Lent

Today, the first Sunday of Lent, I would like to spend some time reflecting. The pastor at my church this morning, Mark, considered the way our ancestors observed (or more accurately, didn't observe) the Lenten season. Could this have been linked to the idea that Lent is a time to remember the pain of Christ? Perhaps these early Anabaptists had no need of such a season, as they were reminded of this pain every day. There was a constant fear of discovery, a constant fear of imprisonment and death. They lived through pain and suffering the entire year as their friends and relatives were taken away, and as they were taken away. They would be burned at the stake,  beheaded, or drowned. The church in this country is relatively removed from this sort of suffering. Perhaps a reminder of this sort of persecution would do us good. Perhaps we should use this Lenten season to remember the intolerance against which our ancestors struggled, rather than perpetrating intolerance against others (particularly the LGBTQ community. See my last post). I plan to spend this season reading through more of the Martyr's Mirror for just this reason.