Nika Spaulding

Kay Daigle

Why celebrate Lent? In this episode of the Beyond Ordinary Women Podcast, Nika Spaulding joins Kay Daigle to discuss all things Lent. Although we may think that Lent is only for Catholics, Anglicans and other liturgical churches, it isn’t. Nor is it all about fasting. Celebrating Lent means focusing on Jesus as we prepare our hearts for Easter.

So how do we celebrate Lent? How does it work and who should participate in it? When did Christians begin celebrating this season? What are its benefits? What is fasting all about? How should we celebrate it? Nika deals with all of these questions.

We encourage you to plan ahead to participate in Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday, which occurs March 5 this year.

If you prefer you can watch this episode on video.

00:21 Introduction to Lent

Kay >> Hi. I’m Kay Daigle of Beyond Ordinary Women. Welcome to this podcast and video episode of the Beyond Ordinary Women Podcast. We are so glad to have you with us today. Today, our topic is “Why Celebrate Lent?” and our guest speaker is Nika Spaulding. Welcome, Nika.

Nika >> Thanks, Kay. I’m excited to be.

Kay >> I’m always so happy when you join us. You give us such a depth and wealth of information, and it’s so encouraging and positive. A few months ago, and it seems like just yesterday, Nika and I recorded an episode “Why Celebrate Advent? We talked about why we thought that was a great thing for Christians to do. At that time, we decided we would do one on Lent as well.

And so here we are. It’s already time. It doesn’t seem right!

Nika >> Doesn’t seem right. I feel like it was yesterday.

Kay >> I can’t believe we’re talking about Lent. And you know the day we’re recording this, we still have a little bit of time. But still it’s coming up and it won’t be long before it’s here.

Nika >>Yeah.

Kay >>  And I suppose since we talked about the fact that neither one of us had ever celebrated Advent until we were adults. You didn’t grow up in the church, and I grew up in a non-liturgical church. And we just kind of thought that Catholics do that. We don’t; we’re Protestant.

So I’m assuming that you and I are the same on Lent, that we didn’t practice Lent until we were adults as well.

Nika >> Yeah, exact same. I would say the biggest difference was I probably didn’t even know Advent existed until I was an adult. But Lent I did know because of the very thing you’re talking about because I had buddies who are Catholic. I remember seeing them with ashes on their head and not being able to eat certain foods, and so I knew Lent existed. But to me it was this kind of bizarro thing that once a year my Catholic buddy’s did.

That was the extent of what I understood about it.

Kay >> Yeah, and all my Catholic friends— I heard them at school talking about what are you giving up for Lent? What are you giving up for Lent? And I thought, this just seems . . .

Nika >> Yeah. Why would I give up anything?

Kay >> Why are you giving up anything? And they weren’t real happy about it, so it didn’t make me want to celebrate Lent. You know, I just, I have to give up something. Is that the whole purpose? And they didn’t seem to be getting anything spiritual out of it. They were just complaining about it. So yeah, I never saw myself as celebrating Lent.

It was quite a surprise. And I started doing it because I had two friends who had together gone to some Lent services and decided to do it. And they decided to invite me. I think maybe they’d done it two years, one or two years, and they invited me to go. And of course I was a little bit uncomfortable because I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it was very meaningful to me, very meaningful.

Nika >> I would say I probably started celebrating once I got to seminary and really started looking into church history and started seeing just the beauty and other church traditions. I would say it really started for me as my own personal devotion through Lent. I didn’t really do anything corporately, and I never attended an Ash Wednesday service when I first started celebrating Lent because my churches didn’t do them. So the ones I had been attending all those years didn’t have them. And I’m sure a whole host of friends probably invited me. And I just never went.

But I would say in the last eight years, being a part of a higher liturgical church that I planted—we celebrate Ash Wednesday; we celebrate Lent. And I am so grateful that that rhythm was instituted. I saw a lot of people had similar experiences that we’re talking about in our church where they either never attended church growing up at all or they were in non-liturgical churches or non Catholic churches. So they were always a little hesitant when we had Ash Wednesday, you know, you can tell there was a little—“Are we supposed to be doing this?”

