February 21, 2024

Wednesday Word:  In

Have you ever thought about the word, In?  It’s such a small word – one syllable, two letters.  But despite its smallness, it can hold multiple meanings and it serves as a preposition, noun, adjective, and adverb.

If you’ve picked up a Lenten devotional from the church, you will see that in holds a special place today.  The theme of today’s meditation is on gratitude, and the author quotes a passage from 1 Thessalonians that reads in part:  “give thanks in all circumstances.”  They point out that this doesn’t necessarily mean giving thanks FOR all circumstances, but IN all circumstances.

As an example:  when a parent, spouse, child, friend, or beloved pet dies, we do not necessarily give thanks for the circumstances of their death.  We can, however, give thanks in the circumstance of their death for a life well-lived, or a life in which we were able to participate.

You will also see the word IN when we talk about the Sundays in Lent, not the Sundays of Lent.

Lent, as you know, is a season of fasting.  It’s a season when we refrain from eating certain foods to remind us of those in need, or to allow us to re-allocate part of our food budget to certain charities.  It’s a season we refrain from participating in certain activities which, hopefully, creates space for us to spend time in prayer or relationship building.

Sundays, by their very nature, are never days of fasting, but are always considered a feast day.  It’s a day when, if you were/are actually fasting from food, it is allowable to eat.  That doesn’t mean that you get to use Sunday as a day of excess, but it does serve as a kind of reprieve from the austerity of Lent.

I explained this difference once by saying, “It’s like when Paul wrote that, as Christians, we are IN the world, not OF the world.”

As you continue your journey through Lent, pay attention to that word IN.  Are you able to give thanks in all things?  Are you living out your baptismal covenant in a world that has other priorities?  Are you making appropriate space for Christ in your life?

How are you in this season?

Blessings,