A Seasoned Life

One of the curses of our modern, fast-paced, always-in-cell-phone-range, life style is that everything quickly merges into a blur. It’s like looking at fence posts as you fly down the road at 70 miles per hour. Distinctions are lost. Even special experiences just become another blip on the screen.

There is little time to savor life, to taste it, enjoy it, or reflect on it. Parents tell me that their kids can’t eat lunch without asking “What’s for supper?” Emails follow us around on our Blackberry’s; and every weekend has a bevy of both obligations and opportunities. We can lose all perspective just keeping up, and soon the boredom of sameness sets in, even as so much is happening.

The subtle lie in all this is the message that if we just do a little bit “more,” then life will be wonderful. We sadly believe that if we find the “meaningful experience,” buy the “right” product, or participate in the really special activity, then that will stand out with meaning and joy, in spite of the blur. So, it’s like, if I run faster on the treadmill, I will feel rested. Yea, right.

All this is just more reason we need the Church and its non-conformist plodding through the year. We are designed for a Sabbath and for life to have its seasons. Frankly, a lot of people don’t understand this about the Church. For many, Sunday worship is just another thing to do, or “get done.” Time with friends worshipping our God just merges into the same ole’ blur as we move on to other things.

But the Church steadfastly issues Christ’s call: “Come unto me, all you who are heavy laden and weary and I will give you rest.” The Church says, “We will take time to sit in God’s presence (without a Game-boy or latte in hand to entertain us) and we will wait on one another for hymns, prayers, and communion.” The Church is governed not by the clock, but by eternity.

That’s one reason the Church lives a seasoned life. There are times of preparation (Advent and Lent) and times of celebration (Christmas, Easter and Pentecost). There are times of discovery (Epiphany) and a long season of just “Ordinary” time. Seasoned living teaches us the days are not the same, and that the days of waiting and longing are just as necessary as the days of fulfillment.

The rock carved city of Petra in Jordan is now listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. To reach the rock edifices, you have to walk over a mile through a deep, narrow canyon. It’s quite a hike. But at the last turn you catch a glimpse of the “Treasury” and then suddenly you are before it and are amazed at the grandeur of the ancient civilization. The moment would not be the same without the preparation enforced by the hike to get there.

Will your hike through Lent prepare you to truly celebrate the risen Christ at Easter? Will there be self-denial to mark the days? Will there be Sabbath rest and worship? Will there be service to others in Christ’s name? The opportunity to emerge from the blur is right here before us, but you alone will have to decide if you will live a seasoned life.