I GAVE IT UP FOR LENT

Are you giving up anything for Lent? Every year lots of Christians, especially Catholics, give something up for Lent. But what about Lutherans? Do we have to give something up? Should we give something up? Why would we give something up?

First of all, let's be clear that you don't have to give something up for Lent to be a good Christian. But still, plenty of people do choose to give something up. People give up all sorts of things, from the trivial to the meaningful. Some give up chocolate so that they'll fit into their swimsuits when the sun starts shining a little bit warmer after Easter. Others give up their daily latte and donate the three or four dollars a day to their church or a charity. The question is, why would you choose to give up something that you like when you don't have to? Some people like the reminder that it gives them. Every time that someone denies his flesh the pleasure of a sip of a soda, it can serve as a reminder of all that Jesus' flesh endured as he suffered for our sins. Every time someone donates her coffee money to church, it can remind her of how much Jesus has given us. So, while a Christian doesn't have to give anything up for Lent, you certainly could.

In the end, it comes down to your attitude. I'm reminded of the parable that Jesus told in Luke 18: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

¹⁴ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

If your attitude during Lent is like the Pharisee, that's not good. It would be easy to get to exalt yourself during Lent. After all, you come to church twice a week. Some people can't even make it once! And on top of that, you're giving something up too! I pray that God would keep us from even a hint of self-righteousness during our Lenten journey this year.

I pray that, instead, God would give us the attitude of the tax collector. In all we do, we simply ask "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."  After all, we, like the tax collector, are sinners. We are sinners who can only be justified by God's mercy. And that's what Lent is all about. Every time we gather together throughout this Lenten season, we get to see the mercy that God has shown us in his son, Jesus. May God bless you all as you focus on that mercy each day.