February 14, 2024
LENT: ALTERED BY THE SPIRIT
CHANGE THROUGH GIVING, PRAYING AND FASTING
Greetings Church family!
This is the first reflection together for the season of Lent. Lent is our 40-day journey to Easter. Lent is a time of self-reflection, repentance, and preparation as we accompany Jesus to the cross and ultimately the empty tomb.
Our weekly series during Lent is based on the theme of “Altered by the Spirit” Altered means to be changed, transformed. It is also a play on the word Altar. In many church traditions it refers to the communion table where we remember the last supper and the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf on the cross. So, an Altar reminds us that being altered- changed - often implies sacrifices we must make. A sacrifice in adapting a new habit that is more Christ-like. A sacrifice to let go of worn-out ways of thinking that block our spiritual process. As we go through our Lenten journey, we will contemplate how the Holy Spirit is always one step ahead of us, leading us where we need to go, altering us to conform ourselves more closely to the image of Jesus Christ our Lord. Our lesson from Matthew today asks us to invest in three spiritual treasures: giving, praying and fasting.
Our Lenten journey begins with the question: what do we treasure? So often life gets consumed with pursuing the treasures on earth: a paycheck, a nice house, a car, the latest fashions, a hefty retirement plan. Now there is nothing wrong with any of these things. A responsible life is one where we pay our bills, and we provide for our family. But if we are not careful, life becomes a rat race. We end up focusing on the next nice thing to acquire. The treasures on earth consume us. That’s why Jesus warns us to be careful what treasures we store up. Treasures on earth come and go. They can be taken away from us in a moment’s notice. We can lose them as easily as we gain them. That’s why Jesus wants to remind us that storing up treasures in heaven is much more important. Treasures in heaven endure and can never be taken away from us. Treasures such as love. Kindness. Forgiveness. Serving our brothers and sisters. That’s why the saying goes: it is better to give than receive.
Lent is the important time for Christians to slow down and reassess the treasures of our lives. Traditionally, the scriptures teach us to reflect on our lives through three basic spiritual practices: almsgiving or giving money or food to the poor and needy. Through prayer. And through fasting.
The Christian life, if anything, is a life of service, because that’s what Jesus did - he served others. We are called to quietly give of our time, talents and treasures to others without making a big deal of it or drawing attention to ourselves. Lent reminds us that we all have something to give. Some of us have more money than others. If you are blessed in this way, can you increase your giving to the church, or to needy individuals? If money is tight, then you can give of your time or talents. We can all pick up the phone and call someone who is sick or homebound. We can all encourage someone who is struggling. We all have talents. If you are a cook, prepare an extra meal for someone who needs it. If you’re great with computers, help someone struggling to figure out how to send an email – or get online. If you can teach, then tutor someone. What’s important is that you take the time this Lenten season to name your blessings and gifts -and ask God, to lead you to share with someone in need. When we give, we discover that we actually receive more back in spiritual blessings. As we said earlier, it is more blessed to give than receive.
It goes without saying that Lent is a time of prayer. Although prayer is one of the easiest things for us to do, it is also a practice we can most often slack in. The bible calls us to pray without ceasing. This means our minds must always be geared and ready to pray. Pray is the greatest practice in our spiritual arsenal, and anyone can pray. If you can breathe, you can pray. Learn to start every thought with dear God, and to end every thought with an Amen. Praying is centering our hearts on God and bringing God into every conversation we have throughout the day. The average person has 60,000 thoughts per day. That’s 60,000 prayers we can lift up to God.
You see, every thought can be turned into prayer. Worried about something or someone? Turn into a prayer. Angry that someone cut you off in traffic? Pray for them. Stuck on a grocery line? Pray for those around you. Pray for those who are serving you. When you read the headlines, pray for the situations in the world. The point of prayer is to realize God is the author and source of all life – and we must continually turn over all matters and concerns to him. As we develop the practice of praying, our hearts begin to grow calmer, our spirits more peaceful. As the Bible says, cast your anxieties on him because he cares for us. The most significant thing to remember about prayer is that we pray not to change God’s mind - but to change ourselves. Prayer helps to make us more reliant on God, more trusting in God’s ways, and confident in the words of Jesus: “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” Matthew 7:11
Perhaps the hardest spiritual practice for most of us is to fast. We live in a culture where we are bombarded with ads for juicy hamburgers, soothing soft drinks, cheesy, gooey pizza. But the scriptures are full of people who fast. King David fasted, the entire city of Nineveh fasted, Paul and Barnabas fasted, Queen Esther fasted, the prophet Anna fasted - Even Jesus fasted - to name a few. Fasting stills our body so we can focus more clearly on God. When we face different situations, fasting humbles us so we can find God’s direction and will more clearly.
There are many ways to fast, according to our ability and health. Some of us can do a full day’s water fast – or even fast for several days, like my husband Forrest does. But that’s not for everyone. Others can skip a meal. We can fast from meat. Or sweets. Or alcohol or some other substance. Also important is the fast that the prophet Isaiah call us to as he conveys the Lord’s words to us: "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to lose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
God wants us to fast by letting go of whatever harms others. We fast by using our resources to take care of others. We can fast from judging others. From taking advantage of them. We can fast from anger or resentment. Fasting from social media is a biggie - instead of hanging out on the couch watching TV mindlessly or being on our phones and tablets constantly – fast. Turn them off and turn to God. Choose instead to spend your time at church or with devotional materials. Just don’t eliminate fasting from your spiritual habits in Lent. Ask God to lead you to how and what you should fast from. Talk it over with someone you trust. And of course, if you choose to do a physical fast, consult your doctor first. Bottom line: make fasting a regular habit that can continue to strengthen your Christian walk even after the season of Lent is over.
So, the big question is: how will you be altered by this season of Lent? What treasures will you acquire? As you receive the ashes of repentance on your forehead today, take the time as well to name how you will use the three pillars of spiritual practice: to give generously, pray ceaselessly, and fast seriously – to change and become more Christ-like. Make a plan and stick to it. May you observe a good and holy Lent, storing up most precious treasurers in heaven through giving, praying and fasting. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.