Practicing Our Faith During Lent

by Robin Sandbothe

The season of Lent is upon us, and articles and social media posts abound with the struggles church leaders are having with finding the energy to lead their congregations effectively through this time of the Christian year – or, indeed, any season of the Christian year. Lent is a period of 40 days (plus Sundays), which reminds us of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism – the culmination of which was the devil’s three tests. Church leaders find themselves in an unintended wilderness sojourn and are tempted simply to give up.

Lent has often had three purposes in the life of the church: (a) to prepare candidates for baptism; (b) to deepen and renew the faithful; (c) to invite and draw back the inactive or lapsed believers. Having a need to prepare candidates for baptism would be a welcome change for many churches whose membership continues to decline. Congregants and church leaders might be tempted to jump on the third purpose, with the lingering effects of online, pandemic-induced worship that has left already declining congregations with fewer members returning to in-person worship, even when it is again possible. The reality, however, is that a focus on the second purpose is really what we need most – the deepening and renewing of our faith.

Historically, to follow a Lenten practice of deepening one’s faith has manifested in the idea of giving something up or fasting from something for the 40 days (excluding Sundays which are feast days). The idea is that whatever it is you’re fasting from or giving up will be a practice that will continue beyond the season. If it is an ascetic type of fasting, maintaining it beyond Lent is unlikely, but the idea behind the fasting or giving something up would be the same – that every time you find yourself craving or missing whatever you’re fasting from, you’re drawn back to the reason you’re doing it. In this case, it is to deepen or renew your faith.

So, if you’ve given up a favorite food, for instance, every time you start thinking about it and feel tempted to reach for it, you instead might turn to prayer or to the story of Jesus’ sojourn in the wilderness and his answer to the temptation of turning stones to bread - our survival is not dependent on bread alone but on the Word of God. As Lent draws to an end and the celebration of the Resurrection is upon you, you may well celebrate that day by indulging in that favorite food again. The hope is that the intention behind the act of denying yourself continues beyond the Easter celebration - that perhaps every time you eat that food, you remember to be grateful; or when you find yourself in a situation where you are being denied something you had very much hoped to gain, you pray for peace or comfort or express gratitude for what you have.

Church leaders and parishioners alike are deciding that giving something up for Lent is perhaps not as meaningful as turning to adding a practice. Perhaps they might choose to keep the Sabbath more intentionally or to practice hospitality by welcoming the stranger or the person on the margin or the difficult family member. Again, the idea is that after practicing these things for 40 days, they will become habits, a part of one’s continuing life of faith.

There are several good books in which each chapter is about a different faith practice, including how one might incorporate the practice into one’s life. The one that most people seem to be familiar with, which came out over 40 years ago, is Celebration of Disciplines by Richard Foster. There is a new 40-year Anniversary version out now.

There are several newer books, however, that have added to the understanding of faith practices (a word that seems more palatable and more accurate than “disciplines”). Practicing Our Faith, edited by Dorothy Bass, part of the Valparaiso Project and now in its second edition, includes interesting practices such as honoring the body, household economics, saying yes and saying no, and dying well, among several others. There are several other books in this series which focus on single practices, like Receiving the Day by Dorothy Bass, who wrote the chapter on the practice of keeping Sabbath in the original book. Other books in series are also written for different age groups - youth (Way to Live), young adults (On Our Way).

Marjorie Thompson’s Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life has been newly revised and includes practices like, “Chewing the Bread of the Word: The Nature and Practice of Spiritual Reading,” and “Of Conscience and Consciousness: Self-Examination, Confession, and Awareness.” Thompson spent thirteen years as Director of Congregational Spirituality with Upper Room Ministries and helped edit and write the series of studies on spiritual formation, Companions in Christ, which are also excellent.

An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor has also become a personal favorite and includes some intriguing practices, such as, “The Practice of Waking up to God: Vision,” “The Practice of Paying Attention: Reverence,” “The Practice of Getting Lost: Wilderness,” and “The Practice of Carrying Water: Physical Labor.” Those of you familiar with her other books, like Leaving Church and Learning to Walk in the Dark, will appreciate her writing and won’t be disappointed with her unique take on faith practices.

Including one of these books as your practice during Lent - reading a chapter a week and intentionally including a practice in your faith walk for that week – might open possibilities for renewal. Simply picking a book, focusing on a chapter that catches your eye, and adding that practice to your Lenten journey may fill the lengthening days of spring with a sense of purpose. Whether you add something or give something up, simply paying attention to that practice for the 40 days of Lent will be a spiritually formative and perhaps even transformative experience. May your Lenten journey be so.