Last night we did a community dinner for Fat Tuesday. In keeping with the theme, we did a traditional pancake dinner, with sausage, eggs, bacon and, uh... beer. Yeah.
Not heavily attended, though a good crowd and we all had a good time- eating, drinking, talking with one another. And when I suggested to one of our hosts that American Idol was on, he thought about it for a minute and then said, "Why not?? It is Fat Tuesday, after all..."
But today is Ash Wednesday.
Unlike one of my smart-arse elders who when asked what he was giving up for Lent said "being Catholic," I actually am going to abstain this year. From what is unimportant- for me, the act of doing without, of foregoing in favor of... it's worth it. A season of repentance and reflection combined with a small amount of telling my body who's boss (and that would be Jesus, not me).
Tonight we do a Service of Ashes... our first, actually. It will be interesting to see who comes. There are a good number of evergreeners with babies right now, and evening events are hard for many as nursery is kind of a week spot for us. No one has really stepped up and volunteered for this event, so...
But whether we're 20 or 70 or more, it will be a good time of reflection, meditation on Scripture and our lives to start this Lenten season off. I'll post the gathering's outline late this week including the stations we use. Maybe it will be helpful for you next year...
