Giving It Up for Lent

With the sign of Ashes last night, the church moved quietly, but deliberately into the season of Lent.

Ash Wednesday is designed to be a bold confrontation with sin and with death—two things we don’t much like to talk about in our culture. It is a harsh imposition on our orderly world, intended to push us into the Lenten season reconsidering the meaning of life and our need for forgiveness. It’s a call from indifference and self satisfaction to “return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Joel 2:13). Ashes from last year’s Palm Sunday parade are burned and safely stored away until we smudge them on our foreheads at the beginning of the new season - reminding us how hard it is to remain faithful day after day after day.

In the very beginning years of the church, Christians observed a fast for just a few days before Easter. It was a time of preparation for the baptism of new converts, which only took place at this one time. Over the years, the season grew until, in the seventh century, the church set the period of Lent at 40 days - excluding Sundays because every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection - so, it was OK to break the fast for the Sundays during Lent. The 40 days remind us of the time that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness - always the first preaching text for Lent - and of the 40 years that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness after crossing the Red Sea.

Where I grew up in the Midwest - a very long time ago - we gave up eating meat for Lent. Not just my family, but most everyone in the community. I remember the school cafeteria being limited to macaroni, cheese pizza, and fish sticks pretty much for six weeks. Our lunch trays reminded us daily that it was Lent.

Some people are careful to give up something for Lent that won’t mean too much to them. I could never convince my mother that giving up homework would be a Lenten sacrifice - giving me so much time to meditate and pray! The discipline of the Lenten season is not so much being willing to give up something, but to do something that will help you remember all that Jesus was willing to do for us. Giving up chocolate would be really good for my health, but I don’t think it would change my daily life enough to make me a better disciple - thinner perhaps, but not more faithful. Maybe our fast should be from TV or shopping, or whatever it is that clutters up our daily life. I know a church that gave up all meetings for Lent - giving everyone more time to spend with their families. Perhaps taking on the discipline of morning prayer or daily Bible reading would be more helpful for you? (You could make it all the way through the Psalms if you only read three a day - and five on Sundays.) One of my colleagues has written a thoughtful piece about giving up her opinions this Lenten season. I’ve become very attached to my own opinions.  I’m thinking that might be the Lenten discipline I need this year. I’m going to try to listen more and talk less. Let me know if you notice…..