Thursday, February 5, 2004

Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.
(Joel 2.12-13 NRSV)
Every once in a while a whimsical story makes our newspapers--a story with no real significance except for what it reveals about the human family. The Associated Press carried a story about a woman in Olney, England named Dawn Gallyot who defied snow and a biting wind to beat seven other women to the finish line in the annual Shrove Tuesday pancake race. In her first race, the 38-year-old school administrator made the 415-yard dash with a frying pan and a pancake from a pub in the market square to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in 73 seconds. That was 9.5 seconds slower than last year's pace. Each woman must flip a pancake in the frying pan at the start and at the finish of the race. The record is 58 seconds. Mrs. Gallyot, who wore a traditional headscarf and apron but opted for modern running shoes, said she was "ecstatic."

Shrove Tuesday, known in Britain as Pancake Day, traditionally was the last day for merrymaking before the start of Lent. Pancakes were thought to be a good way to get in the eggs and fat the faithful were supposed to do without during Lent. Legend has it that the Olney race started in 1445 when a housewife, dashing to get to church on time, arrived at the service still clutching her frying pan with a pancake in it.

The pancake race is but one of many traditions which have grown up around the season of Lent. Mardi Gras is another--one last blow-out before the season of denial. Since Lent has become associated through the ages with fasting and doing without, many people in our culture give up something they enjoy for Lent--some eat no meat, others no chocolate, etc. These are all well and good, but the real intent of Lent is that we should look inside our hearts. The prophet Joel writes: "Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing . . . ."

Dear God, cleanse my heart so that I truly can come closer to you. Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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