Lent 2020 - Jesus Fix It
Lent and Holy Week 2020
“This is the most Lenten Lent season ever” - Facebook User
It’s Holy Week, and while I’m not Catholic, I have participated the annual tradition of abstaining from certain “vices” in an effort to draw closer to God. For me, this season was either marked by turning off social media, avoiding certain foods or music or anything that I thought was competing with or interfering with my time with God. And while there are far more elements to the tradition of Lent (abstaining from certain foods, certain prayers, etc.) I also appreciated the times when I was invited to focus on alms and service.
This year, the Lenten season is “interrupted” by a global pandemic. So, most of us, Catholic, Christian, religious or atheist, are abstaining from a lot more than we probably anticipated. No outings, no social events, no sporting events, no trips, no birthday celebrations, no graduations, no in-person shopping, and because of the economic impact of the pandemic, more than likely, less overall shopping for non-essential items. It is the most, “lenten lent season”. But, I’ll say there’s more to it than meets the eye. And as a woman of faith, I’ll say there’s no coincidence that this Lent season and pandemic overlaps.
Shortly after arriving to the US and settling into our new community, and well before the pandemic and even Lent, Chris and I set out to find a church home. We visited a number of congregations and settled on one, before a series of non-epidemic events limited our attendance. One of those events was getting our car in Norfolk and another included staying at home to take care of our sick toddler, who more than likely caught a bug at the church nursery.
“The priority of Christians is to be in the presence of God. Every other thing [action, endeavor, vision, etc.] is an outpouring of that close proximity to The Almighty” - Note from a sermon, with my own twist.
In addition to finding a church community, I also sought out to prioritize my personal time with God. I used to attend weekly women’s Bible study when we lived in Spain and enjoyed the community and accountability. But I stopped attending when I got pregnant and started working (for the Chapel nonetheless). Since becoming a mom, I’ve struggled with quiet time and Bible Study (devotionals) and wanted to return to that space and time when I could be still without interruptions.
It’s challenging but possible. I have to get up at the crack of dawn, while the earth is still asleep. That’s usually when my husband is getting up to work out or get ready for work. And I’m committed to that routine because a) now that my daughter is a toddler, I finally have a manageable schedule and b) I crave and know that this time is essential to my wellbeing. I’ve never been an early riser. I’ve always wanted to get up, but I’m a night owl with a power hour between 10am-3pm and 10pm and 3am. That’s how I’ve always been. I give a special shout out to my daughter and The Almighty for helping me prioritize my life for the better.
Anyways, back to church. So we ended up choosing a church in which we felt led to both serve and grow and thankfully my husband and I were on one accord when it came time to make that decision.
Another important feature about our church decision came from a special text. The pastor or member of the welcome team shared that, for this year, they would be going through Mark Moore’s “Core 52: A 15-minute Daily Guide to Build Your Bible IQ in a Year”. As a teacher, Moore and his colleagues have gone through the Bible and identified 52 key verses, chapters, and concepts to help build confidence and Biblical literacy. This book is designed to be simple, takes no more than 15 minutes per day to work through and each lesson can be completed in five days. So for those who are strapped for time but just want something, this is that.
Now, the other thing that drew me to this church was the fact that the Pastor designed his sermons around the content of the book. Talk about transparency. We essentially had access to his sermon. And while he would build on the bones of the theme, the information wasn’t exclusive. We, the congregation, could follow along, go back home and study what he was saying or read ahead to prepare ourselves for the following message. That was a first for me and now that we’re in this season of physical distancing and minimizing social gatherings, I’m grateful that we are still able to learn and follow along. We’ve been to a number of churches with small group and sermon notes to follow along with and this isn’t all that different, BUT it’s a return to the basics. And baby, I love it.
In addition to th Core 52 series (named 52 because it’s to be covered in 52 weeks or a year), I’ve been following a few more studies and devotionals. I thought I”d share them below.
After being jaded and dismissive, I”ve got back on The Bible App by YouVersion.
Since returning to the U.S. I’ve read or been working through:
Get out of your head and into the promises of God, by Jennie Allen
Lent: Remembering the Life of Jesus
Easter: Daily Meditations on Holy Week
I also completed a few studies on Right Now media, the amazing site that houses hundreds of video studies for individuals and groups, along with conference videos and children’s materials.
I’ve worked through:
Nice and Free of Me, by Sharon Hodde Miller
Forgotten God, by Francis Chan (together with Chris)
Going through Forgotten God ignited my interest in learning more about Francis Chan, so I watched a lot of his sermons until I heard God’s familiar reminder, “Acasia, I’m glad you enjoy what I’m saying through Francis, but I have a lot to say to you directly if you take time to sit with Me.”
And that’s where I am. I recently started the Forgotten God devotional and workbook, which is supplemented by the DVD that I watched on Right Now media.
While I know this is a lot, and if I had a school-aged child, my life would probably look different as in, probably less time for any of this. Let me say that I didn’t do everything at once. It’s all a gradual build up. Each lesson has been spread out over the course of several days and weeks and in the case of Core 52, the year. Also, I reached a point in my life where I was hungry. I’ve been wrestling back and forth with God about the crumbling, Eurocentric Church of America and got tired of “His people,” so I knew I needed more than fast, artificially flavored and processed food. That second quote about God’s presence being the most important thing for Christians to seek after resonated with me. In all my doing, planning, goal setting and endeavors, what I needed, wanted and longed for most, was to truly get on one accord, aligned and divinely in sync with the Creator. I want my plan to be identical to that of The One who created the universe. What better time than a grand transition back to the U.S. and the season of Lent, which happened to coincide with a strict stay-at-home pandemic response order, for me to be still and prioritize this time with God.
So, this Holy Week is special in so many ways for me. It’s prompting me to continually consecrate and set apart my wants, desires, personal ambitions and daily “to-dos” to be with The One who designs my days and orders my steps, if I let Him.
I pray your Holy Week will find you in a place of reflection, peace and whatever traces of stillness you can cultivate.
May you glean traces of hope and collect an abundance of encouragement wherever it grows.