Like many other religious traditions and rituals, most follow the letter of the law but not necessarily the spirit of the law.  I have recently seen people posting on Facebook that they are giving up the following:  alcoholic beverages, caffeine, sugar, sex, a bad habit, or an addiction.  Since I did not grow up with this tradition, the first time I heard about it, I wondered what happened at the end of the 40 days.  Do they go back to their old ways of being; or do people notice a change within their mind, body, and spirit?  Is Lent a practice or ritual that has lost its true importance? 

For the next few weeks as we continue to focus on a Season of Non-Violence, we will begin to look at what it would mean to Keep a True Lent.  Charles Fillmore gives this definition:   

“Lent is a season of spiritual growth -

A time for progressive unfoldment

And transformation.”

 Charles felt it was of no use to go through the outer practices of change if those same changes did not lead to a deeper feeling of communion with the one presence and the one power.

Charles used a scripture from Isaiah 58:6 which speaks of “losing the bands of wickedness.”  We will take a look at that scripture translated through The Message on Sunday Morning.  I will urge the spiritual community that meets at 4319 Saundersville Road toKeep a True Lent  – to breathe into the statement “I am holy. Only goodness comes from me.”  Imagine your life as you “lose the bands of wickedness” by using tools of emotional hygiene and building a muscular compassion for all those you meet. 

As we prepare for our Nashville Chooses Peace Event on April 8 – let’s all step into the ways in which we can be a #force4good in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our city and in our world.   We just might discover how Keeping a True Lent will assist us in that goal.