I am sure you have seen the ads for the NYTimes "weekender" at-home delivery of Friday, Saturday and Sunday newspapers. Well, there's a spiritual weekender, too. In a way, Lent is the time for a 'trial subscription'.
In brief, here's what it's about:
- Friday is The Day of The Cross
- Saturday is The Sabbath, a Day of Rest
- Sunday is The Lord's Day, a Day of Action
FRIDAY - CROSS
The traditional scripture passage can sound a bit daunting: "If anyone wants to follow me, then deny yourself and take up your cross and follow" (Mark 8:34). Perhaps, it helps to know that the meaning of this Gospel passage can be rendered by reading Galatians 6:2, "Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ".
On Good Friday, Christians are not commemorating a murder. No, we are remembering that Jesus willingly gave his life for the good of others.
So, every Friday is a day to remember Jesus' self-giving by our own expressions of giving. The traditional phrase for this is 'self-denial' but the dynamic goes beyond denying the self through connecting with the other.
Thus, as the first part of your spiritual weekender, you are encouraged on Fridays to live simply:
* have a plain lunch; spend time instead of money by praying for the poor, the oppressed, victims of war, the homeless, the hungry, the vulnerable...
* dedicate your saved lunch money to help bear someone's burden in a concrete way: give to Saint Luke's Church Lenten Project: The Pajama Progam (http://www.pajamaprogram.org/), Episcopal Relief and Development (http://www.er-d.org/) or to any worthy agency where your offering will partner your prayer.
Yes, on this first day of the 'weekender', don't miss out on the opportunity to turn other people's crosses into tastes of Resurrection!
Saturday - Sabbath/Rest
"...whoever enters God's rest also ceases from laboring as did God" (Hebrews 4:10). You don't exactly need a line from scripture to remind you of the importance of taking time to smell the flowers. However, did you realize that God basically commands enjoyment and recreation? Saturday is that time during the weekender for taking time to have a good time. After all, recreation involves us in Reenacting Creation. God's six-day work week was not a drudgery; God enjoys creating-- it is all good. By our resting on the Sabbath/Saturday, our recreation and leisure comprise not only a day of rest from our usual labors but a reminder that the spirit of joy on the rest day needs somehow be present even in our work the rest of the week. So, take advantage of weekender Saturdays:
* spend time with the people who mean the most to you
* surprise friends and family with some fun
* be hospitable for an hour or so--visit the home bound, hospitalised and those in nursing homes
* say a prayer of remembrance for departed loved ones--let their love live on in you.
And then day two of the 'weekender' gives you another taste of Resurrection!
Sunday - Lord's Day
"On this day the Lord has acted; we will be glad and rejoice in it" (Psalm 118:24).
You are likely now getting the idea about the three-fold opportunity of this 'weekender'. If, on Fridays, Christ's giving becomes our giving and, on Saturdays, God's resting becomes our rest, then what of the first day of the new week on which God acted in raising Jesus Christ to new life? We act in worship:
* attend the Parish Eucharist
* take part in the liturgical action (volunteer to be a reader, sing those hymns with vigor, bring up the bread and wine, add your out loud petitions and thanksgivings during The Prayers of The People
* make your main Sunday meal a festive one; every Sunday is a little Easter. Let the food you prepare and share be a tasting of Resurrection.
That's the spiritual weekender.
Try it during Lent and then subscribe to this practice year-round. You don't have to call an 800 number to get it started. Your credit card won't be billed. There won't be any piles of paper to bundle for recycling. What there will be is a gift.
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