When I was seven, my next-door neighbor asked, “What are you giving up for Lent?” I had no idea what he meant. Jimmy was Catholic, I was Baptist, and Sunday was the only day we did not see each other. “I’m giving up chocolate for 40 whole days.” I was impressed by Jimmy’s solemn tone and agreed to do the same thing. “But you don’t like chocolate; it doesn’t count. You must give up something you really like for it to count.” I wanted my sacrifice to count and thought for a day. At age seven, the most significant sacrifice I could think of was foregoing watching “Gilligan’s Island” after school. I ran home every day to turn the TV on in time to hear the theme song, “Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale…”

I can’t remember if I made it to 40 days, but it was etched into my brain that I needed to sacrifice something important for Lent. Since then, I have given up many things, such as coffee or beer (never both in the same year), computer games, or Facebook. One year my congregation had a “carbon fast” where we cut out all unnecessary use of fossil fuels.

Then I hit a time where I wondered if giving things up as a sacrifice was the true point of Lent. Lent is called a “penitential season,” where Christians are encouraged to self-examine in the 40 days before Easter. I’d like to say I am a big fan of self-reflection and personal growth, but if I’m honest, I just tend to overthink things. I like to take on a spiritual practice during Lent, such as meditation, writing in my journal every morning, or reading from the Psalms.

Over the years, some of these spiritual practices have grown to become daily habits. This year, I need to do something different out of my usual rhythm. I meditate and write daily, so I don’t do more of what is in my comfort zone. I want something not focused on self-improvement but on creating new awareness. That is what I want for Lent, new awareness!

So here is what struck me this morning. During Lent, which began Feb. 22, I will spend time listening to soul music. By soul, I mean music from the rhythm and blues, gospel, Motown, and jazz streams of the mid-20th century African American experience. The point of this exercise is to hear words deeply and experience rhythms outside my regular musical and cultural diet. (My favorite Pandora playlists are Billy Joel, Nora Jones, and Aerosmith. It depends on the mood.).

I can hear Jimmy in the background saying that this practice does not count as a sacrifice. You cannot listen to Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin and call it your Lenten discipline. But I have a solid case to make. I want to know why Marvin sang “What’s Goin’ On.” What kind of respect did Aretha want? Maybe I have something to learn from sitting on the dock of the bay with Otis Redding. Blues are all about making meaning and art from life’s suffering. I would tell Jimmy that we refer to Christ’s death on the cross as his passion, and nothing says passion like soul music. If the point is to connect with divine love, then I think listening to soul definitely counts as a Lenten discipline.

What counts for you? Starting Sunday, Feb. 26, we will observe Lent at the Congregational Church UCC in Boothbay Harbor. Our theme for six Sundays will be “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Right Places.” Join any Sunday at 10 a.m. at 125 Townsend Avenue or broadcast on BRTV or Facebook Live.