I Gave Up Giving Stuff Up For Lent
» S.D. Smith
But I’m wondering if I was right to.
Years ago, I even wrote a simple poem to express myself.
I gave up nothing for Lent.
Not a buck, or one red cent.
Not coffee, or ten percent.
But have received:
Everything.
Maybe that’s still an OK idea in general. But as is often the case, I believe I may have generally missed the point. (It feels like many observers of Lent may have also missed the point, leaving outsiders confused and wary.)
But in r
ecent years, I have seen more and more the value of many of the ancient practices of the Christian church. We have begun to slowly engage with that great community of saints over the ages in Advent, Christmastide, etc. I am a convert, so to speak, to the beauty and value of the Christian Liturgy. I had been more or less unaware of the rich, liturgical tradition existent in protestant Christianity. That is changing for us, and I’m very thankful for it. (By the way, Mark Galli’s Beyond Smells & Bells is a wonderful book to read if you are looking for a simple, short introduction to Christian Liturgy.) But it’s slow going.
We are tiptoeing into Lenten practice, a little uncertain. As a low-church background evangelical, I still have some trouble seeing the beauty of Lent past the many counterproductive (and unbiblical/anti-Gospel) expressions sometimes on display. I am growing to love the Christian Calender more and more, but Lent has been a speed bump on that road for me. Are you like me?
Here are some helps.
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“Lent is neither therapeutic nor pietistic. It is political. God became King in Christ, the strong Shepherd and deliverer of His people, by means of fasting, temptation, agony and passion, and by way of the wilderness and Cross. We do not share in the Father’s Kingdom — which we daily ask Him to establish on earth as in heaven — except by sharing in His means for establishing the Kingdom.”
-David Mitchell
I love that. The erroneous idea that Christians are not interested in politics is, of course, absurd. In a sense that is what we are most concerned about. If you mean we want to avoid being co-opted by the “right” or “left” in American politics, then I am with you all the way. And then some. But Christianity is political. At its core. Until we receive the gift of a particular Jewish King from the Sky, we are doomed. All the hope of the world rests on that Jewish Sky King. Really. True story. And how that came about was not the way we expected it.
For Jesus on earth, the Kingdom was coming, but there was a cross in the way.
The Kingdom is coming for us, but there is a cross in the way for us as well. The cross is the way.
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Consider reading this from Jonathan Rogers, specific for today, Ash Wednesday. I was helped tremendously by it. Here is a large portion of it, but do read the whole thing.
I love the prayer in the Anglican Ash Wednesday liturgy:
“Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wickedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.”
I used to associate Ash Wednesday–when I considered it at all–with self-flagellation. But, as the apostle Paul said, it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance–the confidence that God hates nothing he has made and forgives the sins of all who are penitent.
For all my ambivalence about T.S. Eliot, there are passages in his poem “Ash Wednesday” that I just love. The lines I love the most in that poem, the lines that most perfectly capture the spirit of the day, are these:
Lord, I am not worthy
Lord, I am not worthy
but speak the word only.
“I’m not worthy.” True enough. But not the truest thing. The Lord speaks truer things into being every day.
So happy Ash Wednesday, you old sinner. You are dust, and to dust you shall return. And God loves you anyway.
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Wonderful stuff. Thanks, JR.
For us, this kind of thing always makes us try to think of how to help the kids get it, and seek the Kingdom more passionately. (That shows us the way for ourselves, of course.) Gina found this and we’re going to do something like it this season. Also this calender. I’m sure there’s more and if you want to share what you’re doing, I’d appreciate it. Our family, as I’ve said, is kind of a work-in-progress on this (and many other) fronts.
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Here’s an article from The Gospel Coalition on the value of Lent.
And here’s one from our friends in Huntington, West Virginia’s Redemption Church. It includes this excellent quotation from John Piper.
“Lent or no Lent, not doing some things you feel like doing is the daily pattern for the disciples of Jesus. Yes, daily. ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
In the resurrection there will be no self-denial because none of our desires will be sinful or foolish. Till then we have sinful and foolish desires daily. Hence, ‘Let him deny himself and take up his cross daily.’”
That’s poignant to me because I was assigned to preach that passage last Sunday. It was a good segue for my heart.
OK, there’s a start. Grace and peace to you, my brothers and sisters.
February 13th, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Sam,
Good stuff. It’s because of reading how you and your family and other families like you are progressing through Christian liturgy that it stirs in me a desire to more deeply embrace that communion of the saints. I’m some years behind Gina and her delightful gifts to your family, but we’re watching and enjoying your journey. It is an encouragement to us in ours.
