One Little Letter

I've been noticing more and more around me there are angry people. Traffic makes people mad. Waiting in line makes them mad. And forbid it, Lord, that we try to talk to each other about politics or religion. It seems I deal more with my own anger than I remember doing before. We are all on edge, and have increasingly short fuses. So, what's a Christian to do?
Well, this Christian went to the concordance and looked up scripture about anger. Ephesians 4:26 says "don’t sin by letting anger control you.” So, it seems to me, it matters more what we DO with our anger than the fact that we get angry. Psalm 4:4 says, "Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent." So, the Bible also recommends a cooling off period. The KJV of Psalm 4:4 reads "Be angry, but sin not." In other words, God knows that we get angry. He gets angry, too. We are created in God's image, and God gave us the emotion anger. So it's okay to be angry - it's a God given emotion. It serves us well at times. It keeps us from being attacked, gives us energy in times of distress, and helps us react when we've been wronged. So anger in and of itself is not a sin.
The sin part comes when we let the anger consume us, change our essential character, and drive us to do things we know are wrong. When we get angry, it's seldom half-hearted. We don't get a little angry - we're in all the way. It arouses our passion. It's that passion that can help us move from angry to creative to angel. That's right, I said angel.
An angel is literally a messenger from God. We can change our world one person at a time by our attitudes and actions. Proverbs 15:1 says, "A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare." How we react can change the whole situation. We can choose our words carefully when we speak to the one who angered us, and give a "gentle answer" instead of one born of anger and resentment. Your words can actually bless the other! Instead of cursing at the car that cut you off in traffic, laugh and say "Go with God." Because, seriously, anyone who drives like that needs our prayers. I've made this a practice in my life. Once, it was when I had a church van full of youth. They laughed at me, but I planted a seed. I became God's messenger, and that's the definition of an angel.
Ephesians 26 says, “don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil." Too often, instead of turning our anger into to a blessing, we hold onto it and turn it into a grudge. THAT'S when it turns from anger to sin. "Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." (James 1:20) We cannot hold onto anger because it eats us up inside. And, worse still, it blocks us from God. Grudges keep us in the problem instead of moving us to the solution. We need to remember just one simple pneumonic device: turn your anger into an angel. What a difference one little letter can make in our lives!
In 1 Timothy 2:8, Paul is teaching Timothy about the best way to help the church through growing pains. He says, "In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy." That is why we have confession as part of our worship, so we CAN be free from anger and controversy. We MUST lay it down before God in order to have worship as God intends.
Next time I get angry, I'm going to picture an angel. Maybe it will help me to bless rather than curse, love rather than hate, and carry God's message of love to the world.

Why Bother?

On Wednesday, I was at Stacks, by favorite local eatery, when I noticed a man coming in. He had what appeared to be dirt on his forehead. Then I saw his wife and several others with cross-shaped smudges on their foreheads. It dawned on me. It's Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. I should have known; I was busy getting my remarks together for our Ash Wednesday service later that evening. It moved me to see the public witness of those Christians. They were literally marked for Christ. It made me want to go to an earlier service so I could join them!
Why do we bother with Lent and Ash Wednesday and Shrove Tuesday and Holy Week and Palm Sunday and all the "stuff" that's coming our way in the next 46 days? It has origins in the earliest of Christian churches, probably as early as 200 C.E. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Fat Tuesday because it is traditional to have pancakes and other sweets to use up any fats and sugars in the home prior to the lean weeks of Lent. Lent is 40 days (not counting Sundays - because they were considered "little Easters") of prayer and fasting in order to share in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. It's 40 days because that's how long Christ was tempted in the wilderness.
But back to my original question, "Why bother with Lent?" What can our post-modern culture gain from this ancient practice? Well, I can't answer that for everyone, but I know why it's important to me. Beyond the superficial New Year's Resolutions I come up with, Lent is a time to really step back and take a good look at myself. Resolutions may be losing weight or getting out of debt. Both of those are just symptoms. Lent is when I look inside myself and say, "What's broken? What hurts? What keeps me from enjoying life in Christ? What grudges am I holding onto? Where am I on my spiritual journey? Am I the person God intends me to be?" During Lent, I intentionally take the time to do self-examination. In my prayer time, then, I can begin to work with God to change from within. But, it's not just about me. Lent is also a time when we are called to care for the poor and oppressed among us. So now I must turn my gaze outward, and ask some of the same types of questions. "What's broken with society, my world, my community? Who is hurting? What prevents others from enjoying a life in Christ? What prejudices surround me? Who's holding a grudge that's literally eating them alive? Where are my friends and family and congregation in their faith journey, and how can I be of assistance to them as they move toward the cross? Is my world what God intends it to be?"
Tough questions. I don't want to face them. But like the bare trees outside that must be cut back in order to bloom in spring, I must turn inside and begin the process of pruning in order to prepare for new growth. I can give up chocolate for Lent - but seriously, is that going to make any kind of spiritual sacrifice on my part? I'll just chomp down on a huge chocolate bunny on Easter day. What lesson is learned?
But if I give up.....

• negativity
• shopping for anything other than the ACTUAL necessities of life
• electronics - phones, iPads, computers, etc. except when necessary for our work
• media - newspapers, magazines, television, internet

and spend all that time changing my world - interior and exterior. What would happen to me? to my world? Grace, perhaps?
That's why I bother with Lent. Do you? Drop me a line and join in my challenge - Lent 2013! I pray we all have a holy and blessed Lent. I'll pray for you. You pray for me. Let's change our world!