Give Up and Take Up For Lent

1 Cor. 9:25; Matthew 16:24
February 17, 2008

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John Smith was the only Baptist to move into a large Catholic neighborhood. On the first Friday of Lent, John was outside grilling a big juicy steak on his grill. Meanwhile, all of his neighbors were eating cold tuna fish for supper (Catholics give up meat on Fridays during Lent). This went on each Friday of Lent. On the last Friday of Lent, the neighborhood men got together and decided that something had to be done about John, he was tempting them to eat meat each Friday of Lent, and they couldn’t take it anymore. They decided to try and convert John to Catholicism. They treated him kindly and talked to him and were so happy that he decided to join all of his neighbors and become a Catholic. They took him to Church, and the Priest sprinkled some water over him, and said, “You were born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, and now you are a Catholic.”

The men were so relieved, now their biggest Lenten temptation was resolved. The next year’s Lenten season rolled around. The first Friday of Lent came, and just at supper time, when the neighborhood was setting down to their tuna fish dinner, came the wafting smell of steak cooking on a grill. The neighborhood men could not believe their noses! What was going on? They called each other up and decided to meet over in John’s yard to see if he had forgotten it was the first Friday of Lent? The group arrived just in time to see John standing over his grill with a small pitcher of water. He was sprinkling some water over his steak on the grill, saying, “You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, and now you are a fish.”

We are now in Lent. Lent is a time of self-denial, a time of spiritual reflection, a time of renewed commitment, a time of self- examination, and sacrifice, a time of intentional consideration of the things Jesus taught, and a time to walk the way of the cross. Lent most likely came into practice in the fourth century among candidates for Easter baptism. It comes from Jesus’ 40-day isolation and temptation in the desert. To observe Lent is a reference to Jesus’ journey in the desert, where he spent 40 days fasting and meditating—and fending off worldly temptation.

Traditionally, Christians, for example, have tried to fast, giving up meat, candy, smoking, or liquor during Lent. Many Christians practice giving their time, energy and possessions for others, as Christ gave himself for us. Each of these exercises is a spiritual preparation for Easter. This sort of self-denial leads us to a deeper experience of God’s presence in our lives. Self-denial, self-discipline, and self-control are exercises for our spiritual muscles.

I have given up dinner for these forty days of Lent. I am not a person who usually fasts; SunAe is. Even though I am not a Lent - Giving Up Something and Taking Up the Cross big eater, I have to eat a certain amount of food at a certain time. I am not good at fasting. When I do, I’m not completely focused on Jesus, but on food, and my spirit becomes more unclear and weaker. Therefore, I seldom fast except for Good Friday during Holy Week. On Good Friday, I fast the entire day and it is difficult. However, recently, many unexpected things have happened around my ministry and me, and such issues make me reflect on my ministry at Moore’s Chapel for the last two years, and so with a humble spirit, I decided to abstain from dinner for forty days. This fast is giving me an opportunity to reflect upon life and my relationship with God and with others.

The Christian concept of denial and self-giving is not very popular these days in our greedy and indulgent culture. We prefer having fun and being happy to the disciplines of self-denial, commitment, and sacrifice. We are habituated to and spoiled by the trivial, sensual, and living a life of doing things “pleasant for our bodies.” So, as Christians, for the time of Lent, it is good to give up something in order to remember the holiness of the season and to put us into a different frame of mind to better approach God.

Every spring, Major League baseball players prepare for the season with spring training, mostly in Florida, and every spring, ordinary people prepare for summer by doing “spring cleaning.” So why shouldn’t Christians prepare for the most important events in Jesus’ ministry - what he did for us on Good Friday and Easter Sunday; what he did for us on the cross and at the empty tomb? If it helps you, think of Lent as a kind of Christian spring training and spring-cleaning.

In Lent, many Christians tend to give up something that they do a lot of and that they find pleasure in. But, giving things up is more than just doing it for its own sake. There has to be meaning to our act of giving up. The real meaning of giving up should be understood as a discipline for learning self-control, to free our minds from the chase after material things, to identify with Christ’s sufferings that showed us great self-denial, and remember what the true pleasures are for followers of Christ.

Unfortunately, many Christians seem to not know exactly why they do these acts of self-denial. I read this in the Daily Times, where one Christian said, “Sometimes, I wait until the end of Lent to see what I didn’t eat, then that’s what I gave up. You Lent - Giving Up Something and Taking Up the Cross know, you can only give up cauliflower so many times.” Without real knowledge of the reason for our sacrifices, these acts become meaningless and empty gestures. Self-denial doesn’t just have to mean giving up TV shows, entertainments, hobbies, Internet, candy, or beer.

