A Reading from Isaiah for Lent

I've thought often about the meaning of the Lenten season. In the early days of my youth, we would be asked to give up something during this season, under the pretense that we were becoming more spiritually grounded, more faithful, more righteous if we refrained from doing or eating something for 40 days. Television, chocolates, sodas -- those were the easy "sacrifices" offered up by young minds and bodies. We didn't fully understand the significance of such a discipline because as soon as Ordinary Time began, we were back to television watching and soda drinking and chocolatey deliciousness. A few more years and we understood more clearly that this was a way to discipline ourselves and to put our bodies in shape. Sugars were given up, or, all candies and not just chocolates were eliminated. Nowadays, the youth are all about giving up listening to their iPods, refraining from playing on the computer or surfing the net, or checking Facebook only once instead of 10 times a day. Or, read a book instead of Tivo or Netflix.

Moderation is important, but still, these actions are centered on disciplining the self in order to curb our control tendencies. Control issues. We want to determine, define, limit the consequences of our actions.

As I think of the young people in our congregation, I wonder about what they are encouraged to do. Give up chocolates or give away chocolates? Give up internet and read a book, or donate books or teach someone to read a book?

In all honesty, I was thinking of disciplining myself to exercise everyday (which is something I normally don't do -- what's the point of taking up something as a new discipline if you do it everyday, right? it has no significance for Lent, right?). After thinking it over, it seemed a silly, and rather selfish, and wrongly motivated idea. Exercising everyday for 40 days, with the serious risk of lapsing back to no exercise at all after the 40 days are up -- is, for me, all about false modesty, and vanity. Rigorous exercise that doesn't do anything except build up my ego and vanity for a healthy body does not seem right. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.

I'm not quite certain what I want to do yet, but am leaning heavily towards resurrecting the art of letter writing -- which was something I loved to do. There is artistry and discipline in sitting down to craft a letter of substance. And, to write a letter a day for 40 days, for the elderly people or for newcomers or for the really quiet and distant members of our congregation -- well, could that be a better option than giving up chocolate? Or, what about 40 letters of impact that are sent to our civic leaders, congressman or congresswoman, or to our leader of choice, urging them to take a stand about a global issue (e.g. an MDG goal such as eradicating poverty)?

Does anyone have suggestions?

58:4 Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.

58:5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

58:6 Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

58:7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

58:8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

58:9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,

58:10 if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.

58:11 The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.

58:12 Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.