Just yesterday, I momentarily overcame my natural German self and allowed for a giant mess of paper hearts, shiny paints and clothespins! Gina was on my mind and although of course, I don’t mean to deify another fellow Christian, I am so thankful for the family journey that you allow us to witness…which also means we are granted the privilege of glimpsing the moments of beauty in the struggle!
February 13th, 2013 at 2:07 pm
How encouraging, Jeanne! Praying for you, sister, and missing you too! I thought of you today, while stringing up twinkle lights in my living room and making the house purty. (And BTW, I should give up shoving-screaming-babies-in-my-husband’s-face-while-he’s-trying-to-write-blog-posts for Lent, but I need to be realistic)
February 13th, 2013 at 3:09 pm
I enjoyed the John Piper quote, Sam. I have his excellent A Hunger for God on my to-reread list for Lent. It pleases me no end that one of the best guides to Lenten fasting was written by a contemporary Puritan.
As for the quote from that Mitchell guy, I might add that fasting is an especially potent act of political protest in our time. Much of our economy, and our politics, runs on inflamed lusts and aggrandized appetites. Fasting is maybe our chief means of protesting that, and of curbing the carnal lusts and appetites in ourselves. And when (as during Lent) the Church fasts corporately, the protest is that much more powerful — provided, of course, that we fast quietly, without the kind of fanfare Jesus warns us against.
Cheers to you, Gina, and your little ones.
February 13th, 2013 at 4:10 pm
I grew up Anglican, and I do miss the liturgy. Hmm.
February 14th, 2013 at 1:51 pm
Sam,
I really enjoyed this article, and I hope that you and your family have a blessed Lent, in preparation for and anticipation of Easter Day.
One of the weirdest things about Ash Wednesday is that every year the Gospel reading is Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18, in which Our Lord condemns flaunting one’s pious actions. Most notable, for this particular day, is the following bit about fasting:
“And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
And then, of course, we immediately proceed forward to have ashes imposed on our foreheads, and a lot of us walk around with the telling smudge all day long. Even relatively lax Christians come out in droves for Ash Wednesday, to receive the mark of their mortality. Since the imposition of ashes coincides with the beginning of the Fast, this tradition (albeit, its a “small t” tradition) sure seems clean contrary to the Gospel reading.
Anyone with google skills can find the attempts at harmonization; some are pretty good, but the strange tension remains, for me at least.
Interestingly, if you watch the Ash Wednesday service in Rome, you’ll see that the pope and other clerics receive the ashes on the top of the head, rather than the forehead. I think that this is customary in other places as well.
For the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics, Lent begins with Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday evening, which is liturgically the beginning of Clean Monday, which marks the beginning of Great Lent. There is no Ash Wednesday in Eastern Christianity. Rather than the imposition of ashes, the most tangible rite of passage into this season of penance and preparation is when all of the clergy and the congregation prostrate themselves (or at least make a deep bow) before one another, and beg forgiveness from each person for having sinned against them: “Forgive me for the sins that I have committed against you.” The response is then given: “I forgive you and may God forgive us both”
I cry every time. (I also make it a point to ask even the babies and little children for forgiveness. Every sin harms the entire Body of Christ. Of course, these little ones can’t articulate the response, but I take that in stride!)
Because Lent arose as a public fast of the entire community, i.e., it is the discipline of the whole Church, and not simply a private initiative, it could be that one does not fall afoul of Our Lord’s commands in Matthew 6 by publicly talking about one’s observance of the Lenten discipline, or by wearing ashes as a sign of mortality at the beginning of the Fast. Most attempted harmonizations proceed along that line. Its just that, since not everyone celebrates Lent anymore, these days the observation of the Fast seems more like standing out, like “parading” one’s spirituality. But originally preparation and observation of Lent was more like getting ready for planting season or something like that. The community had to coordinate its efforts (which fields to plow first, which seeds to sow where, and so forth), and no one was thought to be special for taking part.
I do, however, think that, when it comes to some particular Lenten discipline, that is, some form of penance that is not prescribed by the Church, but which is personally adopted, Lent should pretty much be like Fight Club, and we all know what is the first rule of Fight Club.
February 15th, 2013 at 3:15 pm
Thanks for the many thoughtful comments. I appreciate you guys reading and saying such thoughtful things.
I want to respond more in depth a bit later, but am really grateful. Thank you, Jeanne. I get that, Mrs. M. And David and Andy, man, some great things to think through I’m really thankful for the time you have taken. Will digest more as soon as scrambling to prepare for a big b-day party for our baby girl are over. Thanks again!