Lent is what we call the 40 days of preparation leading up to Easter. In ancient times it was a time of catechism preparation leading up to baptism at Easter. Lent is a time of spiritual preparation, practice and contemplation. It's a time of remembering and reflecting on who Jesus was and is and what his life, words and sacrificial-living shape the way that we live.
Oftentimes people give things up (bad habits or practices that distract us from God) in view of journeying with Jesus in his suffering. In other words to seek greater empathy, to love as Jesus loved.
Sometimes people take something on, a new spiritual practice or habit that's more healthy, in view of accomplishing the same thing during this spiritual season.
In 2025 we’re inviting you to do try out several spiritual practices as a rhythm of growth, discovery, spiritual maturity and activisim.
You can try three different practices:
Scroll down to learn more, which you can also find in the linked PDFs.
If you’re going to commit to practicing one of these spiritual disciplines throughout Lent, please EMAIL PASTOR MONTE so that he can follow-up and include you in small group gatherings with other folks on the same Lenten spiritual journey.
Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina, meaning "divine reading" in Latin, is a traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading, meditation, and prayer intended to promote communion with God and deepen understanding of scripture. It involves a slow, reflective reading of a passage, followed by contemplation, prayer, and resting in God's presence.
Lectio Divina is an ancient tradition, with roots in the earliest of Christian monastic traditions. It is reading scripture by focusing on listening. It's a way of praying with scripture, emphasizing listening to God's word rather than simply studying it. Lectio Divina is not about dissecting scripture, but about entering into a personal encounter with God through his word. You might say it’s praying with and through scripture by turning up the heart and turning down the head (not your smarts, but the constraints of our busy ever-thinking minds.)
There are 3 suggested ways to try out this prayer practice in Lent:
1. We’ll gather on Fridays in Lent at 12pm on Zoom (just like for Sunday Service) for a 30 minute Lectio Divina session.
(Fridays, March 28, April 4, 11, 18) - o Join Zoom Lectio Divina CLICK ON THIS LINK:
2. You can also do Lectio on your own by using this suggested process:
• Select a space that is comfortable and meaningful where you can have uninterrupted time to be still.
• Imagine that God (as you understand God) is with you in the space you have chosen and is filling it with love.
• Be present - making certain that your feet are firmly on the floor. Breathe deeply.
• Lectio (Reading): Select a passage, or ask Monte for some ideas. Then read the passage slowly and attentively, allowing words to resonate.
• Meditatio (Meditation): Reflect on the passage, pondering its meaning and how it applies to your life.
• Oratio (Prayer): Engage in prayer, responding to God's word and expressing your thoughts and feelings.
• Contemplatio (Contemplation): Rest in God's presence, allowing the word to sink into your heart.
• Give thanks for whatever you have experienced. Journal. (Consider bringing any part of your experience to your next Journey Group gathering to process our spiritual journeys in Lent.)
3. You can also do Lectio Divina with and through an excellent app called Pray as You Go. They present a daily lectio divina and examen guided prayer. You can find them in your favorite podcast store, and or online at https://pray-as-you-go.org/.
The Examen Prayer
The Examen is one of the spiritual practices we’re proposing for Lent 2025. It has been attributed to the spiritual exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th century Jesuit. The Examen invites us to consider our authentic selves in the presence of God and through our various experiences of our life’s circumstances. As we discern our experiences, Ignatius believed we could learn about our actions and intentions - our faithful (or not) responses - as consolations (that which draws us closer to God) and desolations (that which draws us away from God). As we become aware of these consolations and desolations, we are empowered to find ways to give more meaningful praise or to make more meaningful change. We’ll gather together later in Lent as a Journey Group, to share about our own spiritual journeys through this practice. Stay tuned for dates and times!
Suggested process:
• Select a space that is comfortable and meaningful where you can have uninterrupted time to be still.
• Imagine that God (as you understand God) is with you in the space you have chosen and is filling it with love.
• Be present - making certain that your feet are firmly on the floor. Breathe deeply.
• As you inhale, ask God to bless you with insight on the Examen exercise of the day.
• As you exhale, ask God to show you the places that need awareness and places where connections happen or don’t. (Our theme for this season is Awarenesses and Connections.)
• Consider each Examen exercise in conversation with God. (10 min or more)
• Give thanks for whatever you have experienced. Journal. (Consider bringing any part of your experience to your next Journey Group gathering.)
Opening – 1st week 3/23-29
Examen Exercise: Recall the last occasion where you were an invited guest and consider where/how you felt the Most Supported (included) and where/how you felt the Most Compromised (excluded).
• Use a journal or book to record your thoughts…
2nd Week of 3/30-4/5
Examen Exercise: Recall the last public event you attended and consider where/how you felt the Most Seen (acknowledged, relevant) and where/how you felt the Most Unseen (invisible, irrelevant).
• Use a journal or book to record your thoughts…
3rd Week of 4/6-4/12
Examen Exercise: Recall your best celebration ever and consider where/how you felt the Most Authentic (honest) and where/how you felt the Most Guarded (hidden).
