My stepdad, an acoholic, would faithfully give up drinking for 40 days. But even before NOON on Easter Sunday, he was cracking open a bottle of beer. It mystifies me now, as an adult, why he just didn’t STAY “quit”. And that’s what I LIKE about this post.

Once you let it go, and give it to God, as a token of the ultimate sacrifice He gave for US, why not let God KEEP it? Thank you for this post.

He didn’t mean that giving something up for Lent was trifling or easy but that giving something up with the intention of returning to it after a month isn’t really a sacrifice.

If it’s worth giving up for Lent, it’s worth giving up.

Sounds like growing up you and I may have shared some of the same congealed salad.

Just jump in and explore these traditions, don’t worry if you miss the start. However, that is why I always recommend this site: http://www.cresourcei.org/cylent.html The guy running it does a good job of keeping current on the dates for a given church year. In addition there is a lot of primer reading for folks like us who didn’t grow up with this tradition. I’ve used it a ton in devotions with the kids over the years.

As for denominational isolation, herein lies another opportunity to be a part of the unity Christ prayed for in John 17. You are correct that this place is a good one to start the dialogue, but the local churches in your area are where you can incarnate the truths we bandy about here. Here’s a story from my experience.

My present denomination (Presbyterian Church in America) and church (Perimeter Church in Atlanta) does not hold strictly to the liturgical calendar. We use it to varying degrees because, as I noted before, the culture we live in is increasingly secular – some would say its “post-Christian” but I don’t know if I’d go that far, at least not in the U.S.

Perimeter will hold certain services, but not all of them. Whereas, churches like the one in Nashville that I noted above, Church of The Redeemer, as an Anglican church, will hold all the services of the liturgical calendar.

A few years back, my new next door neighbor turned out to be a pastor at Lutheran church down the road from my own church. So, since we didn’t hold an Ash Wednesday service, we attended his church instead. Not only did I connect with my neighbor, but I had a brother in Christ, preach to me and my family, give us the imposition of ashes and give us Communion. Talk about bridging the gap, it was powerful.

The next big event in the church year is Holy Week. If you want to try something like the Ash Wednesday service, then I’d recommend attending a Maundy Thursday service. When it comes close to that time, search out a church in the area offering this type of service or ask around here or at your church. That is another great service to attend.

If walking into another church is awkward, then I’d recommend something like Convoy of Hope (http://www.convoyofhope.org/ ) or Habitat for Humanity. Nothing bridges the denominational divide like service. Given that taking up service is something folks do during Lent, this would be another excellent way to experience the season.

In all of this talk of Advent, Lent, etc. the goal is to fix our eyes on Jesus the Author and Perfecter of our faith. I don’t worship in a church that holds to a “high church” or formal liturgical service, but I could easily do so, because there is a reverence that is sometimes missed in informal worship like the style I’m a part of. Stay with me, I don’t want to hijack this thread on some worship style argument. That is not the point.

The point is, you can learn to appreciate all styles of Christ-centered worship. The church year or liturgical calendar is another means to that end. It has great value in homes for devotion and as a way to connect with other brothers and sisters in Christ should this not be your tradition.

Though I do still retain a certain wariness of traditions, because they can lose their meaning and become idols themselves, I have begun to see the value of them.

My biggest hurdle is just knowing when they are going on. How silly is that?

I fully intended to observe Advent this year, but missed the start by two weeks.

These kind of post is yet another thing for me to enjoy about the RR: Here I get to interact with my brothers and sisters that I would never see because of our denominational isolation.

Thanks for the post.

I like your family’s tradition. Praying about what to give up, to me, is a very personal introspection that not only brings you closer to God, but helps you understand who are with and without Him. Truly, it’s something all Christians should do during whatever time frame God lays it upon their heart to do so.

Stacy