Lent – Giving Up

Lent is that period from Ash Wednesday through Easter.  During this period of time Christians often “give up” something.  Over the years what people give up has changed from generation to generation.  But throughout history the purpose has been preparation by means of sacrifice.

As a means of sacrificing, some give eating of meat during this time.  Others may give up things like pop or candy. In addition to guilty pleasures such as chocolate, alcohol and cigarettes, some German Christians are also planning on giving up social networking site Facebook during the traditional fasting period of Lent.  Still others may give up things like our cell phones, the Internet or even TV.  The decision as to just what object or activity to abstain from is personal.  The idea behind all of these are that by “sacrificing” something, I am saying that whatever that may be, however necessary or beneficial it is to me, it does not control me.

But here’s the deal.  It is not enough simply to give up something… we must also replace it with something better.  That’s the idea of the word repentance.  Repentance is not just turning away from sin.  Repentance must also be turning toward God.  It is simply not sufficient to turn away from my sin without replacing it with something better.

Traditionally, alternative activities that can be done to replace what is being given up include praying, alms giving, and reading of scripture.  I’m sure you would agree that we can all grow in each of these spiritual disciplines.  Actually, we should focus on growing in these areas all year long, but Lent provides an excellent opportunity to help us re-examine ways to get involved and opportunities to resolve to continue growing in these disciplines.

Lent is the season for the experience of giving your life over -- in each moment, bodily, deliberately, to Christ and to what the Spirit is showing you. God wants you to surrender yourself, and let the Spirit work in you. In Lent, we take responsibility for our acts and thoughts, and treat certain of those as the killers they are. Lent is self-discovery of the parts of ourselves we don't want to discover, through prayer, fasting, and other disciplines. It is the opening up, the turning over to God, the repenting of our sins, the turning away from that which does not please God. Yet there is just a glimpse of Easter through the heavy clouds of Good Friday -- that Christ has taken the burden, and you don't have to carry it anymore. Don't you want to follow that kind of a God?