TRANSFORMED BY LENT

Lent often draws up images of sacrifice and doing without.  In the past few years, I have learned to allow Lent to become a time of renewal, a time of spiritual exploration and a time of learning.  Lent is an opportunity for us to be transformed by our faith.  It has become one of my favorite times of the Christian year.

What better evidence of the dirge that we traditionally perceive Lent to be than Fat Tuesday.  Historically, people celebrated Mardi Gras or Carnival (Latin for “farewell to meat”) as a last vestige of enjoyment before the 40-day Lenten fast weighed people down. (No pun intended) I love Fat Tuesday!

Too often, we base our faith on routine rules, practices and beliefs handed down and received with little reflection and choice on our part.  Without reflection and choice we really don’t have faith, but someone else’s unchallenged beliefs.

I would encourage you to fast from some object or behavior that might keep you from intimacy with Christ.  Be creative.  It could be the snooze button.  It could be talk radio.  It could be working that extra four hours over the weekend.

This Lent, instead of giving something up, let’s make this a time to pick or embrace something new.  What spiritual discipline might you explore?  What Lenten class might you attend?  What book could you read?  How can a daily prayer time become a spiritual rhythm?  Instead of putting down, what can we pick up? 

By transforming our Lenten practices, might God transform each of us by Lent?  Transforming faith wrestled out over time moves mountains and changes lives. Unexamined faith moves nothing.

Transformation is the gift you shall be given by daring to struggle with your own faith.  This is the hard work of Lent, and it is worth the journey.

I look forward to sharing our Lenten journey.

 

  Ash Wednesday: The Ash Wednesday service will be held Wednesday, March 1, at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary.