Remove/Release

During this season known as Lent, believers in Christ are abstaining from various foods or practices, and I think it's a wonderful depiction of the inward work that the Lord wants to do in our hearts on a consistent basis.   Romans 13 gives us a picture of the type of inward attitudes from which Jesus wants to free us:
(12) Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.13Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

There is a great contrast between the life that is lived for ourselves and the practices of the believer who is passionate for Christ.  And, the struggle in this life involves truly turning aside from the desires that we have that are not consistent with what God would want us to possess and allowing the Word of God and presence of the Holy Spirit to truly shape our attitudes and to purify our desires.   We are called to love God with our whole hearts and despise the works of the flesh.  The struggle can be identified, and can grow intense, but God has granted to us the access to His resources so that we can experience His life flowing through us.

Ephesians chapter 4 relates to us the valuable pattern of relinquishing the old and taking up the new, allowing Christ to change us and to lead us into the life He has in store for us.
21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:22that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

We are now about a week removed from Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, and media outlets are picking up on a Barna survey that explores the awareness of and responses to Lent.    It says that the majority of adults (72%) are aware of the Christian tradition of giving something up for Lent.  Even among non-Christians, awareness of Lent is at about the same level, at 70%.  Yet in spite of this widespread awareness of the season, only 17% of all adults—roughly one-fifth of those who know about the season—have practiced Lenten fasting in the last three years.  The same number (17%) plan to give something up for Lent again this year.

Among those who plan to celebrate Lent this year, the most common abstentions include food or drink, such as chocolate (30%), meat (28%), sugar (28%), soda drinks (26%), alcohol (24%), fruit (14%) and butter or cream (11%). Although less common, many Americans who fast for Lent are planning to abstain from technology or entertainment. This includes curtailing use of social networks (16%), smartphones (13%), television (11%), video games (10%), movies (9%) and the Internet (9%).  All in all, 31% of those surveyed plan to fast from technology.  

Even though Millennials might be less aware of the tradition, a higher percentage of that demographic group is participating in it.  They are by far the least likely age group to be aware of Lent, at 57% - but, interestingly, they are more likely than average to say they are planning to fast in 2014 (20% compared to 17% among all adults).

Barna's Roxanne Stone is quoted as saying that, "The conventional wisdom says younger people are anti-tradition—that young Christians rebel against rituals they may deem 'empty' or antiquated.  However, the data shows Millennial Christians express distinctive interest in this ancient discipline—even more so than among their parents' generation.

She goes on to say that, "The ability for people to adapt this practice to daily habits such as television, social media, video games and other modern 'idols' is likely part of Lent's current appeal...It's a tradition that can connect a contemporary believer to a very ancient and rich faith history, while still feeling applicable to the realities of modern life.

"This connection is an important one for church leaders to note: the more rituals and belief practices can be made pertinent—that is, can be shown to have a depth beyond mere tradition—the more likely today's Christians are to see their validity and to engage them. Young Christians have come of age in a time when everything feels up in the air; when the newest thing is old in just a few days. The ancient practices of the Christian faith may hold a counter-cultural appeal to many Christians, including Millennials, as they seek to find a sense of rootedness in such a shifting cultural context."

So, roughly 1-in-6 adults are participating in this age-old tradition, which is appealing to the younger generation.   I think there are several things that we can take away from this significant engagement in the Lenten season.   For one thing, I believe there is a deep desire within us for purity.   Lent may be an indicator collectively that people may be longing for what Christ can do in our hearts - to bring us into relationship, to enhance our awareness of Him, and the cleanse us internally.   If we would only convert our rituals into life-changing practices or true sanctification, we would display the character of Christ in a more profound way.

And perhaps there is a level of dissatisfaction in the culture.   Physically or nutritionally speaking, people identify foodstuffs that are not good for them, and so are willing to do without for 40 days + Sundays leading up to Easter.   Technologically speaking, perhaps the proliferation of social media is not bringing the heightened sense of connection and the relishing of relationships that we might have expected - so there are those of us who are willing to do without.   The desire to "unplug" is being lived out and people are willing to replace our connectivity with other activity.   

Finally, the Bible teaches the concept of removing the old and releasing the new.  Lent is an imperfect and potentially valuable practice of doing without, or "putting off", in a sense.  On a more long-term and consistent basis, what God is calling us to do ultimately is to put off the thoughts and intents of the heart, the products of the old nature, the flesh, so that we might live the transformed life by putting on the presence of Christ.