We embarked upon this Lent Madness journey over five weeks ago on “Ash Thursday.” With your help we have narrowed the field of 32 saints down to just two: Julian of Norwich and Dietrich Bonhoeffer (who edged Sojourner Truth yesterday 52% to 48%). Who will win the coveted Golden Halo of Lent Madness 2016? Only 24 hours and your voting participation will reveal this holy mystery.
Regardless of the ultimate outcome, we’ve met some truly remarkable saintly folks along the way. Perhaps you learned about some saints you’d never heard of or maybe you renewed acquaintances with saints who have long offered inspiration. Of course the entire notion of placing saints in a bracket is absurd — each “contestant” has already earned a crown of righteousness in addition to a “golden halo.” But at the heart of Lent Madness is the abiding conviction that encountering those who have come before us in the faith enriches and enlivens our own walk with the risen Christ.
In the process of this whimsical Lenten devotion we’ve all made some new online friends, encountered a community of believers who take their faith but not themselves too seriously, learned a few things, were inspired by saintly witnesses, and had a lot fun along the way.
Of course we literally couldn’t have done this without our stellar Celebrity Bloggers to whom we offer sincere gratitude: Amber Belldene, Laurie Brock, Megan Castellan, Anna Fitch Courie, David Creech, Neva Rae Fox, David Hansen, Beth Lewis, Hugo Olaiz, Derek Olsen, and David Sibley. Thanks to Bracket Czar Adam Thomas for his unsung behind-the-scenes work in keeping the bracket updated daily — in his inimitable style. And to our Resident Foodie, Maria Nolletti Ross, whose recipes in the Saintly Scorecard and online helped keep the inevitable weekend Lent Madness Withdrawal at bay. You all rock! And we’re all grateful for your good writing, good humor, and adhering to most, if not all, of the SEC-imposed deadlines.
We're also grateful to the Forward Movement staff who have supported this endeavor: Richelle Thompson, Rachel Jones, Heidi Weaver-Smith, Alyssa Finke, and Michael Phillips, as well as everyone who answered the phone in the Lentorium and all the other things to make Lent Madness successful: Tania Z. Jones, Carole Miller, Nancy Hopkins-Greene, Melody Shobe, Hugo Olaiz, Theo Lambert, Miriam McKenney, Jay Sidebotham, Loren Dixon, Samantha Franklin, Jane Paraskevopoulos, Barbara Hine, Vicki Everett, Amy Golden, Kathy Jose, Aleia Robinson, Peggy Sanchez, Debbie Springer, and the office mascot, George T. Dog.
2015 Golden Halo winner, Francis of Assisi, prepares to welcome the 2016 winner
Finally, thanks to all of you who participated by voting, commenting, drinking coffee out of Lent Madness mugs, filling out brackets, talking about saints at coffee hour, submitting "mug shots," liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter, and allowing us to play a small role in your Lenten journey. We’ve loved having each one of you along for the “madness” and on behalf of the Supreme Executive Committee we wish you a blessed Holy Week and a joyous Easter.
But enough gratitude. We have a Golden Halo to award! As with all the matchups, the polls will be open for 24 hours and the winner will be announced right here at 8:00 am Eastern Time on Maundy Thursday. At this point, everything about these two worthy saints has been said (though if you need some refreshers, click on the Bracket tab and scroll down). We have simply asked our two remaining celebrity bloggers, Amber Belldene (Julian of Norwich) and Beth Lewis (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) to provide us with one image and one quote.
The rest is up to you, the Lent Madness voting public. So go do your thing! And thanks for playing along this year — we’re delighted you joined us for the journey.
Julian of Norwich
"It appears to me that there is a deed that the Holy Trinity shall do on the last day…and how it shall be done is unknown to all creatures under Christ…This is the great deed ordained by our Lord God from eternity, treasured up and hidden in his blessed breast…and by this deed he shall make all things well.”
― Julian of Norwich
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared, it is itself the great venture and can never be safe. Peace is the opposite of security. To demand guarantees is to want to protect oneself. Peace means giving oneself completely to God's commandment, wanting no security, but in faith and obedience laying the destiny of the nations in the hand of Almighty God, not trying to direct it for selfish purposes.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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288 comments on “For the Golden Halo: Julian of Norwich vs. Dietrich Bonhoeffer”
It's 7:25 am EST; the closing bell will soon ring. Bonhoeffer has a lead insurmountable at this late minute. Now if my memory serves me correctly, Julian got this far once before only to be knocked out in the last round. As my college history professor said, "Twice makes a custom." Is Julian destined to be always a bridesmaid and never the bride?
Another part of my lenten journey is reading the Plough site everyday. This tiny bit is from yesterday's. After reading the following bio on Clarence Jordan I'd like to elect him to run in next years Lent Madness.
"A weekly special from Plough for Easter: stories of costly discipleship from our new book Bearing Witness.
This week:
Clarence Jordan
Persecuted from 1943 to 1957, in Georgia, United States
A cotton field in Georgia.
By 1952 the Koinonia Farm, a rural, interracial Christian community co-founded by Clarence Jordan, was supporting forty-one people, twenty-two of them children. In 1954, the desegregation of schools caused profound turmoil in the South, heightening already simmering racial tensions and bringing overt persecution from white groups toward the little community, starting with threatening phone calls and letters."
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AT LENT MADNESS FOR ANOTHER FUN, INFORMATIVE, WILD EXCITING RIDE THRU LENT!!!!!