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| Create in me a clean heart |
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March 2011 When folks gather at Memorial UCC on the evening of Ash Wednesday (that would be be March 9), the choir will be singing a hymn with some familiar words: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” Those words are going to be one of our themes for Lent this year. Lent is that time when Christians all over the world pause for 40 days to seek ways to deepen our relationship with God, to reflect on the story of Jesus – a story that includes a message about how to live, a meal where bread is shared and a shocking tale of execution. Then it is all followed by the extraordinary hopeful day of Easter, when good triumphs over evil, life triumphs over death. The words of “Create in me a clean heart” come from Psalm 51, a prayer that acknowledges that as humans, we all have moments when we fall short of what we hope to be and what God hopes for us. And so we step back during a time like Lent and ask God, in the words of the psalm, to “put a new and right spirit within me.” Many people use the 40 days of Lent as a time to adopt a specific spiritual practice or two that might make them more open to God’s spirit. Here are a few ideas rooted in our traditions with some contemporary twists: Prayer and reflection: The Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ is offering a daily email with devotions written by pastors and laity from around the state. You can This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to receive the "Making Sense of Lent" daily devotions. We will have those available in paper form in our narthex niche. Scripture reading: Some people make it a point to read and reflect on a Bible passage each day during Lent. We will have list in the narthex and on our web site of the scripture passages shared by many Christians during Lent. We will post a scripture phrase each day during Lent on our Facebook page. Almsgiving: In our Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday (it’s from Matthew 6: 1-6 and 16-21), Jesus talks about giving alms – that is, money to help others – without making a big deal out of it. People here are very generous. This would be a time to perhaps pick one cause to which you would like to give something extra during Lent. Fasting: Giving up food is one of the oldest Lenten practices. Think of it not so much as a way to make yourself suffer but rather as a way to let your cravings remind you of God. Or perhaps your fast is a way to care for your body. Or maybe you look at a way to reduce your carbon footprint during Lent as a way to care for creation. The Wisconsin Council of Churches has a Lenten project focused on reducing our carbon footprint. Another them you will hear repeated during Lent will occur in the choir’s opening hymn on many Sundays: “Open my eyes, O God, help me to see.” It’s from a Gospel reading from John (9: 1-41) that we will hear on April 3 about giving sight to a blind man. May this season of Lent give us a chance to open our eyes and see God’s love. |