Good morning, Friends!
Yesterday began the Lenten season for those of us that follow the Christian calendar. We now wait in anticipation for Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Many people have been discussing what they will be abstaining from during this season. Brooke and I plan to do a dietary fast of all processed foods for the later part of the Lenten season. But I know some who wonder, “What’s all the fasting about!?” For some, Lent is marked as a season of dreariness. During the forty days of Lent, many churches recall Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness before the commencement of his ministry. Not a fun time I’m sure. For some people this seems to simply be the manner in which the Church induces guilt on people. But let me make a few observations in relation to this:

Everybody Smile!
Our culture likes to be happy. When parents are asked what they want for their children in life, many will respond, “To be happy.” We do lots of things to distract ourselves from the hard spots in life. The spectrum of distractions is huge. Some go shopping, some drink, some surround themselves with people, some throw themselves into work… you get the picture. But by and large these are simply distractions from the pain of life. We are trying to manage a facade of happiness. But happiness is not joy. Happiness is mostly temporary. It is often also the mask that hides the sorrow we are attempting to cover. Joy is something much deeper and it requires a level of contentment with “life as it is” that happiness does not offer.

During the season of Lent, we are faced with the harshness of our lives. We recognize that we need the Resurrection. We recognize that we need Christ to break the spell of death that pervades our lives: relationships die, our favorite pets die, the real estate market is dead and so on. For those of us that have perceived the season of Lent as a guilt-inducing tool of the Church, maybe we need to reconsider the season of Lent as the Church’s beckoning of us and our culture to a reality check. A reality check that says, “Life isn’t easy. We all know it. Let’s admit it together.” The brokenness of humanity is something we all share, it unites us. And that is freeing, don’t you think?

Bondage or Freedom
Throughout Lent, many people abstain from eating red meat, chocolate, alcohol or coffee. For forty days our fast hangs from our leg like a ball and chain. We wait for Easter just so we can pig out on chocolate bunnies, have a mocha or crack open a cold one. This perception of fasting is one of bondage. But there is another way to view fasting: freedom. “Freedom?!” you ask. Consider what I wrote about the difference between happiness and joy. What are the things the eek out the joy and contentment in your life? Chances are you’re in bondage to things that keep you from experiencing real joy and contentment in life. It’s part of being human–we constantly do this to ourselves. It’s why we need Jesus to bring us Resurrection.

I mentioned above that Brooke and I are going to do a fast of all processed foods. We did this last year and we discovered freedom. At first, it seemed difficult to eat meals that couldn’t be prepared in a flash… and sometimes I just wanted carne asada fries really bad! But after that fast, we realized how much our food effects us. Eating unhealthy and quick-to-prepare food often doesn’t stay with us long enough, so we eat more. Sometimes it assists in mood swings. We had realized that we didn’t need to eat this kind of food to live a healthy life. In fact, sometimes the food we typically ate kept us from living a healthier life. So, a fast that initially we perceived as enslaving ended up being a freedom from unhealthiness.

This Lent season, you might want to consider what it is that enslaves you. Maybe you are rung with guilt about your family life. Could it be that this Lent season, you should turn your cell phone off after work for the next forty days so that you aren’t distracted by calls from the office and can instead focus on your loved ones? You may find after forty days a level of joy, a balance between work and family that you didn’t know was possible. Maybe you need to skip out on your favorite TV show for the next few weeks and instead serve at a soup kitchen or visit with an elderly person who doesn’t get out much. Rather than going to the bar alone each night after work, maybe you should try going to the park and praying… just for forty days. Chances are there is something in your life that if you gave it forty days to either abstain from (bad habits, addictions) or add in (service, spiritual disciplines) you will find freedom, contentment and joy on the other side.

I invite you to celebrate Lent this year. Trust me, with the perspective I’ve encouraged above, Easter morning will be richer than before. Our community will be celebrating Lent each Sunday for the next few weeks leading up to Easter. We meet Sunday nights at 6pm at the Hawthorn House. Feel free to e-mail me or visit our website for more details.

Here are a few resources for you:

- A good synopsis of Lent can be found here.
- Life on the Vine by Philip Kenneson discusses the meaning of joy in a biblical and practical manner in chapter 3.
- Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster discusses fasting very realistically in chapter 4.
- A personal reflection of mine on the significance of Resurrection in our culture from Easter last year on my blog.

Dates to put on your calendar:
- February 23 at 6pm: The Ecclesia Collective Info Night in San Diego - come find out more about the Collective and what we look forward to in the future (e-mail me for details and to RSVP)
- March 8 at 6pm: The Ecclesia Collective Info Night in North County (e-mail me for details and to RSVP)
- March 21 at 7pm: The Ecclesia Collective Good Friday Gathering (e-mail me for details)
- March 23 at 7am: Easter Morning Celebration* (e-mail me for details)
* This Easter, we would like to invite individuals and other missional/organic faith communities in San Diego county to collaborate on an Easter morning gathering. If you are interested please e-mail me.

–
Paz,

Jason Evans

Brooke and I are working on a cookbook idea and we are looking for contributors with recipes from missional/new monastic/intentional communities across the US. If you are interested in contributing, here’s the details:

- we’re looking for recipes that feed large groups of people along with,
- stories of hospitality around the table of a faith community
- stories of the life of a faith community
- preferably healthy and inexpensive recipes

If you are interested shoot me an email at jasonevans [at] gmail [dot] com.