Confession: I love Lent.
Confession: I've slacked off on my lenten disciplines for the last few years.
The earliest Christians observed Lent as a period of fasting and prayer and preparation in order to align themselves with Christ and best prepare for the celebration of the Resurrection. Celebrating the Risen Lord and new life is so deep and real, a period of preparation is set aside leading up to Easter. Kind of like our pre-season warmup. Okay, I shouldn't use sports references. I have no idea if that's what Lent is like.
In the past, I've been known to give up things like chips, or cokes, or whatever. Then, one year I gave up complaining. And it was transformative. The tricky thing about fasting from something like complaining, is that at first you'll be really bad at it. I found myself retrospectively taking back complaints. Then, gradually, I stopped myself from vocalizing a complaint. Eventually, by Easter, I had eliminated many complaints from even popping into my head in the first place.
Lent is a time for us to concentrate on being more like the person who God intends for us to be. In some ways that is universal. God wants us to be people full of mercy and grace. Full of hope and life and love. In some ways it is deeply personal. God calls me to be a person who is creative. He has given me a heart for social justice. These are the two things I am going to concentrate on this year. Creativity and compassion.
I guess if you want to put it in language of "fasting" - then I am going to fast from inaction. I prefer to view it in terms of what I'm "taking on" this year. I'm going to do something creative every single day. Whether its blogging, or painting, or constructing, I am going to use my creativity every day. When I'm being creative I feel more like the person God created me to be. I'm going to take on more active compassion. I am always full of ideas about how to show mercy to others. I am going to act on these ideas.
And let's not forget about the R word: repentance. Repentance is at the heart of Lent.
Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand! (matt 3:2)
If we truly repent, then we turn away from our sin. It is like we literally, physically, turn our bodies away from what it is that distracts us and turn our faces back to God.
This is the point of Lenten practices. To put aside those things which hold us back. To repent from them. To turn our faces back to the Risen Lord.
I don't think there is anything wrong with fasting from material things. Really, I don't. We give up tv every single year. There is something holy about turning off the tv and spending more time together as a family. Giving up chips and cookies is actually a great fast and a way to become more like the people God wants us to be. But, I want to propose that lent is more than just choosing something to abstain from. It is more than just giving up cokes and spending forty days waiting for Easter so you can pick the habit back up. It is about transformation. It is about setting aside those things which defile us and taking on those things that change the world. It is about working to look more like God's people. So, do God's people eat chips? Yes. Do God's people watch tv? Sure! But we are also called to be people who live in charity, and mercy, kindness, and grace. We are expected to fight for justice. I think if we work to take on these things, it will indeed be a very holy Lent.
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