I gave it up for Lent?
I am amazed with the number of people I have encountered this year who have given up this or that for Lent. No doubt, the concept of sacrifice and self-denial are key to the discipline of the Christian life.
Yet, as with every year, I struggle with the whole concept of giving things up for Lent. The premise upon which we sacrifice things is that we deny ourselves so that we can concentrate more fully on the passion of our Savior. Without fail though, most of the people I know who give up things for Lent, either indulge themselves prior to the beginning of Lent or binge directly after on the very things they sacrifice. I know this is not true of all, but with many of my friends, I have watched this be repeated over and over again. I then think, "What's the use?" In many respects the whole Lenten sacrifice concept then just turns into pop theology that everyone who is "spiritually in tune" experiments with for a few weeks.
If you are really intentionally fasting with purpose this Lenten season I want to encourage you to keep on. I do think that this points to a greater issue in our Western style of Christianity. Frankly, we sacrifice very little. We need to have the very latest styles, cell phones, computers and Lord, don't let us leave the house without our Ipods. There is nothing wrong with having these things, but it seems somewhat sketchy to me that we want these things and then "sacrifice" for Lent. Where do we draw the line? Are we just fooling ourselves?
Sacrifice and self-denial are important. If done in the right spirit they benefit the soul and point us toward the Savior. So my giving up chocolate, coffee, jelly beans, or whatever, means little unless I am searching for the Savior in this time of sacrifice. Doesn't God want us to be more wholehearted in our obedience than this? Doesn't He want us to sacrifice for the good of the Kingdom, putting aside our desires for the good of others and the mission of the Gospel? Really, when we just give something up for Lent ceremonially isn't that a bit over-rated? Shouldn't our attitude be one of sacrifice? Shouldn't we sacrifice our need to be right all of the time? Shouldn't we sacrifice our need to have an exclusive club?
I haven't given up anything for Lent. I have been challenged recently about the need to live simply and not be so desirous of things, position and having my way all of the time.
What are your thoughts on this whole Lenten thing? What have you given up? What are we willing to give up for the Kingdom? Is Lent over-rated in our experience? Is it just another exercise in making us look good? I don't want to condemn anyone. I am struggling with this as it pertains to the Church?
What do you think?
Yet, as with every year, I struggle with the whole concept of giving things up for Lent. The premise upon which we sacrifice things is that we deny ourselves so that we can concentrate more fully on the passion of our Savior. Without fail though, most of the people I know who give up things for Lent, either indulge themselves prior to the beginning of Lent or binge directly after on the very things they sacrifice. I know this is not true of all, but with many of my friends, I have watched this be repeated over and over again. I then think, "What's the use?" In many respects the whole Lenten sacrifice concept then just turns into pop theology that everyone who is "spiritually in tune" experiments with for a few weeks.
If you are really intentionally fasting with purpose this Lenten season I want to encourage you to keep on. I do think that this points to a greater issue in our Western style of Christianity. Frankly, we sacrifice very little. We need to have the very latest styles, cell phones, computers and Lord, don't let us leave the house without our Ipods. There is nothing wrong with having these things, but it seems somewhat sketchy to me that we want these things and then "sacrifice" for Lent. Where do we draw the line? Are we just fooling ourselves?
Sacrifice and self-denial are important. If done in the right spirit they benefit the soul and point us toward the Savior. So my giving up chocolate, coffee, jelly beans, or whatever, means little unless I am searching for the Savior in this time of sacrifice. Doesn't God want us to be more wholehearted in our obedience than this? Doesn't He want us to sacrifice for the good of the Kingdom, putting aside our desires for the good of others and the mission of the Gospel? Really, when we just give something up for Lent ceremonially isn't that a bit over-rated? Shouldn't our attitude be one of sacrifice? Shouldn't we sacrifice our need to be right all of the time? Shouldn't we sacrifice our need to have an exclusive club?
I haven't given up anything for Lent. I have been challenged recently about the need to live simply and not be so desirous of things, position and having my way all of the time.
What are your thoughts on this whole Lenten thing? What have you given up? What are we willing to give up for the Kingdom? Is Lent over-rated in our experience? Is it just another exercise in making us look good? I don't want to condemn anyone. I am struggling with this as it pertains to the Church?
