Thursday 6 March 2014

Call it lent snobbery, call them lent Pharisees

 There is now a new way of thinking and the new ways as it so often does looks down in the simple old way. It looks down on the old ways as shallow and not "deep" enough.  Lent is place we see this old human trait raise it ugly head.

I've seen many a post in the last couple of weeks (and years) looking down upon the simple lent fasts of chocolates or fizzy drinks or a certain tv soap as well, not really good enough. Now instead of giving things up (far too negative for the modern trendy church) we need to be doing things and smiling about them. Lent is not more about stop- it's about GO.

When I read the temptation of Jesus I see character and issues of control at the centre of this wrestle between these ancient foe. 

What controls you? Where are your character defects? Do you find yourself reaching for the confort of the choc bar or fizzy drink or beer or ..... To numb you feelings and lack of control. Are you frozen into inaction by low self worth or fears you have. Well bless you, your not alone, try giving up that choc bar and seeing you are made for more and that you can endure the pain. And forgive those who snobbishly look down at your need. If your frozen by inaction believing you can't change anything and that you have no power, we go do something and I hope that by  giving up inaction you will be set free to enjoy life. 

Of couse we can continue to hide our character defects and control issues behind our lent fasts and so choose something easy, which does not confront our weaknesses of character and our wrestle with control. 


Life has deserts, Jesus knew that. Deserts are temping places to take the easy path. Jesus experienced that. But He stood firm for live even in the hard place. Let's not try to control others by judging their deserts and their attempts to not be controlled by them. 

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