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Last Spring I wrote about the church calendar. I mentioned that the church calendar is divided into six cycles: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. I made mention of the meaning of Lent. I wrote that the Covenant Book of Worship
"describes the season of Lent as 'a reflective and penitential season, asking Christians to examine themselves as they remember the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus on their behalf.' The Season of Lent is a 40 day (excluding Sundays) period based on the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and resisting temptations (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12,13; Luke 4:1-13). In our egomaniacal culture where personal ease and desire take a cultish precedence over all else I have found this time of reflection and denial in imitation of Jesus deeply enriching. For those who are comfortable with practicing it, I pray you will find it enriching to your life as well." What I took for granted is that people would understand what I meant by a "time of reflection and denial."
The practice of denial is the tradition of fasting from something for the 40 days of Lent. The practice of reflection is the commitment to follow a Lenten devotional.
This year, while contemplating what I would give up for Lent and what devotional I wold follow, I read some thought-provoking articles. One article particularly caught my attention. The article, "Lent Isn't About Denial—It's About Transformation," by Julie Clawson, takes aim at the practice of denial for the sake of denial. The title of Clawson's article may be misleading as it seems to indicate that denial is not to be a practice of Lent. But she clearly indicates that denial is important in the Christian life, but only as a means to an end. That end is transformation. Self-denial begins the process that allows for transformation because it takes something out of one's life and creates a space for Christ. As Christ fills one's life then that person can become more like Christ by loving people and caring for their needs. What I appreciate about the article is the question she asks, "What can I do to allow God to transform me this season?" This is a great question that points to the purpose of practicing Lent. Indeed, it is a question that one should ask every day whether during Lent, or Christmas, or on vacation. So during Lent, the practice of denying oneself a commodity lik chocolate or coffee may be what one person needs for transformation. Denying oneself of watching a TV show or movie may be a way to be transformed. Denying oneself of Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace during Lent may be transformative.
One may ask, how does the act of giving up coffee, chocolate, watching TV or movies, Facebook, etc., achieve transformation? Let me give an example: what if a person not only gave up eating chocolate as an act of self-denial for the 40 days of Lent, but made a commitment to buy fair trade/slave-free chocolate once he/she goes back to eating chocolate? What if a person who gives up TV or movies replaces that time with reading his/her Bible and praying? What if a person who gives up online social networking starts a face-to-face small group that helped the needs of others? Maybe a person does not give up anything like I have suggested. Maybe a person makes a choice to only write positive comments on Facebook, or watches only uplifting TV or movies, or maybe a person chooses to host a fair trade/slave-free chocolate tasting for his/her friends during Lent (do a web search for fair trade Easter chocolate, e.g., Lutheran World Relief). Whatever the choice, ask the question, "How is this going to transform me and help me love others and care for their needs?"
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