Slow Work of Spring
Practicing Lent and Making Space for New Growth
I’m “doing Lent” for the first time in my adult life. This really just means I’m joining the long tradition of the Church—the great cloud of witnesses—by following the Christian calendar and paying closer attention to the spiritual significance of seasons like Advent, Lent, and Easter.
I grew up in the non-denominational, 80s and 90s American charismatic stream of Christianity, and I was educated in the public school system, where anything remotely religious was largely ignored. So, I honestly didn’t even know what a “church calendar” was until I moved to London at 18 and began attending an Anglican church. Since then, I’ve spent years reading, listening, and learning—trying to shape a worldview rooted first in Scripture and tradition, with my personal experience as an important but secondary guide. The Christian life is multi-faceted, but the order in which we receive truth and live it out matters. Tradition helps orient us; we don’t have to start from scratch.
When my boys were little babies, we began observing Advent together—reading prayers and poems, lighting candles, and learning to anticipate the coming of our Savior into the world. It felt easy and enjoyable, like layering something sacred and warm onto our already beloved Christmas rhythms. But Lent is different.
Lent is also a season of anticipation, but it comes by subtraction, not addition. It is a stripping away—a deliberate removal of the crutches, the leeches, the twisted growths that cling to us like invasive vines and threaten to choke out the seed of Christ in our hearts. In these 40 days leading up to Easter, we are invited to follow Jesus into the wilderness, to shine light on what’s hidden and harmful, and to seek the help of the Holy Spirit to overcome it—because we know we cannot do it alone.
Historically, Lent has been a season set aside for prayer, fasting, and reflection, culminating in the joy and glory of Resurrection Sunday. My friend Corne says this about it,
The early Church saw Lent as a season of preparation, a time to strip away distractions and focus entirely on Christ’s journey to the cross. It was never meant to be a legalistic burden but an invitation to deeper communion with God. In a world that rushes past reflection and glorifies busyness, Lent offers us something countercultural: a call to slow down, to be still, and to remember.
He’s right to call it countercultural. Our global internet culture offers a spectrum of busyness, from hustle-at-all-costs ambition to the self-glorifying pursuit of “me time”—with barely a glance toward God. Even among the wellness influencers who champion rest and reflection, there’s little attention given to shining an intentional light on the parts of our lives that stifle real spiritual growth—and even less mention of repentance.
It’s clear: the way of a disciple must be different.
One of my Lenten practices this year is reading the late Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. In it, Peterson describes repentance as “a no that is a yes”—a firm rejection of the flesh, the world, and the enemy of our souls, in order to say a wholehearted yes to the life of God within us. He writes, “The usual biblical word describing the no we say to the world’s lies and the yes we say to God’s truth is repentance. It is always and everywhere the first word in the Christian life.”1
Lent, then, becomes our invitation to embrace that often painful no—not for its own sake, but for the sake of a holy yes.
This spring has felt different—quieter, with fewer outside obligations and more space for inward (Lenten) reflection. There’s time now for reading, soccer games, swim lessons, roast chicken dinners, daily walks down the driveway, and long, meandering phone calls with friends. I’m feeling the full weight of the “middle” part of this life, and honestly, the pace is both breakneck and excruciatingly slow. It’s not all buttercups and breezy afternoons—some days bring unrelenting storms. And yet, I’m hopeful. As every spring since the beginning of time has promised, growth is coming. This is the season for seeds to take root. The beauty will come in time.
Speaking of beauty—if you are searching for a way to deepen your appreciation for truth, beauty, and goodness, you may want to subscribe to Novo Modo. It’s streaming content crafted to equip and inspire the creative believer, even if you aren’t in an official ministry position. Think: a bite sized musing on why beauty matters, or a long form course on the theology of worship. There is a collective awakening happening in the body of Christ right now around the importance of beauty and this is the perfect way to join in that movement.
We are a little less than two weeks until Easter, so there is still plenty of time to begin observing Lent. Would you spend some time in prayer today and ask God how He would like you to do that? I know He will guide you and breathe new life into you by His Spirit over this season. And if you are already observing Lent, shoot me an email or leave a comment and let me know how it’s going!
Until next time,
SBL
Peterson, 23.
This is great!