Interesting that in the United Church, Lent is not taken seriously. In 2006 our church decided to change this. We had Lent jars to put some change into to give to a Mission & Service fund. Then it died out again the next year.

Since no one has blessed you with a concrete example, this year I gave up smoking. I am 64 and I smoked since I was 16. I was having trouble breathing. I am now about 50 days free from this drug. It is difficult every day, but I feel proud and free. I wish society would allow smokers to be included in drug treatment programs. Instead we are left pretty much on our own. I had to start after 4 days in the hospital for another "issue", and continue to not smoke after being discharged. It was for the coming of Lent. It was like offering my very soul to my God. Good for me!

LumbyLad - good for you.  My thoughts and prayers are with your in your struggle.  I have heard that tobacco is one of the most addictive substances on earth - more so than alcohol, marajuana, coke, etc.   And you have had many many years to develop the habit.  Don't expect the way to be easy, the journey light.  You will break free of the physical adiction (you may already have done so) but it will be there in the background - one cigerette and you have to start all over again.  And the habit - that is the times when you used to have a cigarette - after a good meal, while playing cards, while watching a hockey game, while talking with friends who continue to smoke - the habit will catch you by surprise at the least expected times.  It was three or four years after I quit smoking that I would find myself almost reaching for a cigarette when certain things triggered a memory "Oh, yes, this is when I would have a smoke."

Fight the urge - I am sending good thought waves (and prayers) your way. 

Lent - fifteen years or so ago I, a regular UCC member, really got into the idea of the church liturgical year and I tried to observe lent.  I attended a Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras event in my church that had an educational element explaining the meaning of the celebration - the party and the using up of fats and sweets in preparation for the 40 days of Lent.  I attended the Ash Wednesday service and had my forhead marked with ashes.

During Lent I entered into a personal daily devotional study - buying a booklet each year with the readings and reflection.  I also attended noon-hour services at a downtown church near my office. 

I didn't give us any particular thing but I tried to live simplier - not going to movies or parties, eating simple meals, study, prayer and meditation.  Sometimes I also took on a project - like saving coins for a particular mission project or to donate as an extra to the M&S fund.

Even in my clothing I tried to follow a lenten theme - wearing a lot of purple - the colour for Lent.  I seem to remember having a purple table cloth.

Over the years my observance of Lent and the other seasons of the church year have fallen off.  Last evening we had friends in to play cards - a friendly fun-filled evening.  Next Monday we are having a Mardi Gras party for the senior bowlers (postponed from last week).  How can we have a 'Fat Tuesday' party on Monday? How can we have a celebration after lent starts?  Simply, we bowl on Monday so our party is on Monday.  The Monday immediately before Lent was lost in the snow, and the seniors were looking forward to it.

So I guess I'm a backslider as far as Lent goes.

On the other hand, I try to live every day of the year following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Lumbylad what a truly wonderful thing that you have given up smoking for Lent.  Keep going - remember though that cigerettes are truly one of the hardest drugs to give up.  Be strong - you are completely right there should be paid treatment.  We are a schizo society coming down so hard on smokers but not paying for drug treatment.  I applaud you!  My prayers are with you my friend.

I am having major surgery on Tuesday so my Lenton journey will be interesting this year.  I have a journal to take to the hospital with me and also I am monitoring a Lenton series that one the Ministers at a local church is doing.  She is wonderful and she is sending me stuff over the internet so as long as I can get on the wireless in the hospital and all goes well maybe I can do a little on that as well.  I don't like to give up stuff for Lent, I prefer to do things for Lent.  I think that Lumbylad's giving up smokes is more like a freeing his body of poison - so I see it so much more a positive than a self denial thing.

Greetings!

There are times when I have "given up" and times when I have "added to" - and both have met my times of reflection in the time of Lent over the years.  This year, I am not giving up anything for Lent.  Rather, I am adding to:

• a time set aside for God in quietness
• a time set aside for intercessory prayer for others and myself
• a time set aside for a special time of prayer, listening to music, reading (something that inspires or draws me closer to God)
• a time set aside for reading scripture

Different people do different things to guide them in their spiritual journey, and I think we each need to find out what that is at any given time.