Then after the season, I mean almost every person I spoke to, they are so grateful we did it, so grateful we emphasized it. And that’s why part of you and I talking about this series is not just because it’s interesting, but I’ve seen it impact people in really significant ways in their lives and in their rhythms with the Lord. So I think it’s a really beautiful heritage for the church and something that I would encourage any Christian to participate in.

Kay >> I totally agree. Well, just for the sake of those of us out there like us who didn’t really understand what it is, can you give us some background and explain it to us?

Nika >> Yeah, so the word we use for Lent comes from an old English word for like lengthen is the way is pronounced, and it’s for this season where the days begin to lengthen. I’m laughing as I’m thinking about this because can I before we hit record, we were talking about how we don’t particularly care for winter. These dark days are not for us. They’re for the dogs.

But in the spring, we get longer days, we get longer daylight. And so Lent is always in the spring or it has been over the last 600 years. And so that word reminds us of this season where the days are getting longer. It is 46 days before Holy Saturday, the Saturday of Easter weekend.

But we call it 40 days because we don’t count the Sundays. So it’s 46 days but basically count backwards 40, 40 days. And that’s when Lent begins and it always begins with Ash Wednesday.

What it has historically been, and what’s interesting when I say historically, it’s a very old church tradition. I mean we have from at least the fourth century, maybe even earlier authors like Athanasius and Augustine talking about Lent. In fact, Augustine (I don’t agree with him.) says all the other fasts are voluntary, but if you don’t fast during Lent, you’re sinning. I’m like, Okay, but it does show you just how significant it was for the early church.

And so it’s a season that’s kicked off by Ash Wednesday, goes into a holy Saturday, and then you end it with this massive Easter culmination celebration. And then that season, those 40 days are marked by fasting, repentance, and especially on Ash Wednesday. It’s a day of repentance and reflection and also almsgiving.

A big part of the church was just not only fasting, but also giving, especially in that season. And so it’s a longer period throughout church history that we’ve been celebrating. It’s a time of fasting, a time of almsgiving.

The reason why we don’t count the Sundays, depending on the church tradition you’re in, you stop fasting on Sundays. And I think this is really sweet. And I know that there are some traditions, especially in the East, that actually fast all the way through all 46 days.

But for a lot of traditions and the one that I’m in, you get to enjoy what it is you’ve been giving up on Sundays. And part of the reason why we do that is a reminder of yes, in this season we’re preparing ourselves for Easter. We’re preparing ourselves for this big celebration but historically and in reality, Jesus already did rise from the dead on Sundays. So we take Sundays off as these many celebrations throughout that season of Lent.

Nika >> Yeah, that’s exactly right. And if you if you’ve given up chocolate, what an incredible way to celebrate. On Sunday, you get chocolate back or you get, you know. So, yeah, I mean, the things that people sort of get back on Sundays, it’s a beautiful reminder of Jesus has risen from the dead. And on Sundays we don’t fast and we celebrate.

And that’s what every Sunday, all 52 of them really, should be our celebration every week of what Christ is done for us. But it’s especially, I think you especially feel it in a season where you are fasting. And so the fasting in the early church—they fasted. I mean they would from, you know, sunup to sundown—no food, no water.

Now, in most traditions that I’m in, people give up something. So they might do some food fast. I don’t know a lot of people in my circles that give up food for that long of a period, though, plenty do. People all over the world do that.

But a lot of folks think about what is it that I could give up that would allow me to then focus on Christ and what he’s done for me in this season.

And so, like, I don’t know if you have any in recent memory things that you fasted for. I’m like, I know I’ve done no media, which is which you’d be amazed at how much media you consume and how much more time than you have to do. It’s like—I’ve done media; I’ve done certain foods before; I’ve done different types of fast during Lent throughout the years.

Kay >> Yeah, I’ve given up different sorts of food. When I did that, I particularly loved Sundays because desserts. And I did give up desserts one year and you know, you’d find me every Sunday eating dessert. It made it easier to make it through the week, you know, knowing that Sunday was coming and when that happened, I would be able to have something fun to eat.

