Many people see Lent as a somber season of heavy clouds and weary faces. Some grew up fasting during Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent—and even for those who didn’t, Lent was often the time to give up Cokes, chocolates, and other things that you love.
But I want to encourage you to think of the season of Lent as a gift—a time less for sacrificing things we love than embracing new possibilities for Life.
Some of you, for example, may want to embrace a new spiritual discipline during the season of Lent. Maybe it’s the establishment of a regular morning or evening prayer time or a new commitment to keeping a spiritual journal. Maybe it’s exploring the ancient practice of lectio divina or committing to fifteen minutes of silence each day. Maybe it’s taking time to read one of the timeless devotional classics, spend a month working through one of the Gospels, or spend a weekend in a monastery.
But Lent can be a time for other forms of spiritual discovery as well. Have you ever thought about making the season of Lent a season of poetry? Maybe you’ve always wanted to set aside time to read or write poetry. Why not use this time during the season of Lent?
Or recently there has been an explosion of books on faith and film. In my library, for example, I have”Praying the Movies,” “Finding Meaning at the Movies,” and “Lights, Camera…Faith!” Why not set aside one night a week to watch a movie that thoughtfully explores the human condition and think through what the film says about the agonies and ecstasies of being faithful, being compassionate, or being human?
Maybe what you need is to rediscover music. Lent can be a time to reconnect with your love for the piano, the saxophone, the violin, or the guitar and make them again a language of joy, beauty, or self-expression.
Lent can be a time of generosity and kindness. There are dozens of non-profit organizations that are doing invaluable work in our community and around the world. Why not give up that daily latte, eat out one less time a week, or put off buying that extra pair of pants or pair of shoes, and spend it on some other than yourself. Set aside that money and invest them in the health and well-being of others.
Maybe it’s time to put down the remote, get up off the couch, roll-up your sleeves and recommit yourself to working for the people in our community who need you. There are hundreds of different organizations, from the Free Clinic, to the Rescue Mission, to the Angels of Assisi, who need extra volunteers in these challenging financial times.
Or maybe it just plain time to reconnect—reconnect with your children, reconnect with your spouse, reconnect with extended family that you have long since lost touch with. Many of us have not attended to some of the most important relationships in our lives. We know it—and so do our children, our family and our friends. Instead of giving up sweets, why not “be sweet” to the people who love you and care about you and who need to know that you still care.
And so, the gift of Lent is before you—a blank canvas with forty open, unfilled days. What will you do to explore new ways of being open and attentive to the Spirit? What will you do with the gift of Lent?
Gary Robbins is the Senior Pastor at Greene Memorial United Methodist Church. Visit them on the web at: www.gmumc.org
