An Introduction to Lent
When we were growing up, one of my favorite places my grandmother used to take us was Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach . If you are unfamiliar, it was unlike any other park in our area in that it had no playground, no blacktop or sandbox, no brightly colored toys to be found. Instead, it was a rugged, uncultivated "wilderness" where we would pretend we were on a great adventure as we made our way down the winding trails, discovering "hidden" ponds, climbing trees and looking for wildlife. We would leave the Game Boys and Polly Pockets in the car and instead bring only a packed lunch and a little bit of string so we could tie one end to the best stick we could find and the other end to a piece of bologna from our sandwiches to try to catch...well, anything in the pond that might be as much of a fan of bologna as we were. There was something so magical about this wilderness. The noise of life was quieted, tv and video games were nowhere in sight and our eyes and ears were open to something more. In the absence of the chaos and distractions, we became explorers and discoverers, finding what was always there around us - nature, beauty, fun that didn't need batteries or a screen- but that we could only really notice when we journeyed into the wilderness for a bit.
Lent is a journey into the wilderness with Jesus. It is a season of 40 days (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter when the Church takes time to intentionally enter a "wilderness" of sorts. We leave behind a comfort or distraction through fasting to make space to be present to God in places we have otherwise been distracted. We take up practices and habits to help us be present to what he might teach us here - we do this through intentionally practicing generosity and prayer. We go into the wilderness unsure of what it will hold; but as we journey through, we often discover what was always there around us - God's presence, love and peace - but that we could see more clearly once we journeyed into the wilderness for a bit.
The wilderness of Lent is not magical and it's not a spiritual fitness program. It's a season to intentionally live a little differently as we anticipate the celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. When we've journeyed through the wilderness of Lent for 40 days, the celebration of Easter takes on new joy as we celebrate the breaking of our fast and the reality that because of the sacrifice and love of Christ, the wilderness seasons of our lives always lead us to life when Jesus is our guide.
As we journey through the Lenten season together as a community, it is our hope that we would find ourselves a little less distracted through fasting, a little more like Jesus through practicing generosity and a little more aware of the presence of God with us through prayer. We hope this daily reading guide and weekly devotional by some of our own RCC family members will serve you as a companion along the journey. Take a moment as you begin your journey into the wilderness to decide what you'd like to leave behind and how you'd like to cultivate your Lenten habits of generosity and prayer for the next 40 days.
Practices for Lent
Fasting:
What will I set aside in this season?
Examples may include: a category of food (ie. sugar, alcohol), a specific meal each week, social media, television, a hobby , etc.
When we fast from a particular thing, we are creating space to feel a longing, to cultivate a hunger for something that we are intentionally abstaining from. When you feel the longing for the thing from which you are fasting, it is an invitation to turn your longing + attention back to Jesus.
Traditionally, you would fast from whatever you choose Monday- Saturday every week until Easter. Sundays are meant to be mini-Easters where you are able to break your fast as you celebrate freedom in Christ in anticipation of the fast being over on Easter Sunday.
Generosity:
How will I intentionally practice generosity?
You can do this a number of ways. You can choose one person, organization or project to be intentionally generous towards during Lent. Maybe instead of tithing 10% you increase it to 15 or 20% for 40 days.. Maybe you volunteer to serve on a new team at church.
Or you might choose a different person to be generous to each week. Take a friend to lunch, make a donation to Young Life, drop some cookies
off to a neighbor. You don't need money to be generous - you can be
generous with your time + efforts, too. Get creative!
Prayer:
How will I intentionally make space for prayer?
The remainder of this devotional will guide you through Scripture reading and prayer every day during Lent.
It might also be helpful to also choose one area of prayer each week to focus on (ie. a person, your job, an area of weakness, etc).
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The goal of Lent is simply to draw near to God. These practices are merely ways to enter into the grace already given to you by God + engage in his restorative work in your life. There is no perfect way to participate in Lent. It's simply about creating space to remember that he walks with you wherever you go. We pray you catch glimpses of him with you as you look for him along the way.