Friends, we find ourselves in a time of fasting. The Muslim observance of Ramadan began last Friday evening and yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Christian liturgical season of Lent. So I’ve been thinking a lot about the spiritual practice of giving things up.

As an atheist teenager, I was terribly judgy of my friends who observed Lent. The giving up of sugar and junk food felt like a way to reinforce diet culture and cloak it in piety, which was an affront to my feminist values. I am embarrassed now to remember how, full of teenage bravado and scorn, I declared, “I don’t think Jesus cares if you drink diet coke.” As I matured and my relationship with religion changed, I discovered Lenten traditions that weren’t as based on sacrifice. Lent became a season for focusing on practices that brought me closer to the sacred and sometimes those practices can be additive; for example, a new spiritual practice, a new book of devotional readings, doing one act of justice/resistance a day, posting an inspirational photo or quote on social media daily, etc.

This made me more comfortable with the season for a while, but more recently I’ve been reflecting on the fact that comfort is not the point of Lent. Sometimes, following the path towards the sacred is hard. Worth it, but hard. Because when I’m really and truly honest with myself, the practices that bring me closer to the divine often require giving something up. Even if it looks spiritually fulfilling on the surface, my drive towards “more,” usually only feeds my own ego, capitalist systems, or both. At the end of the day, is the new theology book or Lenten devotional actually bringing me closer to the great source of love and liberation, or is it mostly allowing me to feel intellectually or spiritually superior? Are daily inspirational social media posts helping me deepen my connection to my spiritual community, or are they just a way to garner new likes and followers? 

When I let myself truly wander in the wilderness of self reflection, I find a lot of habits and practices that are separating me from my most sacred values and my understanding of the divine. There is usually something I could give up in service of love, freedom, and liberation.

And it’s not always material. It doesn’t have to be sugar or diet coke or red meat. Here are some questions  I like to ask myself during Lent. I invite you to spend some time reflecting on them as well and adding your own.

• Is there an idea or belief that is no longer serving me, my community, or the world, but I’ve made it such a part of my identity that it feels terrifying to let it go?
• Are there habits or practices I’m using to distract myself from perceiving the present moment in all its beauty and brokenness?
• Am I using gossip and spreading rumors as a shortcut to relationship and community building? 
• Am I bending over backwards or creating new habits or behaviors as a way to avoid conflict or get out of having a hard conversation with someone?

I recognize that theologies of sacrifice have done great damage throughout history and many of us, especially those with marginalized identities, carry deep wounds from the faiths of our childhood. If the language of sacrifice doesn’t resonate with you in this moment, that’s okay. My invitation this Lent is not about inflicting hardship on yourself for hardship’s sake. It is simply a gentle reminder that there can be great freedom in letting go of something, even when it’s hard. And that living a spiritually meaningful life often means venturing outside of our comfort zone and asking ourselves difficult questions. But we don’t have to do any of this work alone. That’s one of the great blessings of a faith community like ours. 

And there are many upcoming opportunities to gather in community as we move through this season that is so rich in opportunities for ritual, spiritual deepening and theological explanation. As UUs who do not adhere to a strict religious calendar, every year we have new opportunities to envision how we mark these religious holidays and observances based on our community’s needs and resources at the moment. Look for more information about this year’s offerings in the Front Steps in the coming weeks, including:

• Matins for Lent: Join some of First U’s Spiritual Directors on zoom for a series of contemplative Monday morning services marking the season of Lent. March 24 and 31 and April 7 and 14 from 8:30 – 9:00 PST at · https//tinyurl.com/FirstU-Matins 
• Passover Seder: Join Rev. Alison and her family, Bill Yasnoff, Rich Scher, and the Seder team after service on April 13th at 12:15pm for an all ages friendly Seder marking the Jewish observance of Passover. The link to register is here: Community Seder
• Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services: Join Rev. Alison and myself on the evenings of April 17th and 18th as we mark these two holy days leading up to Easter.

We hope you’ll join us at one or all of these events and explore what lessons this season might hold for your spiritual journey. 

In faith,

Danielle