Last week, Americans were glued to their televisions each night watching the Republican convention. This week, we all tuned in to watch the Democrats. Here at Lent Madness HQ, we're equal opportunity humorists, because just as America is made up of red states and blue states, so too purple is made up of red and blue.

We shared our insights about Lent after watching the Republicans ("Make Lent Great Again!"), so now it's time to share what we've learned from the Democrats about Lent. While The Donald is about making things great, Hillary's people are always saying, "I'm with her." So let's see how we can all say, "I'm with Lent."

TOP TEN WAYS TO SAY, "I'M WITH LENT!"

1. Balloon drop. Let's face it, the balloon drop at the end of conventions is a cliché, but it's an awesome cliché. So how about a balloon drop at the end of Lent? That's just what the Easter Vigil needs, some more drama.
2. Star power. Lots of people hate Lent. We don't, but we know people who do. It's understandable, with all the fasting and discipline. So how about a star-studded preaching series? People would love Lent if the sermon was delivered by Episcopalian Sam Waterston or if Morgan Freeman was a lector.
3. Video montage. Why do we spend so much time working on carefully crafted intellectually engaging sermons? In the age of video, we should just go ahead and switch over to heart-warming video montages.
(more…)

Everyone knows that purple is made by combining red and blue. So as far as we're concerned, whether you're in a red state or a blue state, you've got to be filled with Purple Fever. Like everyone else, we've been watching the Republican party's convention this week, and we've learned a few lessons. Don't worry, we'll be watching the Democrats too, and we'll be sharing what we learn from them.

If nothing else, The Donald has mad showman skillz that even two publicity hounds like the Supreme Executive Committee can respect. So we watched and learned. Here's how we think we can make Lent great again.

TOP TEN WAYS TO MAKE LENT GREAT AGAIN

1. Fasting?! Forget it. Real Christians feast. All. The. Time.
2. Confession. Let's face it. It's no fun to confess privately. If you're going to describe your sins, get a reality show and do it on the air.
3. Gambling. Forget that Wednesday evening book group. You can do better. You might not be able to set up a Trump Lent Casino at your church, but you can at least do bingo instead of books.
4. Sermons. Tell your priest to stop working so hard on carefully nuanced essays. Sermons need to be filled with an endless succession of bumper-sticker sayings that may or may not tie together. An example. "Jesus went into the wilderness. It was the greatest wilderness. It had angels. They gave him bread. It was Wonder Bread, because that is the most American kind of bread. Jesus was the greatest. Make Lent great again."
(more…)

Late last week the Supreme Executive Committee met for their annual retreat at a secure, undisclosed coffee shop. Over 24 hours, Scott and Tim drank coffee, discussed saints, argued in a Biblical fashion over which one of them was "the greatest," and then drank more coffee. As befitting any church conference there was worship, plenary sessions, break-0ut groups, and easels with newsprint. Unlike your average church gathering, the coffee was outstanding. Because the SEC is composed of insufferable coffee snobs.

The major focus of this annual event is the discernment of the following year's bracket. This year was no exception and the SEC is pleased to announce that, while it was touch and go for awhile, there will indeed be a Lent Madness 2017. Scott and Tim sifted through 456 separate saintly nominations submitted by 637 people in order to whittle the field down to 32 saints. How did it go? All we can report for now is that Scott and Tim came to blows several times and that the official bracket will be released on All Brackets' Day, November 3.

There was also, apparently, a mole as photo documentation has been released highlighting some of what took place during this secretive session. This security breach means that the Lent Madness faithful have been given a unique glimpse into the inner workings of the SEC. Scott and Tim, naturally, blame each other for this dangerous situation.

(more…)

As long-time Lent Madness fans will know, the epic video series offered by Tim and Scott, Monday Madness, changes to Monthly Madness in the off-season. This is the first episode of Monthly Madness for 2016. In this month's episode, coming in the final hours of Nominationtide, the Supreme Executive Committee answers viewer questions about nominations. (Remember to make your nominations before Tuesday afternoon, April 26.) They also cover important topics such as the news that 2013 Elate Eight veteran Harriet Tubman will appear on the US $20 bill.

There is only one place to make your nomination for Lent Madness 2017. Go to our Nominationtide post and leave a comment. That's it. Well, that or a name penciled on the back of a $20 bill and mailed to the SEC. But the free version is to leave a comment on the Lent Madness post seeking nominations.

Make sure you stop by the Lentorium and stock up on Dietrich Bonhoeffer Golden Halo winner mugs or pint glasses, or Silver Halo winner Julian of Norwich soup mugs. At the moment, the items are being individually hand-crafted, so order now to make sure you're at the top of the list when they ship. Or else you can camp outside Lent Madness HQ and buy them on opening day.

(more…)

Welcome to Nominationtide! For one full week, the Supreme Executive Committee will be accepting nominations for Lent Madness 2017.

Please note that the ONLY way to nominate a saint is to leave a comment in this post. We will not accept nominations via social media, e-mail, carrier pigeon, brick through a window at Forward Movement headquarters, or singing telegram.

As you discern saints to nominate, please keep in mind that a number of saints are ineligible for next year’s “saintly smackdown.” This includes the entire field of Lent Madness 2016, those saints who made it to the Round of the Elate Eight in 2015 and 2014, and those from the 2013 Faithful Four. Below is a comprehensive list of ineligible saints. Please keep this in mind as you submit your nominations.

