This past month, I enjoyed watching the Winter Olympics. As a kid, I dreamed of one day being on the Olympic basketball team — but of course, that was not to be. For one thing, I didn’t devote nearly enough time to practice for such a dream! What impresses me most about Olympic athletes is their dedication — their tireless work and willingness to give everything they have to improve in their chosen sport.
It’s the same with the best musicians, actors, and artists: a devotion to continual practice. It is the practice that makes the performance possible.
We have now entered the season of Lent, and in many ways, Lent is all about our Christian practice. It’s an opportunity to return to the basics of our faith and to re-engage in the spiritual disciplines that enable us to “perform” as followers of Jesus. Not “perform” as in pretending or acting, but performing in the sense of living out our baptism day by day — staying faithful even when the path feels dark and hope seems distant, and continuing our devotion when life is bright and joyful.
It’s easy to slip away from those practices — to pray less often, to spend less time with Scripture, to sleep in on Sundays and miss worship. It’s easy to grow impatient with our neighbors, to speak ill of those who irritate us, or to hold too tightly to what we have. Lent calls us back — back into the spiritual practices that strengthen our faith and hone our spiritual muscles so that we may live fully as disciples of Jesus.
Some people choose to give something up for Lent; others choose to take something on. I say: do what helps you draw closer to Jesus and builds up your spiritual strength. If you’re wondering where to begin, the words from our Ash Wednesday service and the vows of our Baptismal Covenant offer a good place to start.
May this season of Lent lead you to the joy of Easter — renewed in your faith, strengthened in your spiritual life, and filled with the love of Jesus.
+Gretchen