Lent: Giving Something Up or Adding Something?

Lent: Giving Something Up or Adding Something?

Somehow Christians managed to survive for over three hundred years without Lent. The original Apostles didn’t keep Lent. The Apostle Paul didn’t keep Lent. The early church “Fathers,” such as Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Origen, never kept Lent. My goodness, how did they all survive without Lent!

The formal observance of Lent as a forty day period of fasting and penitence arose in Rome in the 4th century. Fine. Religious observances are a good thing. Lent can be a good thing. We go with Jesus, so to speak, into the wilderness for forty days of fasting, prayer, and contemplation. This is a good thing.

It is good to remind ourselves of our finitude and limitations. It’s good to remind ourselves that we are sinners! We fall short of God’s standard of love. We need forgiveness. I’m on board with all that. I get it.

But people have this habit of giving something up for Lent. I’ve never given up anything during Lent in my entire life, even when I was a pastor. I don’t believe in giving things up for the sake of giving things up, and then taking them back again as soon as Lent is over! It strikes me as artificial and contrived. For example, I know some people who give up chocolate “for Lent.” Woo-hoo! Christ died on the cross and I’m giving up chocolate for forty days! Pretty impressive!

No, Lent is a time to take something on, to add something—as a sacrifice, as a way of breaking out of our entrenched selfishness. So, add more prayer time to your life. Add more people to your prayer list. Add a visit to someone who is lonely. Write a real letter to someone to cheer them up. Do something extra for Lent, and do it in the name of God.

I don’t think God needs us to give up a lot of stuff. I think God would be content to see us add a few more things that really make a difference in someone else’s life. That, to me, is Lent.

The whole fasting thing . . . it’s never impressed me. Fast all you want. I won’t.