Savoring Lent (Friday Five)

Kathrynzj at RevGals offers the following Friday Five:

"My calendar taunts me with the [Lenten] schedule I'm supposedly going to keep. There are extra Bible studies, evening gatherings and worship services all crammed into a six week period of reflection and contemplation (ha!). But there are some things I truly love about the season of Lent even if I don't get in as much reflection and contemplation as I would like.

What about you? What are some things you appreciate about the season of Lent? Perhaps you would share 5 of them with us. And for your bonus question feel free to share one thing you could do without."

1.  When our children were little, I enjoyed the dinners and programs that we attended every Wednesday evening during Lent at what was then our church.

2. I am grateful that the reading from Joel (2:12-13 in particular) rolls around every Ash Wednesday, although it has been rather a  challenge for me the past few years.

3.  I love the beauty of the Ash Wednesday and Tenebrae services.

4.  I appreciate the opportunities for interfaith gatherings that emerge during this season.

5. Most of all, I appreciate the church's recognition that we need lengthy seasons in which to savor preparation in order to digest the feasts of celebration in the fullest possible way ~ and that in Lent that preparation incorporates contemplation and confession and lament, pathways of practice that lead us toward resurrection.

Image here.