Devin Strong
Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church
Lent has been around a long time. Christians began practicing it in in 325 AD, and today the practice is still observed by Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists and others. The word “Lent” comes from the Latin meaning “springtime,” implying that the season has its origins in renewal and growth.
Biblically speaking, the number 40 has come to represent a time apart, a season of testing and renewal. Along these lines, the modern observance of Lent has shifted away some from a season of education and growth to a time of repentance and sacrifice, modeling Jesus’ own sacrifice for us.
Many Catholics give up eating meat on Fridays during Lent. Others refrain from eating meat during the entire season, though the careful observer will note that there are actually 46 days between Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent) and Maundy Thursday (the official end of Lent). That’s because Sundays, even during Lent, are days to celebrate the resurrection, so folks can “cheat” on their Lenten observance on Sundays!
While rarely going meatless, many protestants “give something up for Lent.” I grew up in a large, affluent Lutheran church in suburban Detroit, and sadly, I never learned about giving something for Lent. My first exposure to the practice was at my Lutheran college where faithful church women typically gave up all desserts for 40 days and then whined about it the whole time, so I was not raised with the best understanding of the tradition!
Still, in a culture like ours where we have 24/7 shopping, on-demand movies, and a pervasive value that says that he who dies with the most toys wins, I see great value in a season of sacrifice and giving something up. According to Google, the most popular thing to give up during Lent is chocolate, but I don’t eat much chocolate anyway, so let me suggest three, perhaps more spiritual, sacrifices.
What if we gave up unkind words and unkind thoughts about others for Lent? I know, it’s hard for us sinful folks to bridle our tongues, much less our thoughts. But good things can happen in our hearts just by making the effort to put the most charitable construction on the actions of those around us, as Martin Luther himself advised.
What if we also gave up saying negative things about ourselves for Lent? As hard as the world can be on you and me, most of us are, by far, our own worst critics.
Our inner dialog is often very harsh and unrelenting.
We judge ourselves both for what we do and what we fail to do, and when we hear those inner words over and over again, day after day, it surely has a less than godly effect on our spirits.
What if we gave up unnecessary fear for Lent? I believe that fear is the single biggest barrier to faithful discipleship that you and I face.
We are afraid to step out of our comfort zones. We are afraid to use our gifts. We are afraid of being rejected.
We are afraid that we can’t make a difference. Imagine what God could do with us if we gave all that up for just 40 days and put ourselves in God’s hands!
Dig deep into the season.
I wish you a rich and meaningful Lent!