by David Sellnow
Have you given up something
for Lent? That’s historically been a
Roman Catholic custom, but a lot of Christians of various varieties use Lent as
a time to set aside things of this world and focus on faith. And nowadays the practice of giving up
something for Lent has been adopted by many non-religious people too. 31-year-old
David Powers of Los Angeles, disc jockey and band member and medical marijuana
seller, hasn’t participated in church since he was in high school. But as a personal thing, during Lent he gives
up his own marijuana use. He says, “Lent
has been a great excuse for me to take a much-needed break from pot, and I have
learned that I really don't need it to get by. … I think that the idea of
giving up something that you love, especially something that isn't especially
good for you, once a year, is a really good idea that everyone could benefit
from.”[1]
David Powers’ approach –
give up something you love for a while – is a popular approach. According to the ultimate source of truth on
what’s happening in the world – Twitter – the #1 thing that people are giving
up for Lent is chocolate. Fast food and
junk food rank in the top ten also. Oh,
and the #2 thing people are giving up, according to Twitter, is … Twitter.[2] So, well, maybe that’s not an entirely
reliable source of truth then.
I don’t want to trivialize
the habits of those who give up something for Lent in a serious-minded way as a
part of a Christ-centered devotional focus.
After all, as a very
gospel-focused man once said, “Fasting and other outward preparations may serve
a good purpose.”[3] But I do wonder if the whole concept of me
giving up something for a while to try to be a better me is missing the point
of what it means to live a life of faith.
What if instead of me giving
up some small thing (like chocolate or junk food) for six weeks, the Lord asked
me to give up my whole self for my whole life?
What if living as a redeemed and reborn person in Christ meant, in my
relationships with others, having “the same mindset as Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 2:5)? That for you it means
you “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit” but instead you “value
others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you
looking to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3,4)? That is, of course, exactly the sort of life
Christ calls us to live as his people —
- Christ, who himself came not to be served but to serve;
- Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for many (cf. Mark 10:45);
- Christ who, as the apostle Paul reminded us, “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).
My brothers and sisters,
redeemed people of God in Christ, rescued from our own sinfulness and set free
to live in love by the strength of Jesus’ love for us, we are called to give up
ourselves, to give up our selfishness, to give up our me-first attitudes … and
to do so not just for Lent but for all our days.
The apostle Paul talked about
giving up ourselves—putting ourselves in second place in relationship to others—in
regard to matters we refer to as adiaphora, matters where there is not one
absolute way in which we must view things or do things. In “disputable matters,”
as Paul termed them, the important thing is that we give up our own ambition to
be always right or always in charge or always getting our way and live in love
and consideration of one another.
These are selected verses from Paul’s letter
to the Romans (14:1 thru 15:7):
- Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ...
- For none of us lives for ourselves alone,and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
- You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ...
- Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. ...
- Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. . We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” ... May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
[1] Gabrielle Canon, Celebrating Lent: Why Non-Religious Millennials are Choosing
to Sacrifice,” Southern California Public
Radio (March 29, 2013). http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/03/29/36612/celebrating-lent-why-non-religious-millennials-are/
[3]
Martin Luther, Small Catechism – “The
Reception of Holy Communion”
