What are you giving up for Lent?
Some members of the family of God can answer that one quickly. They are members of a body of Christ known as a “High Church” or a “Liturgical Church.” The other congregations that don’t follow the liturgical calendar are known as “Low Church.” I’m not sure where that designation came from, but it is slightly nonsensical.
This might help you. Lent is “is the solemn Christian religious observance in the liturgical year commemorating the 40 days Jesus Christ spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry. In its modern manifestation, we talk about preparing our hearts to meet the resurrected Jesus on Easter Sunday. We use Lent to make room for Jesus.
One of the ways people prepare during Lent is to “give up” something or “add” some spiritual discipline to their daily schedules. I have seen these projects run the gamut. Some of the Lenten disciplines are heart transforming. Sometimes Lenten practices become lifelong habits. There is another side to this Lenten discipline thing.
Some people use Lent as a do-over for New Year’s Resolutions which didn’t work out. Some people have discovered they can give up making New Year’s resolutions for Lent. Others I have known, give up candy, chocolate, or other pleasures. I usually give up King Cake for Lent!
The way we talk about Lent points to a flaw in our Christian thinking. We talk about Lent with project language. The season has a starting date, an ending date, and clear, quantifiable goals “to accomplish” in between. After Easter we evaluate Lent with project language. We “did okay” or “only made it two weeks” or “kept our commitment” or “totally failed.”
I want to suggest that our faith is following Jesus. That we need to practice the idea of sojourn. A “sojourn” is a “temporary place to stay.” Faith as a sojourn is about being in the presence of Jesus. It is not about being productive or finishing a project. It is about being with Him.
I hope you have a spiritual discipline that you are practicing during Lent. If so, the sojourn idea would remind you that spiritual disciplines do not transform, they are opportunities to open our lives to the Holy Spirt, who transforms.
Following Jesus is about starting, stopping, and staying as He leads us. We are so goal oriented in following Jesus, that I sometimes wonder if we are not wearing spiritual pedometers and are keeping up with the steps we have taken while following Him. I know that somewhere a budding philanthropist has designed a Spiritual Growth Chart. You get it in the App store!
Maybe you need the words of Jesus on this matter. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
What if Lent is all about resting in Jesus while being with Him?