• Use a journal or book to record your thoughts….
4th Week of 4/13-20
Examen Exercise: It’s been 5 years since COVID and the world shut down. Recall your time during the “Shelter in Place” and consider where/how you felt the Most Loved (belonging) and where/how you felt the Most Unloved (dismissed/insignificant).
• Use a journal or book to record your thoughts…
The Practice of Boycott
A Lenten Fast from Corporations: A Call to Spiritual Resistance
A spiritual practice of boycott can be a way to align actions with values, expressing dissent or promoting justice through non-violent abstention from products, services, or organizations. It's a form of resistance, discipline, and collective care, reflecting a commitment to ethical consumption and social change.
A boycott is a nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, often for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. They can be deeply spiritually significant as boycotts can be a way to put your money where your values are. Practicing boycott can demonstrate a commitment to ethical consumption and social justice, and also a form of resistance against injustice or exploitation, allowing individuals to stand up for what they believe in.
Boycotts can foster a sense of community and collective action, demonstrating the power of people to effect change. Some people also view the practice of boycott as a form of personal repentance for past complicity in systemic injustice, a step towards spiritual growth.
What Does the Bible Say about Boycotting?
Boycotting is never mentioned in the Bible, yet we can use what we have learned from the Bible to form an ethic around this matter. God wants us to have unity in every matter as the body of believers. Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”As this passage tells us, it is important that we live at peace with others. God doesn’t want us to actively stir up trouble or cause pain for others. Are boycotts about causing pain or working towards a life of peace and unity? In a way it depends upon your point of view. And as a church we’ve centered ourselves in the four concrete ethical statements of 1. Choose mercy, 2. Speak the truth, 3. Practice justice, 4. Protect the vulnerable.
Peaceful Boycotting
Martin Luther King Jr. was a monumental figure during the Civil Rights Movement. He used his voice to speak up for equality and peace. King took part in boycotts and protests, yet they were always peaceful, and he utilized Scripture. Think of the Montgomery Bus Boycott that was identified beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. It began with Rosa Parks not giving up her seat on a public bus. It then was reinforced by a church organized boycott of all the city bus system until equality was established and practiced in seating on the bus. It took a year of intense organizing and solidarity. Part of the boycott included people giving other people rides and folks choosing to walk rather than ride the bus (a form of sacrifice and resistance). It forced the bus company to deal with great financial loss, knowing that the way to end it was through a reformed more ethically just form of doing business. When the boycott ended, it ended -without violence.
The Context of Today and Lent 2025
Today the Black Church in particular has been calling for a time of boycott during Lent. Some call it a Target Fast, intentionally not shopping at Target to communicate that their rejection of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts is wrong. If you’ve shopped at Target in the past years you’ll have noticed that they’ve celebrated and sold many products (thus making
money) from DEI related celebrations such as Black History Month and Pride. Fasting from Target is a nonviolent way of saying you can’t have it both ways. This boycott fast has been led by Rev. Jamal Bryant and the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. CLICK HERE for a helpful article.
Other boycotts at this moment include: Tesla owned by Elon Musk who is chairing the DOGE effort of cutting federal spending (such as Medicare, social security, and education). Mark Zuckerberg who owns META and now claims that there should be no rules about online posting and that there is no such thing as objective truth. Jeff Bezns who owns Amazon and Whole Foods, and the Washington Post who has positioned his businesses as ones that will not speak against the injustices his newspaper got famous for covering, and with which his companies have made him fabulously rich.
Some Ways to Practice this discipline.
Identify what ethical values are important to you, such as acknowledging diversity, fair-labor laws, the rejection of hate speech, or speaking truth against unjust practices and actions. Then identify what company, or companies, are related to that practice and from which you might fast in terms of your money, time and attention.
Make a plan. If you shop at Target (like most of us do), you’ll need to find somewhere else where you can purchase all the myriad products you usually get a Target. Why are you choosing that store? Is it because of their shared values or that they’re locally owned?
Imagine that God (as you understand God) is with you in this boycott. What would God have you do with your money, your time, your attention, and your intention? Be mindful when you shop. Think about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, who it impacts. Before you make a shopping list, or shop, meditate on that. Pray for the ends that you’re working towards. Pray for the people that your action can help in terms of dignity, quality of life, and safety.
How does your practice of boycott align with our four concrete ethical statements of 1. Choose mercy, 2. Speak the truth, 3. Practice justice, 4. Protect the vulnerable? How are you living into that Jesus-centered vision?
What are you learning about yourself through this practice? Maybe in terms of how you envision and use money? Or time? Or how much power the desire to consume and by has in (or over) your life?
Give thanks for whatever you have experienced. Consider journaling about your experience.
We’ll gather all the practitioners of boycott together for a debrief meet-up after the Lenten Season. Let Monte know if you’re doing this practice so that you can be included. EMAIL LINK.