NO MEAT, KING CAKE & SINS
We are in the middle of Lent, the 40 days of reflection, prayer and spiritual preparation before Easter. It represents the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness and enduring temptations from Satan; according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Luke 4:1-2
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River (as he had just been baptized) . He was led by the spirit into the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
When I was growing up, I had a dream of living in New Orleans, a city renowned for its vibrant celebrations, particularly on Fat Tuesday, the day preceding Ash Wednesday during Lent. On this festive day, the streets come alive with parades, music, and elaborate floats adorned with colorful costumes. The culinary scene is equally impressive, featuring a feast of rich and decadent dishes, including the iconic King cake. While the indulgence may have led to a few stomach aches the following morning, the arrival of Ash Wednesday brought a sense of renewal and the solemnity of fasting and abstinence.
Abstinence for me meant refraining from consuming meat on Ash Wednesday and Friday. Our meals often consisted of fish sticks, tuna casseroles, and, if we were fortunate, fried catfish. Additionally, it meant abstaining from snacking between meals and making a sacrifice, giving up something meaningful to us. What is a small price to pay when Jesus gave up his life for us? As a child, this meant giving up candy for 40 days or perhaps Saturday morning cartoons, which can be challenging at times. As we grew older, the sacrifices we made became more thoughtful. Yes, we could give up soda or going to the movies with friends, but we could also work on ourselves by refraining from talking back to our parents or pitching in and helping out around the house more. As an adult, we might give up having a glass of wine with dinner, practicing mindful speech, and refraining from swearing. After all, they say that habits can form after 7 days, so imagine what 40 days could accomplish.
With Easter approaching soon it also meant that I had to go to confession. Telling a priest my sins so that I could be absolved from them. Which meant I had to go into a confessional booth; now I don’t consider myself claustrophobic but I do get uncomfortable in small dark spaces. And I really didn’t want to tell someone the things I’d done wrong, for fear that I might get in trouble for them. But the sins of a child are pretty basic, like telling a lie or talking back to your parents or fighting with a sibling. But as we get older our sins can get bigger and more complex, think of the 10 Commandments. If you have broken one of these, you have sinned.
Religions around the world have various ways to relieve us of our sins. Some use atonement, which is the act of making amends of the wrongdoing through sacrifice or penance. While others use absolution formally forgiving or cleansing someone of their sin.
I can remember being told that my penance was to pray, usually like 10 Hail Mary’s and 5 Our Father’s or something along those lines. And to do better in the future.
I John 1-8:9
8) If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
9) But if we confess our sins to Him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
Can we live a life without sin? Of course not, there are temptations and evil all around us. They come in all forms, be it lying, cheating, stealing; the temptations are endless. We just have to try hard not to give into them.
1 Corinthians 10:13
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that. you can endure.
In order for God to guide us through our temptations we first must believe in him and open our hearts to him.
After all, John 3:16 states “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Lent ends on Good Friday, a time to remember Jesus’s suffering and death and to reflect on the meaning of his sacrifice as a means of atonement for sins.
This reflection of Lent is about is pretty heavy but there are rewards in the resurrection.
So instead of giving up something, how about we do something for different. Maybe you want to do something different every day, maybe you want to choose one thing to do daily. But do it for 40 days.
1. Attend both morning and evening services if you don’t already. The message is different at each service.
2. Read the Bible everyday if you don’t do it already.
3. Open a door for someone.
4. Tell the cashier to have a nice day.
5. Volunteer at the library to read to children.
6. Volunteer to help Debbie clean the church.
7. Provide cookies for the Sunday school classes. (ask Kim first for quantities)
8. Pay it forward if you can. Buy the person behind you their coffee or soft drink.
9. If you notice someone (maybe a Senior Citizen) dining alone, tell the waitress that you want to buy their meal.
10. Think before you speak and say something good, instead of saying something bad.
11. If you know someone who doesn’t drive, offer to drive them for an appointments or errands.
12. If you see someone standing in a full waiting room offer them your seat.
13. Leave the close parking places for the older people.
14. Pay someone a compliment. You would be amazed how that smile on their face will make you feel.
15. Take your old towels to the humane society.
16. Offer to reach something on a high shelf for someone at the grocery store.
17. Call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.
18. Offer to pick up groceries for your elderly neighbor.
19. Send a handwritten note to a shut in.
20. Offer to babysit for someone.
21. Encourage a friend to be more active. (for their health)
22. Make someone laugh.
23. Offer to cook dinner for your friends and just stay in and enjoy each other’s company.
24. Tell someone you know that you are proud of them.
25. Tell your friend how thankful you are that they are in your life.
26. Send a motivational message to someone who is struggling.
27. Clear out your closet and donate items to charity.
28. Send a care package to someone in the military.
29. Lend an ear, listen to someone who is having a hard time.
30. Say good morning, afternoon or evening to people you see.
31. Bake a cake for a co-workers birthday.
32. Praise a co-worker for a job well done.
33. Let someone get in line a ahead of you in the checkout line. Especially if they only have a couple of items and you have a cart full.
