Working in ministry, it’s hard not to develop a sense of humor about Lenten disciplines. I need tangible reminders of the sacrifice and suffering of Christ as much as the next guy, probably more – but let’s face it, some of the practices people adopt are so transparently self-serving that you can’t help but chuckle (on the inside).
We all know that things like giving up dessert for forty days or abstaining from the internet often double as self-improvement projects – the potential benefit to the person doing them is just too blatant. Not that I would ever want to discourage someone from trying them – after all, these are objectively good ideas. But from a spiritual perspective, they could also be seen as perpetuating the self-absorption that Lent is intended to challenge.
Perhaps I’m overdoing, and we can chalk the cynicism up to five years spent in youth ministry. But in the spirit of self-deprecation, a few of us here at Mbird have developed a list of alternative Lenten disciplines that we think might be more in keeping with the season. They are all guaranteed not to have any positive consequences whatsoever, other than engendering some humility/making you feel the sting. Here goes:
1. Stop brushing your teeth.
2. Overdraw your bank account.
3. Get into a fender-bender.
4. Don’t take out the trash.
5. Wet your bed.
6. Stain your clothes.
Perhaps you can think of your own…
COMMENTS
20 responses to “A Little Lenten Levity”
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Go to work with nothing more than a raincoat and galoshes on.
stop showering.
Ask your wife to go get that cute girl’s number for you.
put up really unflattering pictures of yourself on Facebook. . .
Only eat chocolate for 40 days! It’ll make you really sick and in need of a Savior.
Don’t wash your face for 40 days and you will know what it is to be alone like Jesus in the Garden.
toss your deodorant
no toilet paper
Get sick on the subway during morning rush hour.
Send emails at work that get blocked because of content.
Quit the gym, eat a Big Mac super size meal & wash it down with a giant milkshake…for 40 days.
No lite beer, and that’s prescriptive, not descriptive.
Arrive an hour late for everything because you were “getting a massage.”
AZ, I do that anyway!
hahahaa I love your post, Dave, very self-aware and timely. Lenten “sacrifices” are almost a joke in our culture now, I think. It’s like the 40 Day Diet slash Self-Righteous Period. Many people I know who don’t attend a church still give things up for lent, and even those who do go to church often don’t really contemplate what the purpose or intent behind a sacrifice like this is, I think. It’s challenging when we want to be self-discerning in this time and to offer ourselves to God in penitence. What DO we do?!
The responses you’ve elicited are a riot.
Hmmm… I feel the need to contribute:
Wear the same outfit straight for 40 days (no washing), sleeping and awake!
ps- My husband wrote a blog on a similar discussion (albeit less humorously and more contemplatively 😉
http://holyfriday.blogspot.com/2009/02/avoiding-ashen-piety.html
and PPS – Your dad just walked by my office chanting “this day is too busy” 🙂 He cracks me up.
How about:
Say what you are thinking.
or
Be yourself.
Use the phrase “That’s what she said” in every single instance possible, including but not limited to professional, familial, casual, and formal settings.
Some people posting on this blog, who shall remain nameless, already have that one covered.
Grow a neck beard.
burtonia & Daniel –
guilty as charged