Lent is the traditional season of prayer and fasting in preparation for the great “Feast of feasts,” Easter. The church year has been fashioned by rhythms of feasting and fasting. What real significance can Easter have if we do not know the experience of Lent? Lent is the great fast of the church year. It is a season that reveals and magnifies our understanding of spiritual discipline. We trivialize spiritual disciplines when we lose sight of their real purpose. So maybe there is more to Lent than giving up chocolate?
The question we need to ask with any spiritual discipline is, “What does God want to accomplish in me through this practice?” St. Augustine once said that God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them. Emptying our hearts and hands of our desires is the core dynamic of self-denial. Go with strength and courage to explore the practice of self-emptying this Lent.
In Christ,
Pastor JoNell
(Thanks to M.J. Thompson’s Soul Feast for inspirational reading)
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