Contemplating the reaches of sin under the guise of piety
By Seth Kinyua, contributing opinion
If you’re anything like me, you’ve already stumbled a bit in your bid to give up some things for Lent. It is unfortunate that the contemporary practice of Lent has come to mean little more than giving up desserts, social media or caffeine.
While there is nothing wrong with sacrificing these things, John Wesley spoke of how these individual works of piety can be rendered deficient if they are not complemented by works of mercy. Giving up various personal pleasures during Lent invites us to step into communion with Jesus who “emptied Himself” (Philippians 2:7), become more aware of our dependence on God and stand in solidarity with those experiencing lack.
For some citizens of the United States, a lack of justice has been their plight since the founding of this nation. While the Declaration of Independence claimed that “all men are created equal,” some men were declared property. This lack of just treatment of our fellow human beings also perpetuated violence against these men through lynching.
Aug. 28, 1955 — a day that history will live to remember. On this day, a 14-year-old boy from Chicago, Illinois, was kidnapped and brutally murdered in Money, Mississippi, after allegedly offending a white woman. Sixty-five years after Emmet Till’s death, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill criminalizing lynching as a hate crime. While we wait for the bill to be signed into law, it is easy for us to critique tragedies such as lynching as being confined to the dark annals of history.
However, this Lenten season offers a critical reminder of the tragic effects of sin left to fester under the guise of piety. The crucifixion of Jesus was supported by the religious leaders of the day; slavery was upheld by a flawed theological framework. As we give up sugar, Netflix and red meat, may we look beyond our individual works of piety towards the works of mercy that animate compassion, repentance and reconciliation.
