In The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister, there are some helpful insights into the purposes of Lent. This year I want to be more purposeful in my walk through Lent and invite my church to do the same. There is something the Spirit is speaking to us as a body, and I desire for us to hear that word to us.

With Lent we have the call to renew our walk with the Lord. Our lives fall into routines. Lent invite reflection. This is a time that forces me to stop for awhile. The call of Lent is to pull aside and reflect on what is going on inside of me.

This is not a ritual. So often Lent can be portrayed as some ritual where you just give up meat or eat fish on Friday or something. Don’t let this season take that tone in your life. Think seriously during this time about who Jesus is. Let’s renew our faith from the inside out.

In renewing our commitment and reflecting on our faith, it is a time for simplicity. It is a time to trim away some of the extras to hear more clearly the voice of the Spirit. It can be a time of giving up sweets or meat or even fasting on a bigger scale. The purpose is not to get anything OUT of God. It is to hear more clearly and reflect on the importance of Christ in our lives.