to keep God's presence unforgotten has shown me a truer life and a life of trust. Giving up my time for this is life changing. It brings my thoughts and prayers right to God.
ReplyDeleteI love playing Wii sports...I like the competition - though it is now a matter of trying to beat myself. It has become a test of perfection as I try to beat my best scores. It has also taken away family time as my family members have long since given up trying to beat me. It is my own little world of addiction.
ReplyDeleteSo I have given up my Wii games for lent. I miss them. But at the same time I don't. It has freed up my time for a daily devotional. Funny how I didn't have time for that before.
I gave up 1 hour of sleep in the morning so I could fill up with more prayer and scripture and also journaling. I was on a good roll for a couple of weeks but then my family started getting sick and I was exhausted so I haven't been sticking to it as much. But I will go back to my commitment tomorrow morning. I am disappointed in myself that I gave in and got lazy but I'm grateful for grace - That is the gift that Easter gives to us. When I was getting up earlier every morning, I really did feel God filling me. I could feel God tangibly with me and I felt drawn even more so to Him throughout the day.
ReplyDeleteI gave up the radio (for the first 15 - 20 minutes) on my way to work every morning so I could "chat" with God....
ReplyDeleteI really got "connected" and felt like it "set the tone" for the day....I was less stressed and was able to "notice" God walking by my side ALL day.
Well my Lent experience is a bit unique....walking a dog (actually a dog walking me) resulting in an arm fracture significant enough to put me out of work for the 40 days
ReplyDeleteSince it happened 2 hours before Lent started and the immobilization plan ends on Easter the timing cannot be cast aside as a mere coincidence
A nephew who was in prison last year for 6 months sent me an email and said to "use my timeout well" -- a sweet challenge
Soooooo......walking around Meadow Pond watching swans build their nest instead of thinking of the 4 miles as "I have just an hour to squeeze in for exercise if I walk really fast"
Soooooo......needed to creatively switch to a smaller trash bag to pick up the trash along the roadside with the sling / swathe limitation -- all to make the world a more beautiful place
Soooooo......reading books -- one deeper sort of devotional comparing the self to the sky "as with the sky, all kinds of clouds and weather conditions can appear in it, but they have no effect on the sky itself"
Soooooo......time to reflect on how NEC has changed the engrained false God narratives from my past into ones that make sense (to borrow a thought from the book, "Good and Beautiful God")
Soooooo......sorting photos from the past with one arm works well and that makes one whisper lots of prayers of thanks
Soooooo......in the beautiful early spring I'm watching the daffodils bloom and letting the rest of my fast paces wait for just a bit
and thanking God for weaving my way on this detour
RoseAnn Engbers