Lent is not like
Christmas. People drag their feet towards lent rather than the eager countdown
to Christ's birth. The Easter bunny does
not hold a candle to Santa Claus. I
think deep down we know that we may have focused a little too much on the
secular side of the holiday, focusing on gifts and parties and indulgences
rather than the coming of Christ.
During Lent, we
cannot do this. Lent is a period of
preparation for the greatest gift of them all:
Christ's death and resurrection.
Lent is a time where we need to prepare ourselves to be worthy of the
gift of Christ's sacrifice. Lent reminds people that they need to change. While
the gift of Christ is freely given, it comes at a cost. The cost of Jesus'
crucifixion. The crucifixion is also freely given, yet it reminds us that we
need to be better people to honor the gift of death in order that we might have
life everlasting. The gift of the resurrection reminds us all
that God has the power to transform.
God has transformed
me. When I was 12, I lost my hearing to
an auto-immune disease. At the time, the
doctors did not know what was going on with me.
My blood work was very abnormal and I was put on many experimental
therapies to try and stop my hearing loss.
Three years later, many drug therapies later, I still lost all my
hearing. I stand before you today,
legally deaf. I wear cochlear implants
that allow me to hear, but for a period of time, I did not hear at all.
During this time, I
have a very vivid memory of being at church.
We had all stood to say the Nicene Creed. I could not hear at all. At this point, I was deaf and without any
hearing aids. I became very, very
angry. I felt abandoned by God, and I
thought it was very pointless to be at church when I felt that I could not
participate in the liturgy. I remember
to this day, the furious tears, and the hot feeling under my skin as I sat down
and refused to participate in the rest of the service. My mind was screaming, "How can I do
this and not hear?"
And then the
Eucharist began. I felt a sudden peace come over me. My tears stopped. My heart rate slowed. I felt like I was being hugged. I distinctly remember the presence of the
Holy Spirit. And it spoke to me. And I heard God tell me that I did not have
to HEAR to participate. My Christ Walk
had little to do with what I was HEARING and everything to do with what I was
doing in my life.
Throughout the
years, I have come to realize that God gave me other gifts besides my
hearing (and now my cancer). And I have learned that I can
manage my disease through exercise, good nutrition and managing my mind, body,
and spiritual health. I invite you to
join me in the Christ Walk program to see how the Holy Spirit can transform
your life, mind, body and spirit.
Christ Walk is a 40
day program designed to prepare yourself mind, body and spirit to lead a
Christ-filled life that is also healthy.
In 1 Corinthians, 6:19, Paul states: "Do you not know that your
bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you?"
Our bodies house
the gift of the Holy Spirit. Very few of
us treat our bodies like temples.
Rather, we make choices that treat our bodies in a careless fashion. We eat too much, drink too much, fail to
exercise, misuse medications, stress too much and make choices that do not care
for this body that has the Holy Spirit within us. We do not treat ourselves like temples.
Lent is an
opportunity for us to relook at our everyday habits, not only spiritually, but
also physically and mentally so that we can turn to Christ in all of our
choices, not just in our prayer life. A
Christ-like life, is something that we should chose to try and live each
day. Not just on church holidays.
This Lent, you have
chosen to do the Christ Walk program.
What does this mean? Instead of giving up chocolate, or sweets or other
temptation, I ask you to take a walk with me.
Christ Walk is a Lenten devotional that uses walking different biblical
routes to symbolize the journey we take with Christ in our everyday life. You will choose a biblical route to walk this
Lent. They are listed in the appendix of
the Christ Walk book. You will choose
one of the routes that appeals to you. There are many different routes you can symbolically
walk during the next 40 days. You will
collect miles towards your route in different ways. You can walk, bike, swim, volunteer or pray
in order to earn miles towards your route.
By the end of Lent, you will have collected enough miles towards your
chosen route and completed your journey.
Some examples of
the different routes you can walk include the following: One route is the distance between Bethlehem
and Jerusalem; signifying the journey between Christ's beginning and his end. Another route is the "Via Delarosa, or
the Way of Sorrows. This route is the
journey Jesus made as he walked through Jerusalem towards the cross. There are several routes from Paul's
missionary journeys. There are many
different routes to choose from. You
will choose a route that calls to you.
If you are unable
to exercise, each 15 minute block of prayer, volunteerism, or outreach
opportunity you take on will count as a "mile" towards your goal. Christ Walk is designed for anyone at any
level of fitness to participate. In
fact, I have had Christ Walk participants in wheelchairs and walkers that have
found ways to earn miles during their Christ Walk journey. Your miles, however you walk, run, bike, swim
or pray through are steps you can use on your walk with Christ.
The goal of Christ
Walk is to build a strong temple so that we all can continue to do the work
that Christ calls us to do in the world.
God does call us to
change. We are called in our baptismal
covenant. We are called when we confirm
that we are members of the body of Christ during confirmation. We are called daily to represent God's love
here on earth. This is not just a call
of prayer, but also a call of action.
Being a Christian is all about everything we DO and every way we ACT and
the CHOICES we make not only with one another, but also with ourselves.
When I was growing up, I used to say Christmas was
my favorite holiday. My father, a priest, would always say that Good Friday and
Easter were his. This always made me scratch my head as a child
As I have grown older, the gift of Easter grows
each year and I have come to think of it as my favorite holiday. I use the
Lenten period to prepare myself mind, body and spirit to receive the gift of
God and strengthen my skills to use myself in God's calling in my life. Lent is
a time that we can spring clean our lives mind, body and spirit so we are
prepared for the springing of Easter. Lent is my time to rededicate myself to
God's calling in my life.
Lent is not something to drag one's heels. Rather,
look with anticipation the coming journey and the change God can make within
you. At the end of this forty days, You WILL be a changed person.
In closing, I would
like to share with you the Christ Walk prayer:
The Lord be with you:
I will try this day to walk the path set
before me
I will try to walk a little longer, a little stronger
I will walk with my mind, body and spirit
I will walk with others, I will walk for others
I will walk when others cannot
I will be still and know that you are God on the days I cannot walk
I will walk with you Lord, on the path you set before me
When my own feet fail, I know you will help me get up and walk again
I will imagine what it would be like to walk in Christ's shoes
And try to live my life as though I was on Christ's path
I will pray that I walk the path I am called to and not turn down paths I am not
Today, Lord, on my journey I will Christ Walk
And I am thankful that you Christ Walk with me too.
Amen (Used with Permission, Christ Walk: A 40-Day Spirtual Fitness Program, 2015, Church Publishing Incorporated)
Come, Christ Walk with me.