34. Take a minute to help someone who is lost.
35. Help a mother get her stroller through the door or over a curb.
36. Pick up trash around your neighborhood.
37. Offer someone a smile.
38. Get to know your new co-workers.
39. Sign up to do volunteer work in your community.
40. Stick a nice note in your spouse/childrens lunch.
Luke 4:1-2
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River (as he had just been baptized) . He was led by the spirit into the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
When I was growing up, I had a dream of living in New Orleans, a city renowned for its vibrant celebrations, particularly on Fat Tuesday, the day preceding Ash Wednesday during Lent. On this festive day, the streets come alive with parades, music, and elaborate floats adorned with colorful costumes. The culinary scene is equally impressive, featuring a feast of rich and decadent dishes, including the iconic King cake. While the indulgence may have led to a few stomach aches the following morning, the arrival of Ash Wednesday brought a sense of renewal and the solemnity of fasting and abstinence.
Abstinence for me meant refraining from consuming meat on Ash Wednesday and Friday. Our meals often consisted of fish sticks, tuna casseroles, and, if we were fortunate, fried catfish. Additionally, it meant abstaining from snacking between meals and making a sacrifice, giving up something meaningful to us. What is a small price to pay when Jesus gave up his life for us? As a child, this meant giving up candy for 40 days or perhaps Saturday morning cartoons, which can be challenging at times. As we grew older, the sacrifices we made became more thoughtful. Yes, we could give up soda or going to the movies with friends, but we could also work on ourselves by refraining from talking back to our parents or pitching in and helping out around the house more. As an adult, we might give up having a glass of wine with dinner, practicing mindful speech, and refraining from swearing. After all, they say that habits can form after 7 days, so imagine what 40 days could accomplish.
With Easter approaching soon it also meant that I had to go to confession. Telling a priest my sins so that I could be absolved from them. Which meant I had to go into a confessional booth; now I don’t consider myself claustrophobic but I do get uncomfortable in small dark spaces. And I really didn’t want to tell someone the things I’d done wrong, for fear that I might get in trouble for them. But the sins of a child are pretty basic, like telling a lie or talking back to your parents or fighting with a sibling. But as we get older our sins can get bigger and more complex, think of the 10 Commandments. If you have broken one of these, you have sinned.
Religions around the world have various ways to relieve us of our sins. Some use atonement, which is the act of making amends of the wrongdoing through sacrifice or penance. While others use absolution formally forgiving or cleansing someone of their sin.
I can remember being told that my penance was to pray, usually like 10 Hail Mary’s and 5 Our Father’s or something along those lines. And to do better in the future.
I John 1-8:9
8) If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
9) But if we confess our sins to Him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
Can we live a life without sin? Of course not, there are temptations and evil all around us. They come in all forms, be it lying, cheating, stealing; the temptations are endless. We just have to try hard not to give into them.
1 Corinthians 10:13
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that. you can endure.
In order for God to guide us through our temptations we first must believe in him and open our hearts to him.
After all, John 3:16 states “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Lent ends on Good Friday, a time to remember Jesus’s suffering and death and to reflect on the meaning of his sacrifice as a means of atonement for sins.
This reflection of Lent is about is pretty heavy but there are rewards in the resurrection.
So instead of giving up something, how about we do something for different. Maybe you want to do something different every day, maybe you want to choose one thing to do daily. But do it for 40 days.
1. Attend both morning and evening services if you don’t already. The message is different at each service.
2. Read the Bible everyday if you don’t do it already.
3. Open a door for someone.
4. Tell the cashier to have a nice day.
5. Volunteer at the library to read to children.
6. Volunteer to help Debbie clean the church.
7. Provide cookies for the Sunday school classes. (ask Kim first for quantities)
8. Pay it forward if you can. Buy the person behind you their coffee or soft drink.
9. If you notice someone (maybe a Senior Citizen) dining alone, tell the waitress that you want to buy their meal.
10. Think before you speak and say something good, instead of saying something bad.
11. If you know someone who doesn’t drive, offer to drive them for an appointments or errands.
12. If you see someone standing in a full waiting room offer them your seat.
13. Leave the close parking places for the older people.
14. Pay someone a compliment. You would be amazed how that smile on their face will make you feel.
15. Take your old towels to the humane society.
16. Offer to reach something on a high shelf for someone at the grocery store.
17. Call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.
18. Offer to pick up groceries for your elderly neighbor.
19. Send a handwritten note to a shut in.
20. Offer to babysit for someone.
21. Encourage a friend to be more active. (for their health)
22. Make someone laugh.
23. Offer to cook dinner for your friends and just stay in and enjoy each other’s company.
24. Tell someone you know that you are proud of them.
25. Tell your friend how thankful you are that they are in your life.
26. Send a motivational message to someone who is struggling.
27. Clear out your closet and donate items to charity.
28. Send a care package to someone in the military.
29. Lend an ear, listen to someone who is having a hard time.
30. Say good morning, afternoon or evening to people you see.
31. Bake a cake for a co-workers birthday.
32. Praise a co-worker for a job well done.
33. Let someone get in line a ahead of you in the checkout line. Especially if they only have a couple of items and you have a cart full.
34. Take a minute to help someone who is lost.
35. Help a mother get her stroller through the door or over a curb.
36. Pick up trash around your neighborhood.
37. Offer someone a smile.
38. Get to know your new co-workers.
39. Sign up to do volunteer work in your community.
40. Stick a nice note in your spouse/childrens lunch.
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