step into discomfort
What Lent traditions can use a closer examination this year? In what ways can you challenge yourself to stretch out from tradition and confront discomfort in your faith?
Mark 7:9
[Jesus] also said to them, "You have a fine way of invalidating God's command in order to set up your tradition!"
Seasons like Lent are beautiful and confusing for me. Churches observe historical traditions that are brined to the bone with meaning. In the many bodies where I've shared worship, I've found that traditions can remind folks of the tenets of a season, principles to embody, and gifts to be thankful for.
Unfortunately, I've also seen traditions become something they're not.
Prayers become incantations instead of conversations, and rituals are practiced because “that's what we do.”
It's easy for seasons and traditions to become comfortable. Family traditions just feel like home... Can't church traditions simply be a comfort?
Sometimes, I think they can. But sometimes, I think church and tradition can become *only* comfort for folks. And when something like a relationship with the Creator becomes comfort-based, we begin to trade truth for predictability; we trade growth for peace.
Thankfully, I think this cycle is breakable. It usually helps to try to get a little uncomfortable.
What Lent traditions can use a closer examination this year? In what ways can you challenge yourself to stretch out from tradition and confront discomfort in your faith?
-Katelin Champion