Heart Imposition
Knowing that commitment unleashes energy, what can I commit myself to today?
(Daily Question, Gratefulness.org, Jan 31, 2018)
It’s that time of year that followers of Jesus begin thinking about a discipline or practice for the season of Lent. This year, Ash Wednesday is February 14. Yes, if you’ve not thought about it yet: Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s Day. If I was in Godspell, I would expect to receive a heart imposed on my forehead rather than a cross. Maybe that’s what we need in our context. To have our hearts and heads better connected, realigned, or reset. Realigned head and heart religion instead of “you are dust and to dust you shall return.” There is an abundance of dusty death throughout the centuries and in our midst. All kinds of Christians still struggle with “love God and love your neighbor as yourself.”
When you think about Jesus of Nazareth, without a christological faith claim, a heart on the forehead represents how Jesus met people at wells, along the road, and at banquets. Jesus had a heart for people seeking better health, inclusive community, and for the comfortable complacent ones assured they would be first rather than last. Would it be an edgy faith statement to sport a heart rather than a cross this Ash Wednesday? It would invite conversation, which we need more of, and less debate.
On Ash Wednesday, members of our Regional Youth Council, (youth and adults that serve on a leadership team for the Christian Church in Oklahoma) will post a weekly devotional on my blog page, Old Camp Hat, hosted on the Region’s website. Yes, you may not know that Pam, Leslie, and I each have a little blog page on the Region’s website. I confess that we are not very active writers, but we want to be. Each Wednesday, one or more RYC members will offer some thoughts about Lent and their experience of being a follower of Jesus. So, please stop by each week, as RYC unleash the energy of a discipline during Lent.
I’ve been asked what my discipline will be this year. I’ve ‘practiced’ a variety of disciplines, from thirty minutes of silence to learning to roller blade. Quick aside, I’ve got a nice set of roller blades, size 8, and accessories, if anyone is interested. Rather than give something up, I add something to my living during Lent, which requires me to shuffle my priorities and let something go. This year, I’ll be adding sermon prep as my discipline and posting thoughts on the Lectionary texts each week on Old Camp Hat and my personal blog, davisonsdoodle.com. Why is this a discipline? I’m not an every week preacher. I’ve been a witness to ministers’ schedules and preaching preparation, so this will help me deepen my understanding of what local ministers experience. If I was a weekly preacher, I most likely would blog about the process — kind of a ‘back of the house’ look at the formation of the sermon and my thinking. It would not really be a full blown text, but thoughts working on me as part of the process. I’ll post on Tuesday afternoon during Lent.
Commitment unleashes energy. What will you commit to this Lenten season?