In the morning I like to work like crossword puzzles and things. And I’ve given those up several years, just various years, because I can spend a lot of time doing something like that. And I just felt like I needed to take that time and focus on the devotions I was reading and time with the Lord and just give it up.

Nika >> What about adding in rhythms? Because I think that’s the other piece that people—it’s often thought of as a season of fasting. But the reason we fast is in order to receive more of this, you know, sort of rhythms of spirituality. And so have you ever added things like devotionals, different rhythm things during that season?

Kay >> Yeah, I’ve had devotionals every single year. Many of the years I did one of N.T. Wright’s devotionals. He’s got three. (You know the liturgical churches have years A,B,C where they study Mark, Luke and Matthew. I don’t know in what order, but one year one’s A and next B, and one C. You can go online and find out what year it is.)

And I have all three of his devotionals that I’ve read multiple times. But I read other people. So sometimes it’s not so much a daily devotional. Maybe I’m just reading something that’s once a week, and then during the week I’m just adding more Bible reading and things like that. What about you?

Nika >> Yeah, I tend to read a lot of Bible already, so I felt like that was a little, but maybe if I say I’m going to read a little more Bible I was like, “Okay, that’s feels a little cheap.”

So I would say one of the things that I don’t actually tend to gravitate to in my normal rhythms of worship is listening to Christian worship music. That’s just not I usually have a podcast on, I have audible books on, you know, sort of all the things that come into my ears throughout the day tend to be knowledge based. And so there have been plenty of years where I’ve just created a playlist or borrowed someone else’s playlist and spent dedicated time listening to songs that worship the Lord, and talk specifically too, about the cross.

Like you’re focusing a lot about what that season—how significant Good Friday is, how significant Easter is. And so that’s one that I’ve done quite a bit. And I do love Lenten devotionals.

I—in fact, I was thinking when we did the Advent, when we talked about there was an Advent devotional that has excerpts from all these writers and they have a Lent one. It’s called Bread and Wine, and some excerpts from people like C.S. Lewis and all these authors. And so I’m sure we’ll link in the show notes, but I think adding in devotionals where great thinkers have thought about these seasons can be really inspiring. You know, something to really nourish and feed you and set your eyes upon what it is that we should be reflecting on.

I think those are a great way to celebrate the season.

Kay >> Right. I agree. And I have Bread and Wine also, and I’ve done it several times. I really do love that. Another thing that I did two or three years was that I read Fleming Rutledge’s book. Is it “The” Crucifixion or is it Crucifixion?

Nika >> Well, it’s the purple book. The big yeah, the big thick one.

Kay >> Very big and thick! And it was really I mean—I would spend a lot of time each day reading that. And so that’s only for somebody who really wants to dig into it. But it was very meaningful to me to do her book as well, which is a different kind of reading than a devotional, you know. But it all draws you closer to the Lord, and that’s really what you want during Lent.

You’re looking forward to Easter and you want to be prepared. You want to prepare your heart and your soul and your mind for Easter.

Nika >> That’s exactly right. I think, you know, in asking this big question, like what is Lent? If we could sum it up, the way I would sum it up succinctly is it is a time of preparation and that, you know, in the same way we talk about Advent, there are these two massive days in the church calendar, Christmas and Easter, his birth and his death and resurrection.

And it is so important that those days can just come and go. I mean, they can just whiz right past you. And we’re talking about the God-man who vanquished our enemies, saved the world like cosmically reordered reality in those historical moments. And I think having a couple of weeks dedicated to prepare yourself to celebrate in a way that really honors the Lord and allows you that moment, that’s what Lent is. It’s preparation and it’s something that you can join with believers all over the world and all over history and getting yourself ready for an event. If you only meditated on Easter morning, you’ve robbed yourself of the privilege of spending time to prepare your heart, your mind, your soul and your strength, as you say, for that big day.

Kay >> Is there any other way that you want to talk about that Lent matters?

