By S. Derek Shelly:
As I write this article, the season of Lent is about to start for the church. Like the church itself, the observance of Lent had not changed much through the years; yet in some ways there have been tremendous changes. Changes or no changes, Lent was meant to increase our faith.
As a youngster I was told that I had to “give up” something for Lent. Because this idea was not really well explained to me, I didn’t understand that some kind of sacrifice that would lead me to a deeper faith. Nor did I see the need to contribute to the welfare of others who were in need of help. So like many of my friends, I would give up something trivial like candy or pop.
Later, my church started sending home Lenten Cards/Coin Folders with each person, in hope that a dime a day would be placed in the folder ($4.00 for the season) which would then be directly used to help others. Not being one who had a dime-a-day I used to have to scramble at the end to get enough dimes, which usually meant my mother’s purse got raided. But the requirement was fulfilled.
In my early 20’s I switched from the Anglican Church to the United Church of Canada – and on occasion the church I attended did use the same style coin folders. I remember one year though, where the Outreach Committee decided to try to have some fun with their fundraising and asked the congregation to participate in a “Waist Tax”. Willing congregants were required to pay the amount of $1.00 bills laid end to end to go once around the person waist.
No matter what the “project” or gimmick Lent was a time to think of others. It was not that I didn’t think of others throughout the rest of the year, but Lent was a time to think about giving as a sacrifice that others might be helped. It was also a time for individuals to give more thought to the role of faith in one’s life.
Nowadays, Church habits have changed and not only for Lent. Some churches still encourage the idea of coin folders or boxes. Some do little or nothing at all. And as statistics indicate fewer and fewer people actually participate in any church denomination. While at the same time as Canada opens its doors to immigrants and recently refugee families seeking a new life in Canada, we find different religious traditions sharing their faith journeys. In the Islamic faith, participants celebrate Ramadan whereby they fast from sun-up to sundown in an effort to make themselves more aware of the presence of God in their lives.
Faith, like physical, cognitive and emotional growth is supposed to develop over the years of our lives. The Stages of Faith development have been documented by the likes of James Fowler and John Westerhoff. These writers and others remind us that we need to continue to develop how we think and react to situations that require faith in our lives. Not only during Lent or Ramadan, but increasing our understanding for a clearer picture of how God is at work in our lives is a constant process. Whether we ever achieve a fully mature faith is not the point. Rather we must keep growing. The Apostle Paul used the image of seeing dimly now, but that in time we will see more clearly. That is true but requires us to pursue those ways that help us see the presence of God all around us, and in each other. And when we do that, we realize that sharing with others is not about sacrifice, but about love and compassion.
S. Derek Shelly is a minister with the United Church of Canada serving Trinity United in Huntsville and the author of a book, Dying to Live.
