Pastoral Letter Lent 2024
Dear St. Pete’s
The season of Lent is just around the corner! Every year I hear some variation of the following: “Oh ya, it’s Lent! You doing Lent? What are ya giving up this year?”
I’ve been that guy! As well-intentioned as that guy is, he represents what I’ve come to call “Lent Light” or “Pop Lent.” There are a couple of problems with Lent Light:
It reduces Lent to some kind of feat of strength or diet challenge; something like a religious “dry January” where we see if we can “make it” to Easter without eating chocolate or drinking beer, or whatever. There may be some spiritual value to this, but what is it?
Casually discussing “what we’re giving up” with one another flies in the face of everything Jesus teaches about fasting and other acts of righteousness. We are not to do these things to be seen by others! #lenting #fasting #humility #ashesonmyforehead (though confidentially talking through your Lenten disciplines with a trusted someone is helpful and encouraged!)
So, what is Lent all about? I think one of the best ways to understand Lent is through the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15). The seed, which is the Word of God, is scattered on the path, on the rock, among thorns, and on good soil. Listen again about the seed that falls among thorns:
And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
So we hear the Word of God, and we want that Word to bear spiritual fruit in our lives, but the fruit won’t grow because we are choked with thorns: cares and riches and pleasures of life. How do we deal with these thorns?
Lent!
Coming up on Ash Wednesday, the Church will call us to prayer, almsgiving (providing for those in need), and fasting. Let’s be perfectly clear: these disciplines are not meritorious in any way. They don’t make God like us more, nor are they means of earning God’s favour or salvation. And frankly, if that’s why we’re doing them, we shouldn’t do them at all. But Jesus does teach that when these practices are done in secret, our heavenly Father will reward us (Matthew 6). If the reward isn’t God’s favour, or salvation, what is it? In short: spiritual fruit! Prayer, almsgiving, and fasting are some gardening tools the Holy Spirit employs to pull out the thorns so that the Word planted in us can bring forth fruit.
The reward for prayer is relief from cares (worry or anxiety). In prayer, we take our gaze off of ourselves and transitory things and we lift our hearts and minds to Eternal God, casting our cares upon Him, the One who cares for us.
The reward for almsgiving is release from unhealthy attachment to or trust in riches or possessions. Giving to those in need not only helps the recipient, it also helps to detach us from trust in money and to place our trust in the only One who can really provide for us.
The reward for fasting is the feeding of our spiritual hunger. Temporarily saying “no” to good earthly pleasures places our fleshly appetites in the background, allowing our spiritual hunger to be brought to the fore and to be fed by the only One who can ultimately satisfy us.
Now, how do we practically get going with these Lenten disciplines? Small and steady is the name of the game. If we don’t currently pray at all, we might begin by saying the Lord’s Prayer, slowly and deliberately, once a day. Or pray one psalm each day. Others might consider praying one of the Daily Offices each day. Or we can pray extemporaneously, using the acronym ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication). We can prayerfully meditate on Scripture, or simply be silent in the presence of the Lord.
What about almsgiving? Do we currently tithe? If not, we might consider beginning to tithe during Lent. If we already tithe, we might prayerfully consider making an extra gift to one of our outwards partners this season (Kinbrace, Jacob’s Well, More Than a Roof, InterVarsity, Pioneer Pacific Camp). Along with giving money, we can also give our time. Or a meal. We could spend time with people who are lonely, or find other ways to use our particular gifts for the sake of others.
And what about fasting? A very traditional practice would be to eat only one small meatless meal on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and to abstain from eating meat during the 40 days of Lent (which excludes Sundays). If this seems totally overwhelming, we might begin by skipping one meal on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and not eating meat on Fridays during Lent. Of course, if we are vegetarian, abstinence will take different forms.
The goal is not to “achieve” or “earn” something, but to voluntarily go into the wilderness with Jesus for 40 days. In the desert, there are very few distractions. Think of it as a spiritual retreat. We leave the worldly, carnal priorities of the city behind for a while in order to cultivate closeness with Our Lord. Speaking of distractions, limiting our use of our devices and social media might actually be the most fruitful discipline we can undertake during Lent.
One last thing. Inevitably, we will fail to keep our Lenten disciplines. Even if we some how manage to keep all of them outwardly, we will fail in our will and desire and devotion and our attitude. I think that this failure is actually a key piece in the Lenten experience. It is through our failure that we realize that we need God. We can’t even keep the simplest of devotions, let alone live a holy life. The realization of our failure and weakness makes us keenly aware of our need for the Cross. It looms ever larger as we move through our Lenten journey towards Easter.
As always, the ministry team is available to come alongside this season. Please reach out if you would like a partner in your Lenten journey.
Yours in the Crucified,
Grady+
