1st Sunday of Lent (Genesis 9:8-17)  02/26/2012

On this first Sunday of Lent, as we have now made our way through the first few days of our Lenten journey, my hope is that you have already set aside some time and have jumped in to this season by taking advantage of some of the many offerings at St. John’s Church or have decided on a few of your own. If not, I hope you have had the opportunity to at least consider something that you might like to try out during the days and weeks ahead. As for me, I have taken up an invitation from Jeffrey Lee, Bishop of Chicago, to read a book and follow Bishop Lee’s discussion questions and reflections. The book is entitled, A Practical Christianity: Meditations for the season of Lent, by Jane Shaw. The Rev. Shaw is the Dean of Grace Cathedral, located in San Francisco, CA. Her book is about the practices of Lent rather than the beliefs (or the theology and doctrines of Christianity) that we feel we must subscribe to. In the introduction to her book, Shaw writes, “For the earliest converts to Christianity, the question before they were baptized and joined the Christian community was not so much “What do you believe?” as “How has your life been transformed?”[i] I will be reading the book as a Lenten guide, so I have only read the introduction so far, but Shaw provides a wonderful overview and clearly outlines her intentions for the book. She makes the following points: Christians should not get wrapped up in difficult theologies and doctrines as they travel through their Lenten journey; more importantly, and consistent with the practices of the Early Church, is the notion that what we do is as important, if not more formative, than what we believe. Consistent with the Anglican understanding of “lex orandi, lex credendi: out of the law of praying comes the law of belief” or perhaps more practically, what you do becomes what you believe, and eventually this will form the shape of your life, your life with God and your life with your neighbor. Shaw’s book presents itself as an interesting guide to the journey of practical self-reflection toward one’s personal life, one’s relationship with God and relationship with others. Her book provides guidance on a journey that explores the many aspects of one’s relationships and it is a journey that I am looking forward to taking up throughout these forty days of Lent. Continue reading →