“After leaving them, Jesus went up on a mountainside to pray” (Mark 6:46 NIV).
Protestants have historically been suspicious of Lent. I am not saying that you should not be suspicious, but I am saying that you do not want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Christians have long recognized the virtue of times and seasons being set aside for more focused Bible reading, spiritual reading, praying (private and/or corporate), service, generosity, examination of conscience, or fasting.
I am not saying you should keep Lent this year, but I ask you—is the Lord calling you to set aside 40 days for a more focused growth in godliness? If so, why not begin on Wednesday, Feb. 14 and end on Sunday, March 31 (taking the Sundays as a time for attendance at worship and relaxation of the disciplines you have undertaken)? That is 40 days, and what better time to end your 40 days than gathering with other Christians to remember and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from death?
So, on top of the list (above) of practices that help us grow in godliness, consider the following.
Prayer
Here is a very wise prayer that is both a prayer that you can pray, a guide as to what to pray, and a concise biblical gospel theology to guide meditation. It is very old—written by Thomas Cranmer in 1549! Don’t just pray it every day, but use it to meditate upon different biblical truths, and then have these truths guide your prayers.
“Almighty and everlasting God, who hates nothing that You have made, and does forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, so that we worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging the ruin of our falleness, may obtain of You, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN (From the 1662 BCP Collect for all of Lent)
Fasting
Give up looking at all social media for forty days. Spend some of that time praying instead.
Bible reading
Slow down and write out by hand all 150 Psalms (2461 verses, 62 verses a day). If that is too much, pick one or more of the Gospels (Matthew 1071, Mark 678, Luke 1151, John 879 verses)
Reading
Kevin DeYoung’s book, “Impossible Christianity.”
Generosity
If you eat out a lot or buy lots of fancy coffees, cut out one or more purchases a day and give the money to the Compassion Prenatal Care program. This is on top of your regular tithing.
Examination of conscience
Read 4–5 verses in Psalm 119 each day, meditating for a few minutes on each verse as to whether you live what each verse teaches. Ask the Lord to help you grow so that each verse describes your day-to-day life.
Service
Commit to attending church every Sunday between February 14 and March 31. When the service is over, don’t immediately seek out your friends. Instead take the first ten minutes after the service is over to greet and connect with someone new, or someone you have never talked to before. Do the same with the first ten minutes of coffee time.
