UCC - New Lenten practices redefine tradition

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> UCC - New Lenten practices redefine tradition

> Written by Gregg Brekke and RNS
> March 8, 2011
> istockphoto

While today is being celebrated worldwide by many
as Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday ? a day of
decadence prior to Ash Wednesday, the beginning
of the Christian season of Lent ? some are taking
a new approach to the traditional 40 days of
self-denial, prayer and personal reflection in the post-modern era.

The Lenten season, which a recent Religion News
Service article article notes ?hasn't always
drawn strong interest? among some Protestant
denominations, has taken on new meaning by
linking fasting, abstention and prayer to social
causes. The article, ?Age-old Lent gets a
21st-century makeover,? highlights various ways
the concept of ?fasting? is being lived out among
Christians in the new millennium.

Around 1,000 people have joined in the 2011

Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast in an effort to
reduce energy consumption and fight global
warming. Of the carbon fast, Janis Galvin, an
Episcopalian who lives in Everett, Mass., said,
"It's exciting because it's not just suffering
for its own sake ? It's doing good."

Fasting from anything is never an easy sell in a
culture that values convenience, according to Jim
Antal, who heads the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Chris t.

But as a spiritual practice, he said, personal
sacrifice can be a key driver in advancing larger movements.

> "We're trying to deal with the mingling of
> individual Lenten disciplines with social
> change," said Antal, whose conference is
> spearheading the carbon fast. "And that is
> precisely what will save the Earth - if
> individuals who begin to get it... begin to say,
> `Gosh, I need to change my life, and I need to become an activist.' "

Along with this initiative, the United Methodist
Church is urging its 7.8 million U.S. members to
refrain from drinking alcohol during Lent.
Teetotaling is familiar turf in United Methodism,
and now Lent provides a framework to consider the
role alcohol plays in individual lives, families
and society, according to Cynthia Abrams of the
UMC's General Board of Church & Society.

"To ask United Methodists to give up alcohol for
Lent is provocative because we like to think
United Methodists don't drink," said Abrams, who
works on alcohol and other health issues. "We
decided ... to confront the elephant in the room
by doing something provocative and engaging in
conversation about it throughout Lent."

In the United Kingdom, the Christian Vegetarian
Association is aiming to revive the ancient
Christian practice of foregoing meat during Lent.
(Many Orthodox Christians still eat a vegan diet
in Lent). It's self-denial for a purpose,
organizers say, noting how vegetarian diets
improve health, enhance animal welfare and reduce strain on the environment.

Some observers of evolving Lenten practices see
them as steps ? albeit small ones ? in the right
direction for a culture that tends to bristle at
the idea of voluntary self-denial.

"In a culture as consumer-oriented and

materialistic as ours, it is not surprising that
churches are seeking in small ways to remind us
of those obsessions," said Robert Wuthnow, a
sociologist of religion at Princeton University.
"These are welcome developments, even though they may be rather feeble."

Conventional ways of fasting and abstaining at
Lent haven't disappeared. Sixty percent of
American Catholics ? even those who seldom attend
church ? abstain from meat on Fridays during
Lent, according to Mark Gray, senior research
associate at Georgetown University's Center for
Applied Research in the Apostolate.

And for others, where Lent has taken on a more
reflective or study-oriented nature, new
resources are available to assist individual
groups and individuals in their spiritual
pursuits. Identification with Jesus, specifically
his earthly ministry and events that led to his
crucifixion (and resurrection,) is also part of the Lenten tradition.

To that end, the Living the Questions franchise
has released a two-DVD set - "Saving Jesus:
Redux" - that, while not specifically intended as
a curriculum for Lent, would be a welcome
addition to a church or small group Lenten series.

Divided into 12 segments, ?Saving Jesus? offers a
20-minute video introduction to a topic,
scripture readings and suggested discussion
topics aimed at helping participants develop a greater understanding of Jes us.

The United Church of Christ Stillspeaking

Writers' Group has also released a new resource,
"The Jesus Diaries: Who Jesus is to Me." Again,
while not meant exclusively as a Lenten guide,
this booklet contains nine reflections that
provoke the question, as the Rev. Martin B.
Copenhaver recalls in the introduction, ?How
would you describe your relationship with Jesus??

Whether Lenten practices of self-denial and

reflection take modern or historic forms, rooted
in spiritual development or concerns for global
justice, there's no dispute that the party of
Mardi Gras, for many, will be met tomorrow by the
challenging reality of Christian discipleship.

Portions of this article were provided by

Religion News Service and G. Jeffrey MacDonald.