Can we have Lent without sin?
Why we can't skip what makes us uncomfortable
“…couldn't we leave the word ‘Sin’ out of the title?”
… a question asked by one of the clergy at my field education church in San Francisco.
Home for a break from seminary, I knew the church was not on break. The winter/spring newsletter was getting ready to be published, and last-minute decisions were being made in preparation for liturgy and education. He called because he was concerned about a certain word in the title of my class.
I had been working on a Lenten class designed to open conversation on sin and forgiveness. Having the word - ‘sin’ - in the title of the class was causing concern. I know the question came from a place of pastoral concern. What if the church’s young field ed student worked hard on her “one” class and no one attended?
I, now, look back with a smile. My sense of security didn't seem to be an issue!
I responded to this question by saying - NO - the word ‘sin’ needed to stay in the title. Why not put it out there?
After all, couldn't discomfort and intrigue weave together and create interest?
So what about this word ‘sin’?
It is not a comfortable word. Standing alone, it can feel heavy and even hopeless. Without forgiveness, this word stirs exclusion and judgment.
The word, sin (Chata), in Hebrew was meant to describe missing the mark or the goal. Like a bow and arrow aiming for the center of a target, our aim is also focused on the center. We direct ourselves toward God's love and work to spread that love throughout the world.
Sometimes we lose sight of the center, which can call for redirection.
We are in THE season of redirection. The 40 days of Lent are intended for us to asses our relationship with God and ourselves. It is a time of preparation, a time of discipline. When I was young, I gave up chocolate for Lent (almost every year for a while!). It was a true discipline, an exercise in restraint. And I knew that all the family prayers and extra times at church were in preparation for the rising Son on Easter.
Lent is a time to wrestle with things that can be uncomfortable. As we focus to redirect, there are questions to ask along with honest reflections to understand where we are on this journey of faith. All of this work leads to an experience of forgiveness that prepares for the joy of Easter morning.
In the Episcopal Church, The Book of Common Prayer offers a practice to make these reflections (understanding our sin) and reconcile with God (experiencing our forgiveness). It is the practice of Confession.
Your Life with God is a set of Christian Spiritual Exercises, with Practices to strengthen our souls at any time. Yet Lent is the perfect time to start with the Exercise of Strength, and the Practice of Confession.
Join us in the ‘gym for your soul’…
Confession Practice 1
The YLWG Practices follow the model of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, which include what’s called the ‘examen’. The Examen is 5 -fold daily ‘check-in’ with God:
Wanting to leave the word “sin” out is exactly the problem! We can’t address what we don’t acknowledge. Let’s stop sugar coating everything and get to work. Spoiler alert: where there’s sin, there’s also grace.