Formation—Easter Preparation

Spiritual disciplines position us to become open
and available to God’s invitation.

By Carmen Fleming
Orlando, Florida, U.S.

Calendars influence us more than we realize. Their power lies in reminding us of important events that shape our identity, bind together our communities, and deepen our relationships. The benefit of the Christian calendar is that it trains our hearts to be countercultural by celebrating who God is as reflected in Jesus.

Lent is a season of self-examination through spiritual practices like prayer, fasting, acts of service, and worship.[1] These spiritual disciplines position us to become open and available to God’s invitation to change and the grace to respond to him. They are simply the means to place us before God who takes this simple offer of ourselves and creates a person who embodies the goodness of God — one who can come to truly love his enemies. [2]

As Jesus works to transform me, he has helped me to see how much I have been shaped by my cultures. The American culture instilled in me self-sufficiency, independence, and productivity. The Latin culture instilled the importance of relationships, family loyalty, and community. I benefited from these cultures, but I often struggle to receive God’s invitation to be still to listen and learn from him. Because family loyalty and relationships are so important to me, I struggle to let God have the last word on who I am. Through prayer and reflection Jesus invites me to discern what love calls for at any given moment, even if it means placing family loyalty, productivity, and independence secondary to a greater allegiance to his will.

Jesus continues to smooth the sharp edges of my personality and to empower me to die to distorted images of God, myself, and others. The small tastes of freedom and God’s promises of restoration keep me hopeful of full deliverance.

This prayer from Henri Nouwen can help frame our prayer time for the season of Lent:

The Lenten season begins. It is a time to be with you, Lord, in a special way, a time to pray to fast, and thus to follow you on your way to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, and to the final victory over death.

I am still so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success, pleasure, power, and influence. Help me to become deaf to these voices and more attentive to your voice, which calls me to choose the narrow road to life.

To find spiritual practices that invite the Holy Spirit to do deep inner work in us these questions from Matthew 6 are helpful:

• • How will I give? (v. 2–3) Lent is a time for “giving things up” balanced by “giving to” those in need.
  • How will I pray? (v. 5–13) As we “give up” some of our usual distractions, it creates more space for prayer. Perhaps there is a prayer practice (such as fixed hour prayer) that God is inviting us to during Lent.
  • Who do I need to forgive and from whom do I need to seek forgiveness? (v. 14, 15) Seeking forgiveness and offering forgiveness creates space for God’s grace to flow in our lives.
  • How will I fast? What is distracting me from my relationship with God? What do I need to abstain from to create more space for God and attentiveness to God? (v. 16-18)
  • What earthly treasures am I attached to and how can I let go? The way we use our time, financial resources, and energy reflects what we treasure. Is there any specific way in which God is inviting us to “let go” of our attachment to some earthly treasure — at least for this season?[3]

As we pray, fast, and serve, may the Holy Spirit transform us deep inside where it matters most to him and where it matters most to us as ministers who point others to Jesus.

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For further reflection during the Lent season, you might find a booklet by Ruth Haley Barton useful: Lent A Season of Returning, Reflections for Walking through the Lent Season Together.

[1] Understanding the liturgical calendar | ResourceUMC 12/10/25

[2] Connecting with God, A Spiritual Formation guide

[3] Lent: An Invitation to Return to God – Transforming Center