Nika >> Yeah, I think so. When we, you know, when we talked about in the beginning is something that we experientially said, “Oh, that’s something Catholics do.” I mean, that is truly what I hear from so many Protestants still today when I talk about Ash Wednesday and I talk about Lent.

And while that is historically somewhat true that it is a tradition that Catholics have consistently from the beginning carried forward, it is not a Catholic tradition. It is a church tradition. And if you choose to not participate in Lent because you have mistakenly been told or believe that it’s only something that certain church traditions do, I think you’re robbing yourself of that season of preparation.

So I jotted down, you know, sort of what that season can prepare you to reflect upon. So one of the things that allows you to reflect upon is the reason why we do 40 days. It actually mirrors Jesus’s 40 days in the wilderness.

And there’s a lot of 40 days or 40 years, you know, you’ve got the wilderness wanderings, you’ve got Elijah’s 40. But Jesus goes into the wilderness and for 40 days and 40 nights and he fasts. And then when he is tired and hungry, and I’m sure thirsty and wants a pillow at the moment, it is like great physical difficulty of the fast, here comes the enemy to tempt him with things.

Any soul not properly aligned to God would desire things like fame and power and all of these things. Jesus is the final perfect man that we are to follow because he perfectly says no. So this season of fasting allows you to participate in some ways as Jesus fasts and allows you to reflect upon, “Wow, you know, this is difficult for me to give up dessert.” Or even if I gave up food, to do it for 40 days and 40 nights like Jesus did on our behalf—to say no to what the enemy was offering him so that he could say yes to saving you and me is a really important part of this preparation time.

So, one, it allows you to reflect on that.

Two, It allows you to reflect upon your frailty. The reason why we start with Ash Wednesday is Ash Wednesday is a reminder that from dust we came; and to dust, we shall return.

You know, part of the reason why I think we go through life not preparing ourselves for these holidays is because we just go through all of life—we’re just churning, we’re just moving; we’re just doing the next thing. When we do that, for those of us who live in modern Western context, that means we often don’t wrestle with our own mortality and we don’t often wrestle with our own frailty. There are intrusions in our life when we lose someone, when we get diagnoses. And there are times in our life when we have to come to grips with the fact that we are, in fact, mortal and we are human.

What Lent allows us to do is to do that, but in a space where you’re reminded—but Jesus conquered death on our behalf. And so while I’m wrestling with my mortality, I also have the good news of knowing that death is not the final say.

Too often we live unexamined lives, and we just we just take the years in as they come instead of taking the time to prepare ourselves to live a life worthy of our calling as the Scriptures call us to. And the only way you’re ever going to do that is if you grapple with the fact that you don’t have unlimited years and the years that you’ve been given they’re gifts and they’re to be used to honor the Lord and to love yourself and to love your neighbor.

And so Lent gives us a time to really slow down and say, “Gosh, I really am . . .” You know, I love the way that the Hebrew in Genesis one talks about—it’s like, out of the Adam comes the Adam; out of the ground comes the groundling. Right? It’s sort of these—like dirt creatures is what I’ve heard somebody call us before. But this idea of, like, we will return, but that’s not the final say. Jesus will, of course, in the end raise us from the dead.

But it is an invitation to consider that mortality. And I think it’s important that we do that.

Especially, I’m I just turned 40, like you know, very recently, like a week ago. And I will tell you, turning 40 is a good mix of people going, “Don’t worry, you’re still young; you have so much life in you, which I’m like, “I’m not worried. I love turning 40,” and people going, “Wow, the best years are behind you,” and so forth. It’s this. . .

Kay >> No!

Nika >> . . fulcrum where I’m going. I know this is good. Every year is a gift from God, but my youth is farther behind me than it is in front of me, and that’s a gift. That’s a gift to have, hopefully someday, gray hairs on my head and to continue to see every new year as a gift from God.

And I don’t have the luxury of ignoring that forever that I am young. And so I think these are important opportunities in these seasons to say, “Gosh, like we are all moving toward the culmination of the end. How do we want to spend our years that God has given us now?” And so that’s another part of it.