We need to focus less on what we are giving up and more on the reason for giving it up. The goal is to take on the mind of Christ. Everything that occupies our attention in any way fills up space and time that could otherwise be occupied by Jesus. Thus each little thing that we can give up makes room to spend more time with Jesus. True self-denial is the way in which we make room in our lives for the presence of God. So as you continue your Lenten practice, strive to think less about what you are giving up than about for whom you are making room. Widen the spaces inside to accommodate the Lord who loves you.
Furthermore, we should not remain in self-denial but use it as an exercise to take up our cross and follow Jesus. During Lent, we could not only give something up, with more aggressive and positive ways, but also we should take up something for Lent.

I want to share a special Lenten message with you. This is from the writings of Bishop Peter Weaver, former Bishop of the Peninsula-Delaware Conference. I was inspired by his message:
"A few years ago, I was attracted by those who said, “Don’t give up anything for Lent. Take up something for Lent.” It was a reaction to the trivial, self-righteous way some people would “give up” one thing for Lent as if that were all that was needed for their spiritual journey. People gave up chewing gum when, in fact, they rarely chewed gum; yet they participated daily in systems of injustice.
Indeed, “taking up something for Lent” was a good corrective. We forgot that Jesus’ invitation to deny ourselves, take up His cross, and follow was not an “either-or” but a “both-and.” It is both a “give up” (deny) and “take up” (follow). The two work together. Therefore, this Lent, I invite you to “give up” and “take up.” If you are not doing so, begin the sacrificial discipline of fasting and tithing. You also may want to work on giving up certain attitudes like pride, racism, sexism, envy and behaviors like shunning others, wasting time, and using unethical practice. This is what it is finally all about: following Christ in this Lenten Journey."

Jesus gives us a clear Lenten message in today’s Scripture, “Deny yourself, Take up your cross, and follow me!” To follow Jesus means to go where He goes and do what He does. Jesus tells us to follow His way, His will, and His example. Even when it may be unpopular; even when it may be uncomfortable; and even when it may seemingly be inconvenient. Think about this! If Jesus hadn’t denied Himself, taken His own cross, and simply chose to live a long, convenient, and comfortable life, the Lent - Giving Up Something and Taking Up the Cross salvation for us would not have happened.

During the Lent season, many Christians give up food, fellowship, or many other entertainments as our expression of self-denial. We might try giving up sweet snacks, coffee, cigarette, or fast food. We might try giving up for 40 days without television, gambling, impulse shopping, anything that most relates to a sin that’s especially sticky for us as well as the activities that provide us the opportunity to do them. However, there are more positive, aggressive, profound, and productive ways to observe the season of Lent. There are many other creative ways we can give up ourselves and take up Jesus’ cross.

I want to share the writings of Rev. Craig Gates, of Jackson, MS, “What to give up for Lent” with you.

"Give up grumbling! Instead, “In everything give thanks.” Constructive criticism is OK, but “moaning, groaning, and complaining” are not Christian disciplines. Give up 10 to 15 minutes in bed! Instead, use that time in prayer, Bible study, and personal devotion. Give up looking at other people’s worst points. Instead concentrate on their best points. We all have faults. It is a lot easier to have people overlook our shortcomings when we overlook theirs first. Give up speaking unkindly. Instead, let your speech be generous and understanding. It costs so little to say something kind and uplifting. Why not check that sharp tongue at the door?

Give up your hatred of anyone or anything! Instead, learn the discipline of love. “Love covers a multitude of sins.” Give up your worries and anxieties! Instead, trust God with them. Anxiety is spending emotional energy on something we can do nothing about: like tomorrow! Live today and let God’s grace be sufficient. Give up TV one evening a week! Instead, visit some lonely or sick person. There are those who are isolated by illness or age. Why isolate yourself in front of the “tube?” Give someone a precious gift: your time!

Give up buying anything but essentials for yourself! Instead, give the money to God. The money you would spend on the luxuries could help someone meet basic needs. We are called to be stewards of God’s riches, not consumers. Give up judging by appearances and by the standard of the world! Instead, learn to give up yourself to God. There is only one who has the right to judge, Jesus Christ."

Lent is not simply the period of time for the blues, self-punishment, self-torture, self-hatred, or starvation. Lent is not all about giving things up that we love to do or to have. It’s also about adding good things up to our lives or to others’ lives—the kind of good things that follow on what Jesus asks of us, especially that which relates to what we’re giving up. Lent is a time for us to reinforce the action of taking up Jesus’ cross as his disciple, in the journey of our faith.

To give up something and take up His cross not only during Lent, but 365 days out of every year is a way of life. Let us observe Lent in a more positive, aggressive, and creative way. Let us not only give up sweet food, television, and soda but also serve in a soup kitchen, visiting someone who is lonely, shut-in, and hospitalized, sharing more money with God and neighbors, and correcting our wrong doing, bad behavior, and careless decisions. Let us ask ourselves not only “What do we give up for Lent?” but also “What do we take up for Jesus in the journey of our lives?” Amen.

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Give Up and Take Up For Lent

Give Up and Take Up for Lent - Audio Sermon On-line - Reverend KyungMo Koo