Meditations from Zion

As noted earlier, tomorrow begins a new series of meditations for Lent. But today is Fat Tuesday or the last day of Mardi Gras and Carnivale; some cultures call it Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday.

I was curious how the pancake thing got started and apparently (according to Wikipedia) pancakes have all the ingredients (sugar, fat, flour and eggs) that are normally curtailed during Lent. Now, to be honest, I’m not planning on excluding these things from my diet during Lent. Instead, I’ll be dropping Lattes and Sodas (OK, some sugar there, but mostly Aspertame and other chemicals) as well as my current addiction for Scrabble, Words with Friends, online Sudoku, and Angry Birds. No long-standing traditions there for the Tuesday before Lent except play as many of those games I can in a day and have two lattes today instead of my requisite one. I should probably put $3.17 in a jar every day too.

I’m being a little frivolous here but truthfully, the whole point of Lent is to set aside some time, to reset the mind (and body) to a different circadian rhythm. We all have habits that drive us. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve missed a highway entrance or exit because it was different from my routine.

Lent is God time. As I consider this challenge, I’m thinking I will try to do a lot of things differently, like take a different route to work and modify my morning and evening routines. I want to look with new eyes and hear with refreshed ears. I want to visit places I have never seen before. I want to give myself permission to expect God in all of these new places and new experiences.

Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
on top of the wall[d] she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech.

I want to hear wisdom calling.