What do you think?
posted by Larry at 10:11 AM
26 Comments:
I gave up bagels for Lent. I love bagels. I am from NY after all and I practically survive on a good solid, boiled, carb infused bagel. Just thinking about them right now is making my mouth water.
Is this bringing me closer to Christ? I truly don't know. But I can tell you that I have never "sacrificed" anything for Lent before and thus decided to experiment this year. I don't see giving things up for Lent as a necessary part of the corporate church if it is merely a shallow exercise in ritual. But I can honestly say that it has made me more aware of how saturated we are in the "I need this, I need that" mentality. Lord, I need a bagel!
So for me, yes, it has been a lesson and a good exercise in sacrifice. It's all in how you perceive the season of Lent in your heart. I don't believe for a second that it is necessary for everyone, or that it should be advocated as such. But if you are in a place where you need to be separated from the world, and giving up something worldly will do that, then it shouldn't just be during the Lenten season it should be a constant in your life.
Well the sacrifice for Lent is a personal thing. But I think that people want to broadcast what they are giving up for Lent. They want everyone to know what they are giving up. We know what Jesus says about fasting and praying, its a heart issue.
Also I wonder if we truly sacrifice something for Lent? Is the thing that you are willing to give up to at least come close to what Christ gave? I know that this is impossible but do we at least try?
This is just my rants about Lent. And I am certainly guilty of the same thing.
Certainly the idea of sacrificing something important could be taken more seriously by many who engage during the Lenten season. We would like it to be a spiritual exercise as you have encouraged, seeking the Saviour and reminding ourselves of the greatest Sacrifice known to man.
That said, I don't think I would discourage even a "shallow" Lent sacrifice. It seems that anything that would give someone even a glimpse of sacrifice is a good thing, potentially a great thing. A young man in our Corps has given up video games but has been planning his "re-entry" strategy for the last week & 1/2 - "How late can I play on Easter Sunday night and still get up for work on Monday morning?" I could suggest his sacrifice is shallow and not really in the spirit of Lent, or use it as a teaching (shepherding?)opportunity - What have you done with your time? Did you really miss the games? Has God helped you understand anything about sacrifice? The discussion and the realities of his answers could lead to greater things in the future.
BTW, I gave up Pepsi. I think it's the only thing I've ever been addicted to.
You know what I find interesting. I have friends at school that never ever go to church during the year but when lent comes they give up something they absolutely do all the time like texting on their cell phones, or myspace and take it sooo seriously. If only they God that seriously.
As for me I didn't give up anything for lent. i don't like when people brag and complain about what they gave up for lent. It seems to me that they are doing it for the wrong reasons. Maybe I'm just too judgemental, I don't know. To me, giving up something for lent should be personal, between you and God.
Just some thoughts,
Allison
I understand the concept and all...and that when you fast you are to focus on Christ. But if someone gives up coffee or chocolate or soda for Lent, but his/her relationship stays stagnant, why did they do it? And my second question is, can anything we "sacrifice" be anywhere near the sacrifice He made for us?
Larry, thanks for the topic. I've been struggling with this one recently myself.
Dave
Interesting comments. I am wondering if any of you have commented have taken on the discipline of sacrifice or fasting at other times? I have not done it often, but have responded to what I believe was a call in my life to do it.
Is the sacrifice thing a calling or a discipline or both?
There's a story about Ghandi that says he was approached by a woman and asked if he would talk to her daughter about eating too much candy. The Mahatma told her to come back in two weeks. When they came back he sat down with the girl and had the discussion. When the mother asked why they had to wait two weeks, Ghandi replied, "When you asked me to do this thing I realized that I ate too many sweets. I had to get myself in order concerning that subject before I could talk to your daughter about it."
I have been in similar positions and, as you have alluded to Larry, felt the need to respond in the same way.
As a result, I believe the kind sacrifices we are talking about are both calling and discipline. I've mentioned this before (maybe even on this blog) - Paul's call to the Corinthians (paraphrased) was: watch out for anything that is not a true benefit to you, and don't let anything own you. If anything you do/partake of fits in to one of these categories, maybe you should take on the discipline of eliminating it. This principle, I think, is the foundation of the "lifestyle choice" clauses we find in our Articles of War regarding smoking, alcohol, etc.
