My cell phone has a wonderful feature!! No, I’m not talking about the video chat feature. Though that is pretty great for being able to see our grandson at a distance. I’m not talking about the messaging and social media apps that help me stay connected with people in my life. I’m not even talking about the Amazon app that will track my package and even tell me when it’s out for delivery and how many stops there are before my package is delivered (I think that one is verging on TMI – To Much Information). I’m not even speaking of the navigation app on my phone that will tell me turn by turn, lane by lane, etc. how to get to the destination I wish to arrive at. That one is pretty amazing.
No, the feature I’m thinking of is the “Update” feature. There isn’t even anything I have to do to activate this feature. It simply informs me when there are updates ready for the apps on my phone or for the operating system that my phone uses to function.
Now the reason for the updates is that there might be some new technology available to help the app run better. Or there might be some problems, or bugs, in the older version of the app that was making it not work properly, so the update includes the “fixes.” Or it could be there are simply new ways of doing things, new understandings of how to do things, or there might be some new features being added to the app or operating system. Thus, the need to update the instructions that make the phone or the app function at its best.
Like I said, the update feature on my phone is really wonderful. I only wish my spiritual disciplines, faith development, and understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus would update as easily and as quickly as the apps on my phone do. It seems there’s very little that is quick or easy about updating my spiritual life.
In the book, Spiritual Formation by Henri Nouwen, that a group of us are reading for Lent, Nouwen talks about spiritual formation or growth often coming about through struggle, challenges, and even pain. Yes, it can also take place through blessing, celebration, and pleasure. However, we humans are more likely to change, grow, and take on new behaviors or life patterns when there is discomfort or disruption in our lives. You see, when there is comfort in our lives, we tend to get comfortable…and want to stay there.
Lent is an intended and intentional season for doing some of the hard work of faith development and spiritual formation or updating. It’s a season of asking God questions like, “How can I become more Christ-like in my life?” “How can I better love God and love my neighbor?” “In what ways can I display Christ’s love more fully?” “God, how can I reflect your Kingdom and serve you more fully in my life?” These are just a few of the possible questions one can ask, but the intent is to get us looking outside ourselves, and beyond what is comfortable in our lives so that God might be able to do a “new thing” within us.
The other truth we need to embrace is, just as updates can come any time during the week, month, or year for my phone, the same is true with our spiritual updates. Lent is a great season to focus on spiritual formation and growth, but really, faith growth can and does happen at any point during the year, not just in one six-week season. As we continue our journey through Lent and 2022, may we keep our hearts, minds, and spirits open to the presence of God’s Spirit gently (and sometimes not so gently) guiding us to the places within us where the message has been received, “Updates Available.”
Serving Together,
Pastor Keith