Lenten Thought of the Week: E-Commerce
Tony’s Lenten Thoughts are responsive to Pastor Will’s Sunday sermons. Linked here, you’ll find the corresponding sermon for this week’s Lenten Thought. Linked here, you’ll find Pastor Will’s Field Guide to E-Commerce.
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Dear Friends,
Welcome to the third week of our Lenten journey. This week, Rev. Will offered a bold, countercultural invitation: what if part of our Lenten discipline involved giving up Amazon—or other forms of instant online shopping—even if just for a week?
This was not framed as punishment or guilt. Instead, it was framed as awakening: a chance to lighten what burdens us, clear space in our lives, and pay closer attention to what truly nourishes. Indeed, this is the heart of any kind of fasting. Fasting is not about negative self-denial or punishing the body. It is a spiritual practice of letting go—of releasing something in order to focus more fully on what is life-giving, healing, and sustaining.
Technology makes it easier than ever to act on every impulse, to consume without pause. But Lent invites us to pause, to notice, and to ask whether the habits we have formed are truly serving us—or if we are, in fact, serving them.
So, as we continue through Lent, consider this week:
1) What forms of consumption feel automatic in my life?
2) Where can I pause and ask: do I really need this—or am I just trying to fill a void?
3) What is one small, doable action I can take this week to interrupt the cycle—perhaps by choosing to wait, to repair, to reuse, or simply to go without?
4) Could I choose to support a neighbor instead of a corporation—like buying fruit from someone selling it out of a truck instead of ordering from Amazon Fresh or a big-box retailer?
As you consider these things, here's a prayer to ground you:
Gracious God, in a world of constant consumption, teach me (or "us," if you can pray this with someone) to desire what truly gives life. Help me let go of what weighs me down so I may make space for You. Amen.
If you have a thought to share or questions to ask for all of us, I encourage you to post a reflection.
Blessings on your journey,
Tony
PS: If you missed any of Rev. Will's sermons, you can check them out on our YouTube Channel or on Apple Podcasts.
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