In response to Dave C -
It's the potential for growth that makes a "shallow sacrifice" like soda or chocolate worth it - the possibility that, even if the individual did not intend for it to be a spiritual issue, God can grab that and minister to him/her throught the experience. At worst, they've improved their health for a few months (no small thing), but at best, God works in a new, powerful way. Of course, any sacrifice we make pales in comparison to Jesus. But, it can give a taste (however small) and open a door.
Allison -
If giving up something for Lent is truly a personal thing between you and God - and I agree that it is - don't let other people's "abuse" of it ruin it for you. It's not about them anyway. Make a covenant with God, keep it to yourself, and allow God to work in your life through it.
Just a (hopefully) encouraging word!
Brett
Brett,
I am not sure that the Articles of War and the fasting discipline are exactly alike. The Articles of War clauses are not theological in my view. They are missional. The life of fasting is to be a more introspective practice. I think there is a difference. I do believe both have merit.
Larry -
I don't think the line between missional and theological is as distinct as you're drawing it. You yourself say in the original post, "Sacrifice and self-denial are important...Doesn't He want us to sacrifice for the good of the Kingdom, putting aside our desires for the good of others and the mission of the Gospel? What are we willing to give up for the Kingdom?" That sounds very "missional" for something your claiming is mainly "theological and introspective."
I also sort of cringe when you suggest that the AofW clauses are neither theological nor introspective. I'm not sure how you get there. I believe they are and, as a result, aid our mission. Maybe that's another post.
Brett,
Read them...we have a theological statement followed by missional mandates...The signing of the AofW is mainly a signing of a missional commitment. Since theology is fluid and always changing, it is hard to classify the document as theological. We have even changed a great deal in our doctrine handbook over the years. Our basis for membership is missional.
I'm having trouble understanding why "theological" and "missional" must be distinct from each other. Are you suggesting that the "missional mandates" have nothing to do with who we are and how we think as individuals in regard to our relationship with God? Is there no "God reason" about why we hold those disciplines? I think there is, and therefore they are theological.
Larry -
BTW - some may think this line of discussion is off the topic, but I hope you don't. I think it is very much on the topic, with regard to what we are willing to give up for the sake of our journey with God and the Kingdom.
Brett, You may have a bit of a point....What I am saying though is that people point to all of our stuff as purely theological, articles of war, rank system, and other such operational things as purely theological....They are not..they are an attempt a denominational distinctiveness, which does not always have a theological basis. In fact, many would argue that the rank system has little or no theological basis and basically is extra biblcial. Not sure if I buy that completely, but do believe there is some substance to the argument. I think we wrap too much of our quirkiness up in the flag..and try to justify it theologically. We do this especially when it has no theological basis.
"A bit of a point"...well, I guess I'm making progress!
You are right about many of these things we call "Salvationism." I think, though (and it seems you MIGHT agree) that these disciplines go deeper than that.
Brett,
Not sure if goes deeper or if it is denominational insecurity or pride.
Larry
I've got to tell you that I knew I needed to make more than a missional statement when I signed the articles of war. Let me rephrase that once I understood what they fully meant. I had to sacrifice many a worldly vice (some that still to this day haunt me) to fullfill the Articles and then my Officership. It was deeper than just signing a mission statement. It meant that it was give up something for Lent the rest of my life time.
Blue,
While I can identify with your sentiment....we are still talking about a missional statement. The Articles of War are about doing and not necessarily being. The officer covenant is a different thing. I wonder why that is?
What exactly is a worldly vice? Is it a sin to drink or smoke? I am not sure that you have a theological argument that proves it is. If we do belive these things are sins, then we should talk about gluttony or gossip, which are, I am afraid, often a staple within our ranks. Are those not just as large a sins? Why are they not covered? That is because our stand on them is missional and not necessarily theological.
The commitments I made do mean something to me. I made that commitment long before signing the Articles of War or my covenant, which are both special to me.
I’ve not had much of a take on the Lent discussion. I grew up in the Southern Baptist church where Lent was never discussed. I think it was seen as being very Anglican or even Catholic. So until I came to the Army, I didn’t really know much about it.
My general take on it is the same take I have on mission trips. Mission trips can lead people to believe that mission is something we do one week out of the year, and often in another city or country. But they can also lead people to a deeper surrender of their lives as a whole, as one did for my wife. While I’ve never really participated in Lent, I have to believe that, like the sacraments (my goal is to fit the sacrament topic in whenever I can), they can certainly be meaningless if you allow them to be, but can also be very powerful and important spiritual experiences. They are what you prepare for them to be.
