josephholubsermons


 

Ash Wednesday
February 17, 2010
Matthew 6:1-8

Thanks to Julie Clawson of www.julieclawson.com  whose blog "Preparing for Lent" stimulated the following thoughts.

Self-Denial or Self-Giving Love

I grew up in a conservative tradition that emphasized self-denial above everything else during the Lent. Perhaps you had a similar experience.  As a result, I thought Lent was all about self-denial.    Lent was all about denying oneself some scrumptious thing as a way to remember Jesus sacrifice on the cross.  The problem became that we hardly ever thought about Jesus sacrifice, but rather were into keeping score as to how we were doing in our self-denial compared to others.  The operative question was, “What are you giving up for Lent?” The companion question as the 40 days wore on was, “How well are you doing in your specific denial?”    I also remember it being emphasized that if I broke my specific discipline of denial, I needed to ask for forgiveness – the lesson being to learn about forgiveness as if sneaking a piece of chocolate when I promised to deny myself of it was a cardinal sin!    

I have noticed that some folks are “giving up” things like “Facebook” or “text-messaging” for Lent as a part of their Lenten discipline of self-denial.  For sure, giving up text-messaging may make our roads and highways safer places, but I really get the feeling we may be missing the point and have reduced Lent to rather frivolous acts.  

For me, Lent isn’t about denial, but rather Lent is about transformation. Lent is the liturgical season in which I intentionally encounter Jesus’ self-giving, self-emptying love by endeavoring to become more Christ-like myself.   Transformation is about opening myself up to Jesus so that I can be shaped by God’s astounding grace. Rather than emphasizing self-denial, I now frame Lent in terms of ways of self-giving.  Self-denial is, for sure a part of it, for to give of myself may require denying myself something.   But in this case emphasis is everything.  To deny myself something for the sake of denial is not Christ-likeness.  Jesus didn’t deny himself anything for the sake of denial, but he gave himself away in self-emptying and self-giving love as a way to live his life as a life full of God – and he calls me into that same way of living and loving with his invitation “follow me.”   

I gave our confirmation youth a Lenten assignment.  One part of their assignments is to sit down with their family and brainstorm ways they as a household unit could serve someone else during Lent.  I then challenged them to choose and agree on one thing and then do it – as a household.   The idea behind it is that service to others is the Christ-like thing.  Now, they may end up denying themselves of something in order to serve another, but the emphasis is on the service – the outreach – the self-giving – the other.  

In my mind self-denial and self-giving are not exactly the same thing.  They are more like heads and tails of the same coin.   We have often treated Lent like a one-sided-coin emphasizing self-denial at the expense of self-giving and service to others.   

So these days of my life, I use greater discernment in choosing what disciplines I will follow during Lent to open myself up to God’s transforming power and the Christ-like life. Christian writer Julie Clawson writes, “I’ve discovered that for me personally, legalistic denial for the sake of denial often achieves the opposite purpose. Giving up coffee doesn’t make me a better follower of Christ, it just makes me more irritable.  Giving up Facebook (or text-messaging) doesn’t help me build community in the body of Christ; it simply helps me as a detached introverted person creep further into my shell.  Those disciplines don’t assist me in emptying myself (in order to let God fill me or live the Christ-like life); they simply fill me with more of me.”[i]

That’s a huge part of Jesus’ point in the gospel I read a few minutes ago.  There is nothing wrong with the practices he named, praying and financial/material giving.   But it’s about how we use them and for what purpose?   – to build up self? – to make it all about self? - or to glorify Christ and build up the kingdom of God?  

I’ve come to learn that in order to become more fully the person God would have me be, I instead need to make choices and sacrifices that open my heart to the Christ-like life.   Denial for the sake of denial is not Christ-likeness.  Jesus lived his life for others, embodying the love of God.  Denial was but a part of living out that life.   I rather doubt that Jesus even thought of it as denial, but thought if it more as the ultimate fulfillment of his humanity.

Some of us were talking about food today and about how many of our traditional Lenten denials seem to revolve around denials of certain foods.   But what if we turned that around, and instead of denying ourselves certain foods that probably will only benefit us (in smaller waistlines and better nutrition); what if instead, we chose to shop more ethically and wisely focusing on fair trade items or the Woman’s Bean Project, or serving at the Community Dinner, for example – or practicing shopping habits that empower the disempowered? 

So for me, the crucial question for Lent is not “what am I giving up?” but instead  “what can I do to allow God to transform me this season;  to shape me an mold me into being more-Christ-like?”   

I think of one of the most challenging and poignant things that Jesus ever said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” 

Jesus didn’t say, “If any want to become my followers let them deny themselves (period).  No, it was followed by an invitation into the Christ-like life, “then take up your cross and follow me” – the Jesus way – the way of self-giving love – the way of loving neighbor as self – the way of even loving enemies and praying for one’s adversaries.  Jesus took self-giving love as far as it could be taken – far beyond mere self-denial - all the way to a cross – and he invites us to follow him along the same path.    It’s the Lenten journey to a fuller humanity and a more fluid spirituality in lieu of rigid legalism.