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| Rev. Dr. Wayne Soble | Rev. Micheline Montreuil |
WAYNE’S WORLD
"Are We There Yet?"
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I could blame the weather for the fact I still haven't removed the Christmas decorations from the front lawn but my beloved might ask for equal airtime. I tell her I'm simply trying to "keep Christmas all year," but she's not buying it. "Can we pretend," I say, in that irresistible way of mine, "that the reindeer are bunnies and simply tell the neighbours that we have put our Easter lights up early?" She resists. Still, I need to do something to get ready for Easter. Getting ready for Christmas may be hectic, but it's filled with fun and sentiment. Getting ready for Easter? Not so much. For folks who still have church on their radar at all, it's probably this whole Lenten thing. Forty days and forty nights of navel gazing at our souls, removing the lint and trying to exercise some restraint in matters pertaining to our excesses can be pretty hard labour. In a society where most folks have lost their knack for prayer and fasting, I understand the urge to stretch Christmas out as long as possible and leap straight onto the lap of Easter joy. But if Easter holds the promise of life in all its fulness, maybe some self-examination and restraint is precisely what's called for by way of prelude. I know it goes against the grain of daily mantras urging us to consume our |
way out of economic recession and revel in every indulgence, but the planet begs to differ. Unless we get our "getting and spending and laying waste our powers" under control, the Easter sunrise might just disappear in the smog. Ditto for personal lives. Obesity is a serious health problem which may give new meaning to a "fatless season." Unchecked self-indulgence can wreak havoc on our families and other significant relationships. A spirituality based on a constant buzz of peppy choruses and a no-name God who caters to our every desire may miss the treasures in the wilderness where the Spirit sometimes leads us in order to speak to our hearts. Easter is waiting for us down the road to be sure. And while I can't honestly say that Lent's way of getting there is half the fun, if Lent helps get us in shape for Easter's arrival, then we'll really have Abundant Life to celebrate. Even if I do have take down the Christmas lights.
[wws]
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