But on the whole articles of war thing, I find this whole discussion very interesting. I have to tell you, I finally joined the Army about four years ago. I’ve been working with it for seven. I didn’t sign the articles of war for theological or direct missional reasons. I signed them so I could join the church. Don’t get me wrong, I stick to them. But as Larry said, I was already doing that. Indirectly my signing had a missional purpose in that I truly believed that I could reach more lost people through the Army than my previous church. And to do that effectively and with the support of the Army, I had to join. So I guess in that sense, it was missional. But mostly it was just something that was important to those around me. They wanted to know whether I was in, or whether I was out. So I made those commitments and signed that paper, believing that God was calling me to work alongside the Salvation Army.
Interesting discussion though, and I would love to see a post specifically discussing this topic.
Larry I'm not sure if I need a theological statement to prove my past vices where sins or not. I have my heart which tells me that the manner in which I partook (is that even a word?)was a sin.
I realize that the Officer Covenant and the Articles are different in many respects but they both call us to be Holy people.
Personally I have never really tried to give up something for lent. Although this year I gave up drinking 20 ounce coffees and stuck to 16 ouncers. Done pretty good too.
I think you're all missing something very important in this compare and contrast of the "theological" and "missional", and that would be the unique opportunity to use the made up word "missiological" (sp?).
Personally, I'm hoping that some bloggers have given up the use of words ending in "-ogical" for lent.
(Sorry Steve, I had to toss that one in, with much love, of course.. ;o) )
I was at a Tastefully Simple party (men, if you don't know what that is, ask you wife!) the other night - Good Friday actually, and there was a woman there who was telling us that she gave up potato chips for lent, that all 4 of her familiy members, children included, each gave up something (all of them chose food). She was saying how hard it was b/c she LOVED chips and she was eyeing the bowl and really struggling to stay away when another commented that she only had two more days left. she said that b/c it took her 2 days into lent to decide what to sacrifice that she had to wait until wed to eat chips...
i kind of chuckled and thought 'should i take the time at this casual, friendly party to have a deep conversation with this woman about how she's completely missed the mark on what this sacrifice is all about'.. I decided not...right or wrong, i made a little joke about it being more than just chips. and left it at that.
I have given up food, secular music, certain TV shows, movies, and things like that before (one year gave up candy b/c of a major cavity I couldn't afford to have filled- pathetic!)...but as has been stated throughout this post, it made no difference. I didn't fill that time with better more-Godly things. I just filled my life with OTHER things. I didn't eat chocolate, I had hard candies, I didn't listen to secular music, just classical or christian, tv shows: just filled that time with OTHER tv shows.
I guess I make this comment b/c your post is poignant for me. I have SO many vices in my life - down to my attitude, down to my quick temper, down to my snooze button, and I don't have the strength to face them.
you know what, i'm going to stop here b/c I forgot what your origanal question was, and I know I had a good point! :) enough blabbering on for me tonight!:)
Ok I'm back, I re-read your post and remembered what my original thought was:
when listening to that woman speak about her chips and then thinking about my own lack-of-sacrifices, I wondered if the point was to sacrifice and leave it. I mean, take that original 40 days or whatever it is and sacrifice something that is hard to give up and not take it back up again. To sacrifice it forever...you're supposed to give up something that's to bring you closer to God, what happens at the end of that time? You go back to being far from God? Or are we supposed to stay there - close to God ... I think, to me, that's the right answer. Sacrifice and never take it up again. Maybe that's why I don't do practice that anymore, am I too weak?
I gave up Steve Bussy's blog for lent
I gave up Online gaming and pretty much video gaming in general. It was my first time giving up anything for Lent i did it because i feel self discipline is and area of my spiritual life that is lacking. I chose online gaming because during Christmas i used the games to vent but after the season i was spending to much time on them and my devotional life was suffering. So i spent my new found time reading the bible Christian books and spending more time with my family.
Now that it is over i really have been playing a whole lot a little madden here and there but my habits are different now and i appreciated the time of refocusing my priorities. I still need to work on self discipline but this was definitely a postive step for me.
Hardee Har Har 'wthom' Bender!
Pete - Hey - 'missiological' is a REAL word! In fact, it existed long before 'missional'! - although I wish I could claim it as a 'Bussey-logism'
I love your minimalist approach - though it is a foreign culture for me :)
Steve
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