Hey! We're protestant so my family doesn't really celebrate Lent. I know you're supposed to like, give up something important to you, but the only things I can give up right now are technology things and then I'll have nothing else to do in quarantine. How do you celebrate Lent?
Hi there! I’m excited to see you’re interested in Lent! (Btw, some Protestant denominations do observe Lent, even while some don’t.) It’s a powerful season of the year in which we reflect on God’s ultimate solidarity with the most disenfranchised of humanity through the Person of God who is Jesus’s ministry, wilderness wandering, and crucifixion. In pondering Jesus’ solidarity, we are moved to gratitude and seeking deeper relationship with God, and also to solidarity with the oppressed ourselves.
Many people do give up something as part of their Lenten observance. It’s supposed to be something you feel is somehow inhibiting your relationship with God (perhaps excess tv time or alcohol), or else something you give up to cultivate compassion for those in the world who are without that thing (such as engaging in healthy forms of fasting; this compassion should eventually lead to action).
(Unfortunately, Lent is sometimes used almost as a “New Year’s Resolutions: Part 2″ instead of a religious observance -- a chance to start up a diet instead of a chance to nourish one’s spiritual life. But at its best, giving up things for Lent follows what I said in the previous paragraph.)
However, Lent is about far more than giving things up. In fact, this year, when so much has already been stripped away because of the pandemic, many Christian leaders are advising not using this Lent to further deprive yourself. In this time that is so full of trauma and worry and isolation, no one should “give up” anything that is helping them get through it!!
So yeah friend, don’t give up the technology that helps you find a little joy in your day, and lets you connect to others in the midst of quarantine. Instead, you might add something on to your life --
an extra moment of meditation or prayer each day;
or picking a spiritual book you’ll read a little bit of each day (or a podcast if you don’t like books; or an online devotional, etc.).
Or you might commit to performing several intentional acts of kindness each week;
or offering money (if you are financially able to) to good causes;
or educating yourself about how to be in solidarity with a marginalized group to which you don’t belong.
You might also commit to finally doing something that you need to do but have been putting off -- such as finally getting a therapist, or finally getting help for a problem you’ve been keeping secret, or finally setting boundaries or letting go of a harmful relationship -- actions that take so much courage, but will help set you free to pursue the abundance that God wills for you.
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I offer some suggestions for reading materials and other Lenten resources in this recent post.
I especially recommend the article “The Unintended Consequences of Spiritual Discipline” by Emmy Kegler for commentary on the risks involved in viewing Lent solely as a time for self denial or “giving things up,” especially for particularly vulnerable groups. Please keep in mind that God does not call us into the kind of self-denial that manifests as self-hate or meaningless suffering -- God longs for abundant life for every one of us!! Take care of yourself <3
I’ve read a few good books already in the past couple weeks that would also make good Lenten reading (reading a lot of books is my own commitment this Lent):
The Art of Dying Well by Katy Butler -- argues that to die well we must live well; and we don’t have to let go of any fear of death, but we do have to be willing to accept that death will come one day and let that knowledge motivate us to pursue purpose and community so that we will feel fulfilled at death. Since one important aspect of Lent is memento mori, but this past year we’ve been so inundated with death and grief that being told to fixate even more on our own mortality seems like a cruel joke, this is a particularly good book for this Lent -- because it helps us face the death we’re already surrounded with. It does share some pretty intense hospital death scenes, however, so if that’s not something you’re in a good place to be reading about, you might instead try.... .
Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler -- this book also faces the prospect of death head on, through the point of view of a woman with stage four cancer. Kate Bowler explores where God is (and is not) in the midst of suffering and death; even has a chapter specifically about Lent. And if you aren’t a big book person, Bowler’s podcast Everything Happens is even better than the book! She interviews all sorts of different people about God and suffering. .
Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor is a book that also explores in accessible and warm language what faith can look like in moments when God seems absent. .
The Black Christ by Kelly Brown Douglass (I recommend the 25th Anniversary Edition because I like its introduction but if you can get another version cheaper for free that’s great too) -- a wonderful introduction into Black theologians’ views on Christ as Black, as one who identifies wholly with those who are oppressed by racism but also by other forms of oppression; it’s a fairly quick and easy-to-understand read, so it’s perfect for non-academics who are interested in this topic but struggle with the heavier texts. .
Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh is what I’m working on now and I’m already in love.
Finally, I’m super pumped about this new disability-centered devotional with readings for every Sunday of Lent plus every day of Holy Week (the final week of Lent, leading up to Easter).
Please let me know if you have more questions! I pray you encounter God in life-giving ways this Lenten season <3
