What is it to be: Coffee? Chocolate? Ice Cream? French Fries? With Lent comes that feeling that wells up within us that we should give something up for the 40 days. We are not sure why we are to give up something, but surely somewhere in the Bible, or perhaps in our Book of Confessions, there is some mandate sounding like a Commandment: Thou shalt give up something during Lent.
The idea has its foundation in Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness following his baptism. Matthew tells us that Jesus “fasted forty days and forty nights”, and from that the spiritual discipline of fasting became an established Lenten devotional practice
Over the centuries we’ve taken what can be a very powerful spiritual practice and watered it down into giving up a favorite food for six weeks. The idea behind any spiritual practice is to help us grow in holiness, to help us grow closer to God. Giving up the occasional bowl of ice cream or a slice of pizza is not likely to help you grow spiritually.
Even before Jesus spent his time in the wilderness, God condemned the spiritually empty practices his children were claiming they were doing to show their faithfulness. When God took no notice of their rituals, they lifted up their voices in protest to God, “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
But God’s response through the prophet Isaiah was blistering “Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,… Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight…Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.”
Then God tells his children what to do: give up sin. Look deep within yourselves and see where you have strayed from God’s commands and teachings. “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to let the oppressed go free, to share your bread with hungry…to satisfy the needs of the afflicted.”
“The purpose of Lent is to arouse – arouse the sense of sin”, writes Edna Hong. “The purpose of Lent is to arouse the humble contrition for the guilt of sin that makes forgiveness possible. To arouse the sense of gratitude for the forgiveness of sins.” The purpose of Lent is to awaken us to where we have turned away from God. Lent should begin with a downward journey into yourself, so that you can then find your way up, born anew in Christ, dying to the old ways, the old life.
If you want to give up something for Lent, here are some suggestions: give up Pride, Self-righteousness, Anger, Greed, Envy, or Self-indulgence. Give up your excuses for why you don’t pray more often. Give up your excuses for why you are not doing more to nurture and grow your faith.
Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness of the desert to grow in God and let God grow in him. That’s the goal of Lent. Give up those things that impede your growth, that don’t nurture your faith. Take on new practices and new disciplines that will help you grow in wisdom, obedience, and faith. Do these things, and you can still have that bowl of ice cream.
Grace & peace
Pastor Skip