LumbyLad . . . way to go on your giving up smoking, for whatever reason.  50 days - that is excellent.  I hope it is not something you will "take back up" once Lent is over .  I am an ex-smoker, and I know it is not easy, but keep at it, Yes You Can!

Hope, peace, joy, love . . .

Congratulations Lumbylad.

I have never observed lent.  My Church that I grew up in believed that we should throw out the Catholic calendar.  Someone explained lent to me when I was a child that it is the season so that you get all depressed so you can get really happy for Easter.

Congratulations Lumbylad .

We talked about this today.  I was told that Lent is a season when you are supposed to strengthen your relationship with God.  Giving something up for the season helps some people to do so, but if that doesn't work for you try something else.  This was basically what our Sunday school leson revolved around.  I personally have never done it.  I was also told that it used to be fasting for the Forty days of Lent except for on Sundays when you could eat.  This kind of confused me....

A fun aside,

Studying the variations of peasant religions which formed the tributaries of the river of Christianity, Joseph Campbell, came up with the "mushroom festival" which was a Bacchian/Dionysian festival that included a 2 - 6 week purge of the body of all toxic substances . . . so that the individuals ate simple meals; and took no wine.  At the end of the de-toxification, the religious seekers would ingest sylociben ( sp?) and equated their journey with a mystical revelation.  This process had some practical applications.  The winter stores would have died down to basically root vegetables and some flours and the end of the winter "fast" would be appropriate.

The festival may also have included wine; which was a less stoic form of Gnostic festival.

A few have commented that the UCC doesn't make a big deal of Lent.

this surprises me.  Lent is the season of reflection leading to the Crucifiction.

I have always seen it as the most important part of the year.  Certainly it is treated that way at our church.

I do agree though that the "giving up " idea is a bit populous and was never part of my childhood.

My church does not celebrate or observe might be the better word Lent to the extent of the Catholics and Anglicans, but it is observed.  My mother will usually go to an Anglican or Catholic Ash Wednesday service.  I usually give up something for Lent but I haven't this year.

TT, I think Sundays were considered "little easters" and that's why they could eat that day and fast the rest of the week.

Greetings!

And, I think too, that when people count the 40 days of Lent (from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before Easter Sunday), they exclude Sundays in the count . . . maybe for the same reason.

Hope, peace, joy, love . . .

Hmm, I guess that would make sense.  I kind of remember something about the little easters, and I'm pretty sure that sundays are excluded in the counting of the forty days, I kind of get it now....

Yes Sundays are excluded from the 40 days of Lent.  Everyone keeps talking about fasting.  Forgive my ignorance but is that Sunrise to Sunset?  because Monday to Sat is a bit of a long fast. 

I never understood why  the 40 days count never worked from ash wenesday to Easter... Now it makes sens!

 For me, Lent is the strongest spiritual period of the year. I think Lent is a time to transform our life. Every year, I try to give up something and to ad up a time of reflection as well. I choose to give up something that is not essencial to me. It helps me realise what place this element takes in my life and helps me make better decisions to simplify my life for the rest of the year. For example, one year, I gave up alcohol. I realised I really didn't need that element in my life, so I don't drink anymore. Last year, I gave up every form of video (DVDs, cinema, video games, YouTube, etc.). I realised that videos played mainly a sociolising role in my life. It's an important part of my relasionship with my room mates. So it's an element I decided to keep in my life.

I also ad up a time of reflection everyday and extra Bible readings for Lent. It's a special time to identify the obstacles that stand between God and me and try to eliminate them if possible.

I think Lent is a good occasion to give up some bad habits we have (like smoking). A friend of mine tried to stop gossiping for Lent and I think, one year, I'll try to stop swearing (to late for this year! ;op). 

Well, Eliz, once in my anorexic days, I found Lent to be wonderful cover for a 9 day fast - no food at all!  Amazing games we play.

Do you have to pay Pagans royalties for using their holidays?

I've offered, but they keep refusing.  Pagans are highly generous people.