Give it Up for Lent

In the Christian church we are now in the season of Lent. It began this week on Ash Wednesday. Lent is a period of 40 days, not counting Sundays, prior to Easter.

It is a season of preparation for Easter. In the early church it was a time in which converts were prepared for baptism. In due time it became a season of penance and self-examination for all Christians.

Many Catholics and mainline Protestants have customarily during the season of Lent given up something that they particularly enjoy. For example, for the past several years I have abstained from all beverages except water during Lent.

Others might give up chocolate or desserts. Some persons might refrain from watching television or going to the movies during this time. This is done as sign of self-denial. While the gesture is symbolic it is a sign of faithfulness as well as evidence of a commitment to God in one’s life.

Of course one usually resumes whatever one has given up on Easter Sunday. I always take great pleasure in downing a can of Coke Zero on Easter as I make my way to the sunrise service.

I affirm the practice of giving something up during Lent as a sign of faithfulness for those who wish to do this. However, I offer that we can also use Lent as a time to permanently give up something in our life that is pulling us down.

We all have things in our lives which pull us down. For some of us it is our attitudes about past events. For others it might be an attitude about another person. For others it might be a practice that is detrimental to our physical or mental well being.

Lent provides for us a good time to look at those things in our lives that we need to eliminate in order that we can become the person God calls us to be.

When Jesus walked among us he was pretty clear that we all need to examine our lives and get rid of those things that negatively impact us.

In fact he said “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.”

Of course, Jesus was speaking in hyperbole. I believe we understand that because if we took this teaching literally the world would have a lot of one eyed one armed folks walking around the planet. However there is no mistaking the fact that Jesus is telling us to get rid of those things in life that bring us down.

One could very easily look at one’s life and see the need to eliminate bitterness or pettiness. Another person might need to overcome negative thinking. Of course, some of us might have a tendency to avoid problems that need our attention or procrastinate when it comes to making hard decisions. Some of us might have an enemy we need to forgive.

There is no doubt that many of us have some bad habit that we need to kick.

Let us all consider giving those things up for Lent. While the symbolic gestures of self-denial during Lent are wonderful we can also make Lent a very life-changing season by giving some things up not for just 40 days but for a life time.

During the next five Sundays I will be preaching a sermon series entitled “Giving it Up for Lent” and we will examine some of these practices. As you ride by the First United Methodist Church over the next few weeks the topic for the week will be on our sign. I would be remiss if I didn’t invite our community to come hear these messages.

I leave you with these words from The Book of Worship of the United Methodist Church, “I invited you, to observe a holy Lent; by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and-self denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word.”