Lent: Let Go of the Unnecessary;
Let God Live Through You
Our family recently moved into an interesting old Victorian home. I'm told such homes have character. My wife Chris and my oldest daughter Joanna assured me that we ought to have a home with character. As near as I can tell, a house with character is one that is falling apart and needing new wallpaper. I'm not so sure I need a house with character, but now I have one.
While we were moving our 35 tons of possessions from our previous home into our character home, Phil White, editor of Unity Magazine, told me he would like a column on the question "what is necessary?" I am fairly certain that a home with character is not necessary. I am also fairly certain that no more than 1 ton of the 35 tons of our possessions is necessary. We might even be able to get by with less than 1 ton.
What is necessary? That is a significant question to consider during Lent. After all, Lent is a time when Christians give up something, according to tradition. If you are going to give up something, it might as well be something unnecessary. There are at least a couple of reasons given in the Christian tradition for giving up something for Lent. One reason given is that giving up something worldly shows commitment to spiritual things and helps us focus on Spirit with fewer worldly distractions. The idea of letting go of earthly things for the sake of focusing on the Divine is a time honored practice, not only among Christians, but also among Jews, Muslims, Hindus and most other religious peoples. Another reason for giving up earthly things was developed in the Christian tradition during the Middle Ages; the idea was to give up something as penance. The idea of penance was a kind of self-punishment for one's sins. While I was moving my 35 tons of stuff, I would have said that letting go of some earthly things would be a relief, rather than a punishment.
If we look to Jesus Christ as our teacher, to show us what is necessary, what do his life and words teach us? He told his disciples to go out without money, purse, extra clothes, staff or even shoes, according to the Gospel of Matthew (10: 9, 10). According to the Gospel of Mark (6:8,9), Jesus told his disciples that they could take a staff and shoes. So it is clear that Jesus did not think money, purses and extra clothes were necessary. It is not clear how he felt about staffs and shoes. I haven't carried a staff in years, so I tend to think they are unnecessary. Jesus said, "the son of man has nowhere to lay his head." (Matt. 8: 20) So, he had no home; this explains why we read about Jesus going to other people's homes, but never about him having anyone over for dinner. Evidently, he did not think houses were necessary either. There are many stories about Jesus having meals with people, so he seemed to think food was necessary. He went without food for forty days once, but must have decided that was not the best way to go.
Based on the evidence of the Gospels, it seems that Jesus mainly thought that God is necessary and very little else. You can get by without extra clothes, without a house, without a purse or money. You can get by without a staff (in any sense of that word) and without shoes. You can even get by without food for a while. But you cannot get by without God, for God is Spirit, Life itself, source of all being. If you decide to give up something for Lent, whatever you decide, don't give up God. Whatever you let go of, let the Spirit of Life, Love and Wisdom be with you. The Spirit of our Father, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, is able to raise us all up into new life, through faith.