The forty-day season of preparation leading up to Holy Week and Easter begins on Ash Wednesday, February 13. Traditionally Lent has been a season when people have fasted and made sacrifices. So Christian cultures have also made a tradition of having big parties before the beginning of the fast, such as Mardi Gras festivals. While these celebrations sometimes become occasion for excess and debauchery, the idea of sacred festivals and parties dates back to the ancient Israelites. This week, before Lent begins, we’ll look at ways that we can have fun and enjoy our faith and our relationship with God. Key Scriptures: 1 Chronicles 16:8-36; Luke 15; Revelation 22:1-5. When reality television first became popular, most reality shows were devoted to putting a diverse group of people in a house or in the wilderness or in some sort of challenging situation. More recently many reality programs take a different approach and focus on a very specific subculture, whether child beauty-pageant contestants, pawn-shop owners, pastors’ wives in Atlanta, or people who have made a fortune off of duck calls. Maybe the church can learn something from reality TV. Next week we’ll affirm that all Christians—from all cultures, denominations, and traditions—are one in Christ. But we also will celebrate the qualities that make individual Christians, congregations, and denominations unique.
