Love By Serving, and Lent’s a Good Time to Start!

The practice of giving something up for Lent is an old one. Biblically, it is grounded in Luke 9:23, in which Jesus said “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow me.”  It has long been part of Christian tradition to  apply that verse to the forty days of Lent, and give something up during that time as a way to grow closer to God. It can be a really great way to feel God’s presence much more  frequently and powerfully. However, I’d like to encourage you to think differently about Lent this year, and to think in a way that fits our mission to “Grow in Love, Love by Serving.” That way is this:

Try adding something instead.

Here’s why: if you add something, then you will invariably have to cut something as well. Most of us are not sitting around with tons of free time on our calendars. Anything you add will mean something else has to go, and what that something is may surprise you. Normally when we think of giving things up for Lent we either think of guilty pleasures (chocolate  being the perfect example), or bad habits that we need to kick anyway (eating too much chocolate being the perfect example). But when we add something, we usually end up  taking away something that isn’t terrible. It’s something that’s just…blah. Not really good, not really bad, just something we could easily replace with something better and not miss it one bit. Those things are hard to identify until something better comes along.

What might that something better be? I have two thoughts. The first, as you might  expect, is to begin cultivating a regular practice of prayer and bible reading. That is the  absolute first thing that I would suggest anyone add. This is the first commandment: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. But the second is like it: to love your neighbor as yourself, and so my second recommendation would be to add a form of service. This Sunday, wander over to the Council Org Chart behind the snacks and find a group to serve. Better yet, find ways to serve others without joining a program. If you see a pile of newspapers in your neighbor’s driveway, bring them to them at the door.

Watch someone’s pets. Trim someone’s hedges. Whatever, wherever, just do  something to make someone’s life better. I’m pretty sure that would make God a lot happier than not eating chocolate, and maybe it will create a new rhythm in your life as you bear fruit for God’s kingdom.

God loves you, and so do I.

-Pastor Scott