Christian Lent begins next week on February 10th and will last until Easter Sunday, March 27th, 2016. Through Biblical exegesis, Christians find guidance for the Lenten holiday in the Synoptic Gospels, motivating them to abandon particular behaviors for 40 days.
Matthew 4:1-2
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Mark 1:13
And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
On Ash Wednesday, many Christians will honor God by anointing their heads with sacramental oil (Matthew 6:17), but they will be abstaining from oils of another kind for the same reason. Participating in a global #CarbonFast, people of faith will either adopt sustainable practices or halt habits that are harmful to God's creation. But Christians aren't the only people of faith getting involved.
Last year, we saw an enormous number of faith communities come together for this 40-day fast, with Muslim associations combining the movements #Muslims4Lent, a show of solidarity with Christians, and #Muslims4Climate, an Islamic call to climate action. We encourage not only Muslims but all people of faith to join the carbon fast, accomplishing two incredibly important tasks:
1) Caring for God's creation
2) Fostering an active dialogue between faith communities
Looking for a faith leader to help you start your Lenten fast? Check out Blessed Tomorrow leader, Rev. Jim Antal, Conference Minister and President of Massachusetts Conference, UCC. Rev. Antal has been at it for years, fasting for the climate with interfaith organizations across America. Check out his campaign here to get started.
Here are some other organizations hosting Carbon Fast:
Green Anglicans
Michigan Interfaith Power and Light
#FastForTheClimate
Happy fasting and may God's light guide you.
Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
"What does God require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?" -Micah 6:8
PLEASE JOIN US IN A LENTEN FAST...FROM CARBON
2016 is the sixth year that we will provide a day-by-day opportunity to fast from carbon as a Lenten discipline. Initiated by the UCC and endorsed by other denominations and faith groups, thousands of people of every Christian perspective – and people who are not Christians – have benefited from this opportunity to become more conscious and conscientious in their daily lives.
New in 2016 - Ash Wednesday invites us into the season of Lent, a time within the church year to acknowledge that we are mortal, limited, so that we might be transformed and become the new life God calls us to be. This year's Lenten Carbon Fast will be structured differently than in the past. While still including uplifting spiritual exercises and informational resources, we will provide a concrete action to take every day.