(more…)

In this post-game episode, Tim and Scott chat transatlantically, with Scott coming "live" from Salisbury Cathedral in jolly old England. Responding to cries from the Lent Madness Global Viewing Public, the SEC has awarded the Silver Halo to Julian of Norwich, who lost out to Golden Halo winner Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the epic championship contest. A new set of halos means it's time for new merchandise in the Lentorium, and Scott and Tim do not disappoint.

You can get your very own Dietrich Bonhoeffer 2016 Golden Halo mug, which you'll probably want to go along with your mug collection of previous years' winners. Check out the gallery of available mugs at the Forward Movement website. Because Dietrich was German, and Germans are known for their love of root beer and/or beer, there's a pint glass available this year too.

And for all you Julian of Norwich fans, can can buy a set of Julian of Norwich 2016 Silver Halo soup mugs! These handy mugs can be used to heat up your favorite soup or giant serving of a warm beverage. You can also use them the way Julian would have, to offer milk to your cats. (The image shown here is a place-holder, and the real soup mug will show Julian, not just a Silver Halo.)

(more…)

With the close of Lent Madness 2016, it has become a tradition to award the Golden Halo winner with a mug bearing his or her likeness. This year is no exception and we're pleased to make available the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Golden Halo mug.

Whether you exclusively drink single-origin black coffee like Tim and Scott or defile it with additives (or even use it for tea!), this mug works for the hot beverage of your choice.

But that's not all! We are also offering a Dietrich Bonhoeffer Golden Halo pint glass. Bonhoeffer's German heritage demands it -- whether you fill it with an IPA, German root beer, or any other beverage is up to you.

But fear not Julian of Norwich fans! After much deliberation, the Supreme Executive Committee has decided to award Dame Julian the 2016 Silver Halo for her second place finish. All may not have turned out well in the championship round, but we have heard the plaintive cries (meows?) of her ardent supporters.

Thus we are offering an official Julian of Norwich Silver Halo soup bowl. This image is merely a placeholder to show you the shape of the bowl. While you can preorder it now, the above link will include the actual artwork on Easter Monday.

Let a bowl of hearty hazelnut soup warm your soul as you reflect upon Julian's words of wisdom. Or fill it with milk and allow your cat to lap it up. Either way, we hope you will enjoy this unique saintly product to honor Julian.

We hope these fun saintly mementoes of Lent Madness 2016 will assist you in your long-term Lent Madness Withdrawal. Now back to your regularly scheduled Holy Week programming.

Congratulations to 2016 Golden Halo Winner Dietrich Bonhoeffer!

The Supreme Executive Committee of Lent Madness has unearthed a heretofore undiscovered Bonhoeffer text on the viscitudes of cheap and costly grace in the context of Lent Madness. We share it with you, without comment, as we believe the text speaks for itself.

Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of Lent Madness. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like wares from the Lentorium. The Saintly Scorecard, the bracket posters, the write-ups of fabulous Celebrity Bloggers are thrown away at cut prices -- like Frances Perkins mugs at 50% off. Oh wait...

Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching on topics other than saints, writing our own name in the bracket, voting without reading the comments, not seeing the humor in Lent Madness...Cheap grace is grace without Wi-Fi, grace without the Golden Halo, grace without an updated bracket.

Costly grace is the saintly kitsch hidden in the field; for the sake of it, a person will gladly go and sell all that he or she has. It is the Lent Madness bracket of great price for which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of the Supreme Executive Committee, for whose sake a voter will pluck out the internet connection which causes the participant to stumble.

Costly grace is represented as Lent Madness' inexhaustible treasury, from which the Supreme Executive Committee showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits (except on votes).

PS. Stay tuned for information released later today about Lent Madness 2016 swag. Mugs? Pint glasses? A Silver Halo for Julian of Norwich? All will soon be revealed.

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.

(more…)

The entire world quivers in anticipation of tomorrow's Golden Halo battle between Julian of Norwich and either Dietrich Bonhoeffer or Sojourner Truth. As you may know, the Supreme Executive Committee has referred to this final round as taking place on "Spy Wednesday."

Several of you have asked us about this unusual name for the Wednesday in Holy Week. Ever willing to educate and inspire, we are only too happy to oblige.

Spy Wednesday gets its name because this is the day on which Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin. Because Judas is thought to be sneaky, his actions conjured up the image of a spy. The synoptic gospels all include an account of the betrayal — Matthew 26:12-14, Mark 14:10-12, Luke 22:3-6.

This is how the Gospel of Luke recounts the events:

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present. (Luke 22:3-6)

The illustration above evocatively depicts this infamous scene. If you go to Holy Eucharist every day of Holy Week, the Gospel readings provide the narrative of Jesus’ final days, an ever-quickening story that spins out of control and finally brings us to Good Friday.

It is surely a strange juxtaposition to think about Spy Wednesday and Lent Madness in the same moment. But the whole point of Lent Madness is to engage us all in an exploration of the ways God’s grace has filled the lives of women and men through history and across all cultures. Sure, we’ve been silly and even competitive about our Lenten exercise. In the end though, we are learning to see in fresh ways how Jesus Christ matters to all humanity. That seems like a good and holy thing to do on Spy Wednesday.