as the lenten season begins today, i am overwhelmed with a mix of quiet thoughtfulness and loving memories. it is the day to begin a journey to the cross and resurrection, a path that slowly and intentionally leads through the desert of reflection, confession, and repentance. growing up as a baptist, i of course never participated in lent, as it was one of those crazy catholic practices. i did like that it meant that vegetarian choices were suddenly offered at restaurants, which was awesome. lent meant 40 days of feasting to me, all leading to easter dresses and candy. what a way to celebrate spring.
when i moved to austin and became involved in mosaic, i was introduced to numerous rituals and practices that once seemed foreign to me. as we did them, i felt like i was joining in with centuries of traditions. i loved knowing that people from all over the world for years and years and years had been doing the exact same thing i was doing. i do believe that there is also something that's amazing about having a unique experience with god. doing something because that's the way it's always been done isn't always the right thing to do. i felt like mosaic was a great blend of tradition and an authentic worship that was perfect for austin and perfect for me.
i was lucky enough to participate in the planning of several lenten services and activities and loved learning about some of the history of lent. we struggled with the balance of leading the liturgy through the season without manipulating the experience. in the end we remembered that we were part of mosaic, and that things would never go as we planned them. it was humbling.
the first good friday service was incredible. my parents and sister were in town, their first time to come to a mosaic liturgy. we sang songs together, don talked about the horror of the crucifixion, we spent time in prayer and silence and grief. the night ended in a blacked out room to symbolize the darkness after the cross. as we left, my family talked about how thought provoking the service was and how much they enjoyed my new church family. i was relieved.
for the easter service, we began in the same blacked out room we left on friday. we sang songs in mourning of christ. the song turned from "were you there when they crucified our lord?" to "were you there when he rose up from the grave?" we moved into the time to celebrate the resurrection and lit candles and removed the covers from the windows to symbolize christ's light. everyone was happy again. we sang and clapped (that's right, a room full of hipsters clapped at church. it was a big deal).
then i looked up and saw that a flame was a little big on one of the candles. then i realized that it was pretty big and growing. i leaned over to my friend doug and whispered, "the table is on fire." i turned around to see if anyone else noticed, unsure of what to do next. doug looked at the table, then behind, and leaned over and whispered, "joe's got it." joe, the only real grown up there, was running towards the front of the room, tearing his shirt off in the process. seth (of sad accordion fame and music pastor), who was leading the song, opened his eyes, saw joe running towards him topless, and just closed his eyes and kept singing. joe extinguished the flames and then took his seat. we continued on as if nothing happened.
as the night progressed, we experienced easter in true mosaic fashion. fires, videos not working, sound not working, confusion, references to magnolia and the matrix... typical mosaic. it was perfect.
the next 3 lenten seasons were incredible. the blunders seemed to be a little less eventful. the services were even more thought provoking and powerful as the years continued. easter in denton never seems quite as celebratory now that we don't go through the period of mourning prior to that sunday. i miss the time with mosaic and wonder how things are now that they've grown and and become a little more established.
since leaving austin, i've still tried to observe lent as much as possible and keep it sacred to me. this year my goal is to try to be connected with it as a little more than in years past. mosaic's reading through john, so i'm following their plan. i'm really excited to see what sticks out to me this year and how i'll interpret my readings. i'm hoping this time will allow me to refocus my life. i tend to use lent as a time to begin resolutions rather than at new years. it holds me accountable but also allows me to remember why i'm making the sacrifice and help me stay focused on the big picture.
"god's grace upon you, upon our community, and upon the church worldwide as we enter into this sacred season."
-mosaic
when i moved to austin and became involved in mosaic, i was introduced to numerous rituals and practices that once seemed foreign to me. as we did them, i felt like i was joining in with centuries of traditions. i loved knowing that people from all over the world for years and years and years had been doing the exact same thing i was doing. i do believe that there is also something that's amazing about having a unique experience with god. doing something because that's the way it's always been done isn't always the right thing to do. i felt like mosaic was a great blend of tradition and an authentic worship that was perfect for austin and perfect for me.
i was lucky enough to participate in the planning of several lenten services and activities and loved learning about some of the history of lent. we struggled with the balance of leading the liturgy through the season without manipulating the experience. in the end we remembered that we were part of mosaic, and that things would never go as we planned them. it was humbling.
the first good friday service was incredible. my parents and sister were in town, their first time to come to a mosaic liturgy. we sang songs together, don talked about the horror of the crucifixion, we spent time in prayer and silence and grief. the night ended in a blacked out room to symbolize the darkness after the cross. as we left, my family talked about how thought provoking the service was and how much they enjoyed my new church family. i was relieved.
for the easter service, we began in the same blacked out room we left on friday. we sang songs in mourning of christ. the song turned from "were you there when they crucified our lord?" to "were you there when he rose up from the grave?" we moved into the time to celebrate the resurrection and lit candles and removed the covers from the windows to symbolize christ's light. everyone was happy again. we sang and clapped (that's right, a room full of hipsters clapped at church. it was a big deal).
then i looked up and saw that a flame was a little big on one of the candles. then i realized that it was pretty big and growing. i leaned over to my friend doug and whispered, "the table is on fire." i turned around to see if anyone else noticed, unsure of what to do next. doug looked at the table, then behind, and leaned over and whispered, "joe's got it." joe, the only real grown up there, was running towards the front of the room, tearing his shirt off in the process. seth (of sad accordion fame and music pastor), who was leading the song, opened his eyes, saw joe running towards him topless, and just closed his eyes and kept singing. joe extinguished the flames and then took his seat. we continued on as if nothing happened.
as the night progressed, we experienced easter in true mosaic fashion. fires, videos not working, sound not working, confusion, references to magnolia and the matrix... typical mosaic. it was perfect.
the next 3 lenten seasons were incredible. the blunders seemed to be a little less eventful. the services were even more thought provoking and powerful as the years continued. easter in denton never seems quite as celebratory now that we don't go through the period of mourning prior to that sunday. i miss the time with mosaic and wonder how things are now that they've grown and and become a little more established.
since leaving austin, i've still tried to observe lent as much as possible and keep it sacred to me. this year my goal is to try to be connected with it as a little more than in years past. mosaic's reading through john, so i'm following their plan. i'm really excited to see what sticks out to me this year and how i'll interpret my readings. i'm hoping this time will allow me to refocus my life. i tend to use lent as a time to begin resolutions rather than at new years. it holds me accountable but also allows me to remember why i'm making the sacrifice and help me stay focused on the big picture.
"god's grace upon you, upon our community, and upon the church worldwide as we enter into this sacred season."
-mosaic
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