From pancakes to relationship

Growing up Presbyterian, I don't remember much fuss being made about Lent.  I understood the idea of Mardi Gras, of course, but never quite knew why or when that night of revelry was taking place.

Episcopalians , on the other hand, take Lent very seriously -- which means that, tomorrow being Ash Wednesday, all over the world there are Episcopal (and probably Lutheran and Catholic, too) churches holding pancake suppers tonight in honor of Shrove Tuesday.

I believe the thought is that having pancakes for dinner is ridiculously indulgent, and this is our last chance to indulge our appetite for sweets before giving them up for Lent.  Because, of course, that's what people mostly give up for Lent.

Not that that's a bad thing; it never hurts to give your sweet tooth a break, get it back under control.  But I do remember someone explaining once that the point of Lent is to build a closer relationship with Christ.  So you might think about giving up things that get in the way of that relationship -- which could be candy, but also might be other kinds of indulgences: retail therapy, drugs or alcohol, romance novels, over-eating, worrying, watching ESPN, always being busy or in a hurry, workaholism... all the things we do when we're bored or lonely and don't want to deal or even think.

Or you might take on things that enhance that relationship (like reading the Bible, or some other inspirational book, or walking the Labyrinth, or meditating, or volunteering ... or going to church).

Uh-oh; I feel you getting restless.  I said those C words -- Christ and Church.  Okay, so hang in here a minute longer.

If you're one of the zillions of people who may have been raised a Christian but ... well, even the word "Christ" makes you feel a little queasy and anxious -- well, that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of the idea of a little discipline.  You could think of it as an opportunity to release some bad habit -- at least you'd be in the company of lots of other people who have taken ona  challenge: there must be some sort of cosmic support energy out there when all that giving up is going on.  Or you could think about taking on a good habit.

I'm thinking that maybe instead of building a relationship with Christ specifically, it could be just about building relationship; about setting aside the things that get in the way of our being caring and attentive to those around us.

Maybe we could hang out in the living room after dinner instead of running back to our computers to check our email -- or even spend a day a week away from the computer.  Maybe we could invite someone to coffee, or to go on a walk.  Maybe we could go to church and stay after for coffee hour.  Maybe we could notice that a neighbor, or someone we work with, seems unusually upset or stressed, and offer to listen or help. Or maybe we could even work on our relationship with ourselves; give ourselves some conscious quiet time, and listen to our own hurts and dreams.

So, yeah -- tonight is for indulging yourself: have pancakes for dinner; maybe ice cream and brownies for dessert.  But tomorrow -- that's your chance to step outside your comfort zone, try something new, take on a new habit, build a new relationship or nourish a faltering old relationship.  And if that happens to be with Christ... well, that's okay, too.  But shhhhhh -- don't tell anyone!