Our society runs on the narrative of scarcity—capitalism tells us there isn’t enough to go around, so you’d better grab all you can for yourself. But the vision our entire Gospel message points to is one of abundance; with God there is always enough for everyone to thrive, if resources are distributed equitably. Scarcity is not a value in God’s family. Scarcity is fake news in God’s Kingdom.
Since our culture tells us there’s never enough, I think it’s easy for us to ‘do’ Lent wrong. When we experience Lent as a season of deprivation, for the sake of suffering, we’re missing the point. There is no shortage of scarcity, but for most of us in the pews, it’s probably not a lack of food or shelter, but a shortage of connection, belonging, self-worth, and love. The purpose of Lent isn’t to dwell on our sinfulness and suffering for the sake of enduring discomfort. The purpose is to prepare us to be born again, on Easter, by engaging in the life Christ, moving us toward an eternal, full, loving relationship with God and all of creation.
Lent calls us to die to the things that get in the way of being born again into God’s abundance, and prepares us to receive the gifts God has deemed us worthy of.
One of my Lenten practices is to get a little taste of scarcity by fasting from 7pm to 7am. I typically snack a lot in the evening; I have a hard time leaving the mixed nuts and chips alone. My choice to avoid snacking isn’t because I want to be hungry and miserable, but instead to remind me of God’s abundance. Each time the urge to snack hits, I’m reminded many people feel this way all the time, and I thank God I am able to fill my hunger in the morning.
My Lenten scarcity is a reminder of God’s abundance. While I may lose a few pounds by not snacking at night, by fasting I haven’t tried to put to rest anything that’s getting in the way of receiving God’s grace. So, this year I’m going to try and give up shame along with my salty evening treats.
Whether shame is directed at ourselves or others, it is a destructive emotion. Shame and guilt are two different things: guilt is feeling bad about what you’ve done; shame is feeling bad about who you are. Shame robs us of the dignity God freely deems all of us worthy of, regardless of the guilt or worthiness our deeds. Shame is a feeling we carry around that tells us, we or others, have come up short and aren’t worthy. Shame leads us to a scarcity of the things we are often lacking: connection, belonging, self-worth, and love.
I’m certain I won’t be able to rid myself of shame in 40 days, but by practicing I hope to get a glimpse of what a life without shame—and the fear associated with it—could be like. I think shame-free living will give me a taste, not of scarcity, but of the abundant life God has in store for me. This year for Lent, join me, practice scarcity—give up chocolate, wine, cussing, or whatever you wish. But I pray we will also try to give up something that’s blocking us from receiving God’s abundance like fear, the desire to control, shame, loathing, anger, or self-harm.
I pray that whatever Lenten practices we undertake, they leave us with more and not less, lead us away from the scarcity preached by our culture and toward the abundance preached by the Gospel…
…and prepare us to be born again on Easter.
—The Rev. Stephen Miller, D.D.S.
St. Mark’s, Perry