Lent Advice From the John the Dwarf

We all have demons that, like any uninvited guest, take up too much of our time. In an effort to lessen the effect our own demons have on us we turn to the activity of talking about how much more awful the demons of others are.

"I may drink myself dumb, but I am not doing anything illegal."

"I may yell at my spouse, but I am not hitting them."

"I may engage in observing pornography, but I am not cheating on my spouse."

"I may gossip, but it is only to my close friends" 

"I am not perfect, but I am better than that person(s)."

Whatever the demons are we all can choose to live with them or work to defeat them. If you are looking to defeat a demon in your life, expose your false self, adknowledge where you are not doing so well, etc. then consider the advice from John the Dwarf:

“If a king wanted to take possession of his enemy’s city, he would begin by cutting off the water and the food, so his enemies, dying of hunger, would submit to him. It is the same with the passions of the flesh: If a person goes about fasting and hungry, the enemies of his soul grow weak.”

Why Lent NEEDS to be 40 days

Lent is a season in the Church that is marked by prayer, fasting, almsgiving and repentance. This is the season that is very popular among clergy types, mainly because it encourages everyone to do things that clergy types desire people to do throughout the year - Lent just makes these things socially acceptable. 

There are more than enough posts and resources that explain the significance of the 40 days of Lent (or more, depending on who is counting). There is all sort of traditional and biblical connections to the number 40 and those are rich metaphors to consider when thinking about Lent. But there are many significant numbers in the tradition and Bible (basically the numbers 1-42, 50, 70, 120, etc.). So why 40 for Lent? Why not 12 days? Why not 30? 

Perhaps the reason Lent needs to be 40 days is because that is how long it takes to move into the desert of our souls and wrestle with our demons. The ancient Desert Christians thought that going into the desert was literally where the demons lived. As such, they would go out in order to 'battle' these demons on behalf of others. Demons are tricky, they can hide very well from us and maybe this is why the desert Christians did not feel they could wrestle with demons while still living in town. It takes a while to find demons, it makes sense to move in and dwell on their 'turf'.

Because our demons are masters of disguise in order to find them we have to unmask a lot of who we are. This task takes time. It is difficult to unmask all parts of ourselves to discover what is our true self and what are the demons lurking in us, wreaking havok. Forty days may be the amount of time it takes to do such work. 

Everyone starts a Lent fast strong, but after a few days (as we move closer to our inner demons) the fast gives way. We forget why we embarked on this task to begin with and it it just easier to let the masked remain. May we fight the good fight and wrestle with our demons for these 40 days. 

It may also be worth noting that the desert Christians not only believed the desert was were the demons lived, but it was also where the angles lived. Just as the presence of God was with Moses, Jacob and Jesus in the desert, so too God will be with us in our desert time. 

Could Sunday School be Like a Gym?

There is a YMCA not far from my house and I have seen the different classes that are offered there. While Zumba or Hot Yoga are not my things these classes were more than well attended. It makes sense that in a gym people are brought together to learn more about a practice, to workout, build a community group, stretch, move and even reflect on the past week's decisions (eating too much sugar) that affect the current moment.

It sounds like what Sunday School should be. 

Sunday School is a reflection of the advent of the current classroom model that guides most public schools. There is a teacher, people sit in rows, the teacher has the knowledge, there may be some discussion but the class is expected to really only think about things and this thinking about things is thought to change behaviour in the week.

This model is not all bad. In fact it was Sunday School environment that educated many children to learn to read. Whatever good has come from the current model we the Church are indebted to it, however this model seems tired. 

I wonder what it would look like to reframe Sunday School less like a classroom and more like gym classes? 

There could be a class that practices meditation. There could be another class that practices Bible study. Another works on Theology. Another practices fellowship or accountability. Another that practices prayer in all sorts of ways while another Sunday School class might be focused on practicing silence and/or solitude. The class possibilites are endless and diverse. We are only limited by the courage of the people. 

I don't know how to reform the classroom Sunday School model into one that looks more like a gym. Perhaps I need to just create a new set of classes, call it Sunday School, but treat it like a gym - not a classroom.