Lent is my second favorite time of the year. Advent is my first. I love that we are given extended periods of time to focus on Christ’s birth, his ministry and his enemy loving, self sacrificial death on the cross so close to each other in the old year and into the new. I didn’t grow up practicing either Advent or Lent, but as I’ve incorporated them into my life I have found that they are both invaluable to my personal rhythms in my continual effort in the renewal of my mind.

As I said, I didn’t grow up practicing Lent and all I knew of it as a kid was that my Catholic friends ate frozen fish sticks on Fridays. Lent has been culturally reduced to a 40 day time period of elimination, of restrictions, of dieting, of subtraction, and our self glorification, or disappointment in our discipline. It has become more focused on what we "give up" for lent, what materialistic attractions are we depriving ourselves of for 40 days, as we bemoan to our friends our temptations to binge Netflix or eat another chocolate cookie.

“…the essence of Lent is addition, not subtraction.”

I don't think it is necessary to fast or subtract anything during Lent. I chose to but that's a personal choice. After all, the essence of Lent is addition, not subtraction. Lent creates space for us to spend more time in reflection and prayer, seeking wisdom, renewing our minds, learning how to empty ourselves to make more room for God. It is an extended period of self examination of asking God to show us the areas in our lives that we need to give up control, so we can be more free. Kind of like a spring cleaning for our souls. We are opening up our closets, and asking God to show us what we need to let go of so we can make more room for the Holy Spirit. To be lead into a life that has more room for God's love and grace.

A few examples of how to do this are through daily meditation, fasting, prayer, slowing down, waiting on God. The ability to do this does somewhat necessitate that we replace something else in our day with time to meditate. It doesn’t take much. If you put down your phones for 15 minutes a day and invite the Holy Spirit to be with you, you’ll find that your Lenten Sacrifice is much more of an addition than it is a subtraction.

Lenten Prayer

Loving Father,
I invite you into my life today
and make myself available to you.
Help me to become the-best-version-of-myself
by seeking your will and becoming a living example
of your love in the world.
Open my heart to the areas of my life that need to change
in order for me to carry out the mission
and experience the joy you have imagined for my life.
Inspire me to live the faith
in ways that are dynamic and engaging.
Show me how to best use my gifts to lift up those around me.
Make our community hungry for best practices
and continuous learning.
Give me courage when I am afraid,
hope when I am discouraged,
and clarity in times of decision.
Teach me to enjoy uncertainty and lead your Church
to become all you imagined it would be
for the city of Denver.
Amen.