Happy Shrove Tuesday! Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Carnival – Don’t they all mean the same thing, really: take this one last chance to have fun and consume up all the things you’re gonna have to do without during the long, miserable season of Lent. Really?
Is that what Lent is? Not at all. Somehow we’ve gotten it backwards. Lent is a season where people of faith are invited to carefully consider how many blessings God showers upon us, and maybe refrain from something to remind us just how much we have. Lent is a season where we look honestly at human failings and brokenness and seek to do better, to be more faithful. And Lent is a season where we remember that we are humans who rely fully on the compassion of God . . . who loves us more than we can possibly comprehend. ara
Prayer
God of Celebration and of Contemplation,
You are with us as we rejoice and as we reflect.
Let today’s celebrations be filled with appreciation for your generosity.
Let Lent’s contemplation lead to a fuller understanding of you and my role as your follower.
Amen.