Kay >> Yeah. You know, of course, I’m much older than you. My lifespan is, as my husband says—there’s this window of time that we have and it’s closing. And so we’re trying to be very active about what we spend our time doing. Very thoughtful.

What places do we want to go? Things we want to see? What do we want to do while we can?

Nika >> Yeah. And the truth is, yours is shrinking as much as mine is shrinking.

Kay >> And that’s one of. . .

Nika >> Mine might be tomorrow could be. And if we don’t acknowledge that, if we don’t live with that.

I mean, you read the New Testament and the fervency in which Paul writes, which Paul is very aware his time is coming to an end. I mean, people are actively trying to kill him for his religious views and his change and all of that. And of course, we know his life was cut short because of that.

But that fervency that remained ready, remained steadfast. Like gird yourself up. Right? At any moment, the Lord could return. That fervency after 2000 years of church history.

Sometimes I think the fervency goes away because we’re distracted. We’re distracted, you know? Yeah. I could, you know, on my 40th birthday, I could wrestle with my mortality or I can hop on Instagram and “like” videos that cats are running around, right?

I mean, like, we live in a time where if you do not want to face hard things, you don’t. And frankly, I think that’s plaguing my generation and younger generations where we are not facing up to hard things. And Lent gives you an opportunity to remove those distractions and to set your eyes upon what you guys are saying—there is a window; we are vapors.

The Scriptures talk about our lives as if they’re so short. And anyone who has lost folks that they love will say it wasn’t enough time. And so rather than wrestling with that and leading to despair, you in Lent wrestle with that, and you get reminded of the great hope that death is not the final answer.

It’s not the final word on our lives because of Jesus’s death and resurrection. And I get to be—this is a gift. Every breath I take is a gift from God. And I am invited in this season to consider what God would have me do with every breath that I am taking. And I don’t think that it should lead to a neuroses of—Oh, my gosh, we’re running out of time—so much as—Let’s enjoy what God has given us.

You know, Ecclesiastes is a perfect example: It’s—life is short; we’re but a vapor; so love God; love your neighbor; work hard; love your family. That is what Lent invites us into is to put meaning and purpose into the days that God has given us.

Kay >> And just really kind of assesses what you’re talking about. It’s kind of assessing where we are, assessing where we’re falling short; assessing how we can draw closer to God; how that can be more a part of our lives. And I really appreciate that about Lent.

Nika >> Yeah, I mean, perfect example of what you’re saying. One of my roommates a couple of years ago gave up all social media and when she got to Easter, she thought, I don’t think I want it back. I like the lack of anxiety and the fruit of having that extra time of what is producing in me. I want to continue in that.

And I’m pretty sure, I don’t think she’s ever gotten back on Facebook and this was like six years ago. Like, I think she’s just she uses Instagram from time to time. But I think for her, that was a really turning moment because of the assessment and the fruit of Lent.

And so, yeah, so you know, Jesus allows you to reflect on Jesus temptation or mortality. It allows you to reflect on Easter.

And, you know, in that preparation for that season, and to say out loud that God-man came here, died on a cross, rose from the dead three days later, and my entire life was changed. While you and I in our bones believe that, Kay, it is every mitochondria in your soul can be changed by that reality if you just sit and reflect and think. And the implications of the resurrection—what it means for your life, what it means for the lives of those around you, what, how it reorients your priorities.

And so part of Lent is just I don’t want to complicate it. It is a time to think about Easter and to prepare yourself for that life-altering, history-altering, eternity-altering moment. Like one day Jesus hadn’t died for our sins, and the next day he had. Like time changed in that moment. And I think it’s important that we reflect on that.

And then one of the things (and we said this in Advent, too) and I will always say that one of the beautiful things about allowing yourself to do the liturgical calendar is you then are united with believers all over the world. So part of the beauty of Lent is—you’re not supposed to do it alone. You know, you’re supposed to tell people what you’re doing.

I love that it was your friends that invited you and you did it with them because that is the true uniting thing as we ALL are wrestling with our mortality, we’re ALL wrestling with what Easter means and we are doing it.

I love on Ash Wednesday when I go out and I see the ashes on people’s foreheads and I look and I go, “Oh, that’s my sister; that’s my brother.” And I don’t know this person. I’ve not met them, but I know that if they express the same faith and hope I have in Jesus, we will be in heaven forever. And I just saw them in the Target, you know, deodorant aisle or whatever. Like there’s something really powerful about that symbol that unites all of us in that season.

Kay >> Well, if you see me on Lent, it just looks like I’ve got darker hair here in the middle because my bangs kind of cover it. Just a dark spot, you know?

Nika >> Yeah, I am someone who’s administered the ashes a lot! It’s funny how often I have to do this motion. You know, otherwise my first year ever I didn’t do it. And I got it just in one of the girl’s hair. She was like, “You didn’t even touch my forehead.” I was like, “I’ll do it again. Let me, let me have another chance.” So the bangs do hide it a little bit, but we know it’s there, Kay. We can see it.

Kay >> Well, I’m not sure anybody knows what it is. It just looks funny.

Nika >> Yeah, I love that. So, yeah, I think it’s Lent in that preparation. You focus on Jesus. If you focus on your own mortality in some ways, you focus on others because you realize you’re connected. And then that focusing on others also is an invitation for repentance. And so there, there is an opportunity throughout that season as you’re assessing, like you say, to be reconciled, like as you get closer to Easter.

Part of that reflection is going to be—that’s the day that God reconciled the whole world to himself, and that’s the day that he knocked down the dividing wall of hostility to unite Jews and Gentiles, slave and free, male and female, black and white, American and Ukrainian and Russian and Uganda. All of that falls under the lordship of Jesus.

One of the things that Lent can also be is a time where if you in your reflections are sensing—I have some broken relationships—it is an invitation for repentance and repair. I think that cannot be emphasized enough in our lives that if our lives are going to be marked by the seasons of Jesus, then we are meant to be ministers of reconciliation. And that is another thing that Lent provides.

Kay >> Yes, it really does. And that was one reason I loved the book, The Crucifixion, so much as it really, it really made real what Jesus went through.

Nika >> Yeah.

Kay >> And really brought that to feel real in my life. I’m not just thinking, oh, well, Jesus died on the cross, you know. No. No, there was a whole lot more to it. It was much worse than we imagined. When we see our cross in the church, it’s just, you know, it’s just more than that.

Well, we’ve talked some about how to observe Lent. Do you have any other suggestions?

Nika >> Yeah, I love that we talked about it. Start with (because I do think you don’t want to overcomplicate it) so here’s what I’d say. One of the things that I would do is if you were in a church that doesn’t celebrate Ash Wednesday, but you have a friend who does, invite yourself. (Which— we should all be inviting our friends anyways.)

So if you are in a church tradition where you do celebrate Ash Wednesday, invite your buddies. It’s a great time. It’s a beautiful time. But that’s what I’d say is—I think to start this season with an Ash Wednesday service. That often helps because I know for our Ash Wednesday services, I often talk about what Lent is, how I personally am going to celebrate it.

And even have encouragements for others. And so that’s why I’d say if this is your first time ever thinking about celebrating Lent, you don’t have to go it alone, so to speak.

So that’s what I’d say. I would do that and think in sort of three categories for your first Lent.

And I would think, is there something I could give up that as I give it up will allow me to focus on Jesus.

I would ask myself, is there something that I can add to the rhythms of my life? A devotional I can read?

The Crucifixion is phenomenal. I mean, Fleming Rutledge is one of the best thinkers of our generation. It’s a lot. So if you’re not accustomed to reading big chunks and this your first, you know, Lent, I would say go for it if you feel motivated, go for it. It’s fantastic.

But there’s plenty of Lent devotionals that will take you five minutes.

And I would encourage you to read it in the morning because it’ll give you a chance for the rest of the day to kind of sit there, and it’ll, you know, it’ll marinate.

And so I would think about giving up, adding something.

