Well, here we are again at another Lent.
Going for the slightly boring route of “biscuits/snacks” for my Lent this year. Puddings and starters are allowed, it’s just those extra biccies at work/home/church/youth group which are getting the chop. To give up puddings and cakes would be a bit sad, as our wedding anniversary and my birthday almost always fall in Lent.
So tonight at youth group we’re bending the liturgical calendar slightly in order to have pancakes and pancake based activities – but we’re finishing off the evening with an Ash Wednesday liturgy (or, at least, part of one). The concept is you burn last year’s Palm Crosses on Shrove Tuesday, then use the ash to mark a cross on everyone’s forehead as a sign of penitence and commitment for the Lenten period.
I don’t think I’ve done this before (although the youth group have in the past) – but I’ve started tapping in to a deeper seam of spirituality in the last few years, with a stronger emphasis on reflection and contemplation. Should be interesting.