By Jack Hurbanis 

 As we enter the season of Lent, Lutherans all over ask ourselves the same question: “Should I give something up for Lent, and if yes, what do I eliminate from my life for these next 40 days?”  

Growing up, this practice of “giving up” seemed much more like a punishment to me – when sweets were sent away and screens turned off, I would beg my dad to allow me to give up doing my homework instead. Unfortunately, my pleas went unheard. As I got older, I moved away from the practice of giving something up for Lent and the season became mostly associated with heading to church on Wednesdays for soup dinner.  

This focus on loss and sacrifice is something I am used to. I’m someone with, what my friends like to call, “pessimistic tendencies.” When making decisions, I often think first about what will be lost and what I’m missing out on. On road trips to visit family in Chicago, we would stop at the Flying-J rest stop to refill the car and buy a snack. My family often reminds me that as a kid, I would become paralyzed in the candy aisle as I could only think about all the treats I would be missing out on when I finally made my decision.  

 

BUT THIS LENTEN SEASON I HAVE RETURNED to the practice of “giving up” and I have realized that reduction isn’t always about what you’re losing. As part of my role at the synod as the Congregational Organizer for Environmental Justice, I am leading a group through a journey of giving up plastic for Lent. To clarify, we aren’t eliminating all plastic from our lives (as that is basically impossible in our current culture) but each choosing one single-use plastic item that we regularly use and replacing or eliminating it from our consumption. My decision was to eliminate plastic-packaged produce from my grocery shopping.  

In putting together this series, I found excitement in “giving up.” In this new lens of not only thinking about losing the things I love, like chocolate covered peanuts or watching television, I have found that there is a lot to gain when it comes to “giving up.” I have gained a sense of purpose as I live out my call to care for creation, a new challenge as I work to keep my commitment, and the opportunity to slow down and examine my own purchasing habits.  

“And I have realized that reduction isn’t always about what you’re losing.” 

So, for those of us who have taken on a Lenten challenge or who find ourselves thinking about what stands to be lost, I know it can be difficult, but it never hurts to remind yourself of what there is to gain. 

To help you remember some of the wonderful things that nature holds for all of us, I’ll share this prayer that we closed our first Lenten Plastic Session with: 

 We thank you, God of the sun and the moon;  

of the mountains, deserts and plains;  

God of mighty oceans, of rivers, lakes and streams;  

God of all creatures that live in the seas and fly in the air; 

God of every living thing that grows and moves on this sacred Earth;  

Help us to love and respect all of creation, to repair what we have damaged, to care for what you have made good and holy. Give us wisdom and the passion to change our minds and hearts and ways. Let us be mustard seeds in our world, bringing about ecological conversion which grows and spreads to every corner of the earth for our sake now and for every generation which is to come.  

We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.  

(God’s Good Earth, pg. 295) 

 

If you are interested in learning more about giving up plastic, check out these resources: