Lent and Traditions

Many people give things up for Lent. I do not. I read "The Fellowship of the Ring" trilogy. I have a great love of story, hope and redemption. I have a dear one who frequently asks me why I believe in Jesus Christ when it doesn't really make sense to do so. My reply is that I love story, hope and redemption. The Easter story is about redemption and hope for sure, anyone can agree to that. I think it also is about beauty, music and creation. Another friend told me that he felt that there was only one way to approach the story of the cross, through the cries of music and poetry. I agree.

I recently went to an all church meeting. I felt compelled to go. I sat and listened, and listened, and listened, and listened. It was really long and very silly but I did have two very interesting experiences. I would like to say that it was more good evidence that most of our churches are really businesses. I wonder if we can ever get away from that;  from money, loans, beautifying, building, graphs, charts, numbers, comparisons. I think maybe it's the only way we know how to do things.There is another way.

My mom was sitting next to me. The fact that she was interested in going is funny in a way. She has spent years in church service. She once tried to do things another way, and was pushed out of the way and forgotten. She spent her time at the meeting eating popcorn and laughing under her breath. It made me very happy because it means that although she was forgotten she can't be ignored.

I spent some time listening to the reports but found my mind wandering quite a bit of the time. I started looking through the pew rack and found some church business cards. Scrawled on the back of one of the cards were the words "Please Help Me". What a wonderful and appropriate thing to find. I have spent many years sitting in church crying the same thing for many different reasons. It reminded me that though we are in church, many of us are very lost. Whoever wrote on that card was desperate enough for someone to know about her pain but couldn't say the words out loud. Why is that?

"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for us to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."