It seems that the Christmas season just ended and now the 40 days of Lent are before us. Lent begins on February 22. We will observe a short service of Ashes that evening. It’s always good to review what Lent is all about.
Why do Christians give up things for Lent? Should I do it? In the earliest church, Lent began as a period of preparation for baptism. People who converted to the Christian faith and received Jesus as Lord and Savior, were welcomed into something like "an apprenticeship" during which they were mentored in Christian belief, worship, prayer, and practices. The final weeks led directly to baptism, which was celebrated on Easter Sunday. I witnessed fully the joy of this preparation when I visited Russia at Eastertide in 1990. From the balcony of the Baptist church in Moscow, I watched 30 people in white robes wait patiently for their turn to be immersed in the baptismal pool to rise to new life as a Christian. Their faces glowed with joy.
Part of the preparation for baptism included the discipline of fasting -for example, doing without meat or abstaining from food for one or more meals every day. This is the origin of the custom of giving up something for Lent. The point was to enter voluntarily into a spiritual exercise intended to (a) deepen one's prayer life and walk with the Lord (b) and heighten anticipation of the great festival of the resurrection. If "giving up something" raises spiritual consciousness and serves as an aid to a more intimate prayer life, an aid to reflect on the meaning of the dying and rising with Christ, and to claim one's baptism as God's solemn promise to be our God, go for it! Spiritual discipline should simply mean a focused time toward the end of deepening one's relationship with Jesus. But if it is nothing more than a topic for discussion, a way to any form of perception of spiritual superiority, or just a pain that makes one feel like a martyr, then it is better not to do it.
Here are some ideas for spiritual discipline that always make a difference during Lent.
Learn the value of daily repentance and turning to Christ in prayer for forgiveness and sanctification.
Daily exercise to do good for your body.
Deepening ones prayer life by adding more time to our quiet times for the sake of listening to God.
Deepening our walk with the Lord through reading of the Word, and choosing a
Gospel to read the history of the passion of Christ, passage by passage.
Being diligent in worshipping with God's people on Sundays and celebrating his Supper with his people.
Giving sacrificially after prayerful contemplation of what God expects us to give and to which cause.
Last year I gave up Starbucks coffee and gave the money to our Church's special UMCOR offering. It was amazing to see how much money I saved and offered
Forgiving those who sinned against us, as God has forgiven us.
Seeking peace with all the significant people in your life, including fellow church members!
