Newspaper Article - Ancient Southern Presbyterians

Below is a recording and the text of an article that Pastor Rudiger wrote for The Clarion News.

On Wednesday, we entered a season within the church year that’s called Lent, a word that comes from Middle English meaning “springtime.” Of course, for many Christians, the Season of Lent means more than just the end of Punxsutawney Phil’s curse and the coming of baseball. For them, it’s the 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter that offers us the opportunity to get ourselves right with God through penitence and fasting. And that’s the reason many decide to sacrifice something they enjoy to focus and to sharpen their dedication.

But it’s right here where ancient Southern Presbyterians face a problem. You see, unlike our Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian, and Methodist brothers and sisters, southern Presbyterians who were raised in the 1960s didn’t really stress liturgical seasons; therefore, Lent just wasn’t a big deal. Of course, back then, some folks who attended other churches talked about what they were giving up. For example, I had friends who said they weren’t  going to chew gum or watch Batman for six weeks. This was what they were doing for Lent. But for my family, the time before Easter wasn’t all that different from the time after, at least not in our approach to God, candy or super heroes. 

And I’ve got to admit, I’ve carried some of that attitude with me during my 38-year pastoral involvement. Of course, for the sake of my congregations, I’ve talked about Lent and encouraged folks who wanted to make some kind of sacrifice, because showing our dedication to God is a good thing regardless of the time of year. Still, I’ve always struggled with the idea that somehow giving up March Madness would make me a more righteous person and better prepare me to celebrate the resurrection. 

But some of that struggle has eased a little bit lately, after I ran across a suggestion made by Pope Francis last year. You see, instead of challenging us to prepare for Easter by making some kind of often superficial sacrifice, he proposed that we consciously include 15 simple acts of charity into our 40-day routine. And here’s the list: To say hello (every time and everywhere), to give a thank you (even if you’re not “expected”), to remind others how much you love them, to say hello to people you see every day, to listen to each other’s stories without prejudice but with love, to pay attention to those who need you, to lift someone’s spirits, to celebrate the good sides or successes of others, to choose what you don’t use and donate it to someone who needs it, to help another instead of resting, to refuse to keep silent out of fear, to “get deep” with those close to you, to wash what you use at home, to help others overcome obstacles, and to call your parents if you are lucky enough to still have them. 

Now that’s what he suggested, and even though I’m not sure I understand them all, I can get excited intentionally doing these things over the next forty days or so. And even though I may never become moved by the meaning of this season in the same way some of my brothers and sisters are, I sincerely believe that, not only will applying these simple acts of charity improve my faith and my relationships for the next month and a half, I might be establishing habits I can carry into the rest of the year. And I can tell you, when you’re talking about Lent, that would be an outstanding thing to happen, even for ancient Southern Presbyterians.

For more information about Pope Francis’s suggestion, go to the following link https://www.mountcarmelblessedsacrament.com/15-simples-acts-of-love-from-pope-francis/