Day 2 thoughts

Here I am on the second day of Lent. I chose to fast today, as I forgot to fast yesterday (a traditional fasting day for Lent). I spent my lunch reading a little bit of McLaren and enjoying the beautiful weather. I spent some time contemplating the Bibilical narrative and how we can either continue the story or break from it.

When I got home, I spent about 30 minutes listening to some music and laying in the hammock. I was thinking a lot about the loss of poetry in our society and how much we live in a prose-centric world. We'd much rather write scientific textbooks about horticulture rather than actually smell the wonder of the flowers that God has surrounded us with. How much of the beauty of God's creation do we read about or watch on TV and never actually experience? I want to come into closer relationship with my senses and begin to experience more of God in all aspects of the world around me.

I also spent some time contemplating the Lord's Supper and the doctrine of transubstantiation. This is a, traditionally Catholic, doctrine that claims that once the bread and the wine are blessed, they actually become the real blood and flesh of Christ. In thinking about some of this, I began thinking about how radical a message that Jesus gave when He said, "eat of me" and "drink of me". There is so much more to the taking of communion than we realize. I plan to break my fast tomorrow morning with some intimate time with the Lord and communion. Lord, help me to meet you in a deeper way tomorrow as I take in the first food to my body. I want to know what it truly means that Your flesh is "real food" and your blood is "real drink" - John 6:54-56.