And then the third thing I would think about is in the grand history of almsgiving, is there something you can give, whether it be your time, your money? Is there an organization? I think about just even the process of just like thinking about who you want to give to or where you want to give to you. That’s also formative.

And it’s a way to—Jesus gives himself for us on Good Friday and Easter. And so it’s a way for you to say—as the person who’s made in the image of Jesus and Jesus is the ultimate giver—he withheld nothing from us, including his very life. What can I give in this season that will allow me to then participate in Easter in that way?

So that’s what I would do. I would encourage you to think in those categories.

And then get a buddy and ask them to do it with you. Then talk about what you’re doing and then check in on each other.

Because part of the beauty is to say, “Hey, how’s that fast going?” Not just make sure you’re doing it, but to say what’s happening inside of you as you’re fasting. What are your conversations like with the Lord as you’re fasting? What are you learning about yourself? What are you learning about, you know, the crucifixion? And so that, I’d say, do it with someone and ask each other really intentional questions.

And I think you’ll find the season will be exceedingly fruitful as you prepare for Easter.

Kay >> Yes. And pray along the way and say, “God put the people in my mind whom I should invite, give me the thoughts of where I should give or how should I give myself, how I should give my time, how I should give financially—whatever, because God is always faithful to point us.

And it may be that over the course of the 46 days that he will point you in many different directions as far as ways to give to others.

Nika >> Yeah.

Kay >> Yeah.

Nika >> And then I’d say the last piece of advice, the end of Lent is Easter. And so I’d say go nuts on Easter. Like—you should be in a church that celebrates, and I mean celebrates! I know of churches that do, you know, mimosas at sunrise, which depending on your church tradition, is a good or a bad thing.

But I just mean use that day apart for you and your family, go to church, celebrate your church, sing your favorite songs, and then do something as a family or as a roommate group or as an individual to say, “I’m setting this whole day apart as something really special.”

And when you talk about N.T. Wright, he talks about in Surprised by Hope, his book, where he talks about how churches should blow their entire budget on Easter. You know he’s saying like we should be, it should be a day where our neighbors go, “Wow, this is a big day for you,” you know, bigger than the 4th of July, bigger than even Christmas, for him.

You know it’s the day for us when you look at the Old Testament and you look at the Day of Atonement in Leviticus and you say, well, that’s a big day, you know, where all the sins of the community are atoned for. And it is a very important feasting, celebratory day after a season of repentance. The correlation for us would be Easter.

And I would say in addition to your church, at the end of this season of Lent, celebrate big, do something big, go out to a nice meal, you know, call your loved ones, do something big. Celebrate Easter as a way that is fitting and honoring of what Christ really did accomplish on that day.

And as I said, after a season of fasting, we’re supposed to celebrate. And so I would say go nuts on Easter would be the last bit of advice.

Kay >> I love that. That’s a great word. Well, thank you so much, Nika. I really have enjoyed this time talking about Lent. It’s truly one of my favorite times of the year. And for somebody who never understood anything about the church calendar, that’s saying a lot that this is that important to me in my life.

Let me mention that we have more resources from Nika and all sorts of topics. She has been our guest many times. I can always call on her and she’s willing to come talk about something, and we discuss what that might be. And that’s how we come up with Advent and Lent this year.

But we have many resources that you might want to go to. If you’ll go to our website beyondordinarywomen.org and just search for her name, you will find some of those resources. They will come up and you can grow in your knowledge and understanding of all sorts of things. She’s talked about justice in the Bible. She’s talked about lament, which I think is really, really important in our lives. It kind of goes along with Lent. She’s talked about what does it mean to be the image of God and she’s talked about things like Millennials and Gen Z to help us understand other people better or if we’re of a different generation.

So her topics are very broad and we’ve enjoyed all sorts of conversations. So I hope you will just search for her name on our website and also I hope that you will decide to observe Lent this year. And if you have any questions or need anything, just contact me at beyondordinarywomen.org.

Nika >> Love it.

Kay >> Thank you Nika. I hope to see you again soon.

Nika >> Yeah, same, Kay. I so love doing this. This is so fun.

Kay >> Yeah, we love having you.