The following letter was sent out to the church on February 19 by Fr. Jon Ziegler. In case you missed it, we are posting it here.

Lent is almost upon us.
 
In seven days—on Ash Wednesday—we’ll huddle into the sanctuary at seven o’clock to confess our sins and receive ashes as a sign of penitence. This will be the start of our annual revival—the 40 days of fasting in which we journey cross-ward with Christ and prepare to experience the power of his resurrection.
 
Lent is almost upon us. And so I’m writing you with a reminder to get ready. Lent is all about fasting and repentance. These two things require some preparation. If you don’t know what your sins are, then how will you repent? If you don’t know what you’re fasting from, you won’t be ready for the fast when it comes.
 
Below I’m going to share some ideas about how to repent and observe a holy Lent. I hope you find them helpful.
 
 

Fasting During Lent

You might decide to tailor your fasting during lent to some specific things you feel led to give up. That’s okay. But what you should also know is that there are some traditional ways the church has always fasted—and you should at least lean into these practices (along with your own customized additions).
 
Fr. Greg Goebel of anglicanpastor.com summarizes what he considers to be the traditional way to fast during Lent:
 

• fast on Ash Wednesday,

• read the Bible with special attention,

• read the Church Fathers and Mothers,

• give up sweets and alcohol (except on Sundays),

• abstain from meats on Friday (or perhaps give up one meal),

• give away extra money to help the poor,

• volunteer my time to visit and assist the sick, the prisoner, or the outcast.

You can read the rest of his article here:  Why Observe a Traditional Lent?
 
 

Repenting During Lent

It’s possible that you already have some sins in mind—things you have been working on, life patterns you have been trying to break. Perhaps you are already feeling sorry and guilty and you are ready for Wednesday. You are ready to change your mind and to reorient your life around God’s good and beautiful ways.
 
But it’s also possible that you don’t have anything in mind at this moment. Maybe you’re willing to repent—but you’re just not sure what you need to repent of.
 
If you need help recognizing your sins, I suggest using some sort of grid. That is, use something that helps you think through your sinful propensities.
 

Three Grids that aid in Repentance.

1. Scripture.
 
Really, almost any passage will do. On Sunday I suggested reading and meditating on the Sermon on the Mount – chapter 5-7 in Matthew’s gospel. If you read it slowly and carefully and prayerfully—its very likely the Holy Spirit will help you to identify things in your life that need to change. Allow the Spirit to show you the way in which your life isn’t aligned with Jesus’ good and beautiful ways. Lift this up to the Lord. Ask him to show you what to do. What steps do you need to take to realign your life? To whom do you need to confess your sins? What action steps are required for real, meaningful heart change?
 
 
2. Tim Keller’s “Idol Chart”
 
Keller, a well-known Christian thinker and pastor in New York, has written about how to identify the idols in your life. I find this grid helpful. It would be a great tool for you to use as you prepare for lent. You can find it on our website here: Idol Chart.
 
 
3. Myers-Briggs style Repentance
 
Myers-Briggs personality type indicator is often used in the work place to help people understand their own personality and habits and to understand the habits of people with other personality types. Some times it’s hard to know what makes different people tick.
 
If you take a test (I like this one because it’s quick and easy and free), the report often tells you “strengths and weakness.” And this section could also be used as a “repentance grid.” It will inevitably show you things in your life you can work on—areas in your life that need God’s grace and forgivness to show up. Basically, a tool like the Myers-Briggs can help you identify how you sin. (If you need help, ask your spouse, roommate, family member, etc. to read through it with you and give you examples).
 
Myers-Briggs is just one tool of many. You could do the same thing with the DISC assessment. The Enneagram is popular right now—and it is actually designed for this very purpose (growing in repentance and Christlikeness). However, you could use Myers-Briggs or DISC in a similar fashion.
   

I Hope This Helps

My goal as a pastor is to help people live into the ancient practices of the church that make us more like Christ. Hopefully this email has given you some ideas about how to practice Lent well.
 
Recently I was trying to teach my oldest kid to ride a bike. We were also encouraging her not to get upset that she isn’t really good at it yet. Because riding a bike—like almost anything worth doing—takes practice.
 
Lent takes practice. Maybe you’re already a pro. Great! But maybe you’re just starting off. Be patient with yourself. The more you practice disciplines like fasting and repentance, the more you’ll do them with not only skill but also ease. We can’t start off as “spiritual pros.” We have to start at the bottom. It’s like learning to ride a bike. You have to just keep getting on and trying again.
 
May you observe a holy Lent.
 
I hope see you on Ash Wednesday at 7 pm.
 
Blessings,
 
Father Jon