Lean Into Lent – Stewart Perry
Even though it is ‘traditional’ to give up something meaningful for Lent, I do usually suggest that while giving up something can be meaningful, taking up something can be equally profound. As we are on the cusp of the beginning of Lent (Ash Wednesday is this coming Wednesday), as I reflected on the last couple of years which have included so many of us ‘giving up’ things that we have valued, as I watch the news and see the world on the brink of war, I can’t help but wonder if this is the year that we should be taking up more than we should be giving up.
The practice of giving up something has a sense of self sacrifice. When I worked at the Salvation Army, they used to run what they called a ‘Self Denial Appeal’ during Lent to raise funds by putting money aside that would normally be spent on non-essentials so it could be used to help those who could not afford the essentials of life. It was an appeal targeted at their church members rather than the wider public. I do think that it is a helpful discipline to be able to say no to the things that bring us comfort for the benefit of others. Giving up something for Lent is designed to take our focus off ourselves and turn our focus towards God and others.
If you are thinking of or planning to give something up this year, please don’t let what I’m about to write dissuade you. I do believe it is helpful and can be a profound discipline.
But why and what should we think about taking up? Over the last couple of years the dominating narrative has been that we should give up some of our comforts, conveniences, liberties and freedoms for the benefit of those around us, particularly the vulnerable in the community. Ironically the 1st Sunday in Lent will be the first Sunday in some time where we can worship without compulsory face masks… I do think there will be a temptation for us to ‘make up for’ what we’ve missed but in a way that focuses on what we have personally missed. And that’s where I think taking up something for Lent can help…
Rather than rushing to fill our lives again with the things that bring us personal comfort and satisfaction, what if we used the current space in our lives to take up something that helps us focus, connect or re-connect with God. What if we leveraged the margin in our lives for the benefit of others rather than our personal comfort and security.
While there will be plenty of opportunities to take up things like coming back to church for in-person gatherings, connecting more regularly online, joining bible studies, groups and gatherings, serving in new ways in the life of the church, I do hope we won’t limit ourselves just to these things but will have a ‘taking up attitude’ throughout Lent and into the rest of the year.
Many of the things that get given up in church and community life have a flow on effect of someone else needing to pick up the slack… what if we looked at what slack needs to be picked up around us in our families, our jobs, in our relationships, in our church and in the wider community.
I really think after the couple of years we’ve been through there is a Godly timing about this Lenten Season. I do think that we have a real opportunity to ‘Lean Into Lent’ to take it seriously and to prioritise God and others and to do it in a way that not only takes the attention away from ourselves but shows God’s love in a world that is desperately hurting in multiple ways at the same time.
I do hope you will join me as we Lean Into Lent in 2022.