Lent and Getting Back to Basics

The 40 days of Lent are a wonderful time for Christians to explore deeply our relationship with God and God’s creation. Everything we need to survive and thrive is on this planet, this blessed and beautiful gift, yet it is in peril because we have collectively forgotten to be grateful and to honor and care for our Earth home. Lent is an opportunity to become increasingly aware of the impacts our decisions have on the Earth and the magnificent and fragile systems that sustain us. It is a time when we can reflect upon how changing our daily choices can serve God and bring about repair and restoration to Creation – God’s Creation — that is now groaning with record-breaking heat, drought, and super-storms.

A number of organizations and denominations have prepared materials to assist congregations in this exploration, both during and after the Lenten season.

Lent 4.5 is a seven-week faith formation program which inspires and informs Christian communities on how to use the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to protect God’s creation, embrace Gospel justice, and nurture spiritual fulfillment. It offers practical opportunities for people of faith to apply the values of Christian Simplicity to their everyday lives. The materials are rich and varied.

The third annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast, sponsored by the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ, will send you daily e-mails on how to reduce your carbon footprint. Sign-up is easy, and you can join them on Facebook.

There is a lovely Caring for Creation calendar published this year for Catholics by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate Justice, Peace, & Integrity of Creation in Washington, DC.

The United Church of Christ is sponsoring Mission 4/1 Earth, 50 Great Days April 1 through May 19, 2013. The vision is of one united church on a shared resurrection witness for Planet Earth during 50 great days of greening up, powering down, and shouting out.

If you are aware of more Lenten resources, please “like” NCIPL on Facebook and post them there, or contact us at info@ncipl.org.

— Dr. Kathy Shea, NCIPL Co-Director

North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light (NCIPL) is a program of the North Carolina Council of Churches. NCIPL works with faith communities to address the causes and consequences of global climate change and promote practical, hope-filled responses through education, outreach, and public policy advocacy. Please visit our website for information on our current programs, campaigns, and events.