The Lenten season snuck up on me this year, and I had to quickly consider the what and why of giving something up for Lent. On Ash Wednesday I reconnected with an old friend and met new friends through an Ash Wednesday service in Logan Square. Redeemer Anglican Church, or the Greenhouse movement, is a series of 15 connected branches of the same Anglican church that a few of my friends attend and serve.
For me, attending an Anglican church service reminds me of the holiness of God through the reverent liturgical style of worship and communion. I love the church; its community is sincere though small, and I always leave a Redeemer service feeling like the Lord has humbled me and touched my spirit.
But back to the topic of what to give up….and why? Last night’s service convicted me to give up my guilty pleasure of online shopping. Nothing moves along the long work day better for me than perusing Craigslist’s most recent furniture listings, or reading up on A Cup of Jo or Louis and Elm and getting shopping ideas.
Pope Francis says that “Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.”
I’m looking for a way to reawaken my faith in God in response to the frustration and stress I experience in my home and work life. Historically, when my life is centered on God, every other area of my life falls into place.
