Lent is a 40-day period before Easter, a season of soul-searching, repentance and generally taking spiritual stock. It is a period of preparation that enables Christians to appreciate more fully the joy of resurrection. Lent is a time to let go of things that bind us to the earth, an opportunity to reflect on things more heavenly.

Or so I’m told. Evangelical Protestant that I am, Lent scarcely registers in the practice of most congregations where I worship. But it is a well-established feature in the Christian tradition, one that’s been growing on me in recent years. Indeed, for some time I’ve managed to squelch an increasingly loud series of inner urges encouraging me to keep Lent.

No longer. This letter serves notice that Lent will not pass unobserved in my life this year. And while there are many tried and true disciplines to practice in this season, I’m mapping my own first journey. Here’s what I intend to do—and not do.

First, I will let loose of something I crave—an earthly concoction so delightful that it lubricates the gears of Christian fellowship in congregations around the world. I’m speaking, of course, about coffee, which to me is a habit, a pleasure, an element of my lifestyle I’d just as soon hang onto. I will miss it immensely. The idea is that each time I catch a whiff of coffee or feel the hankering tug of habit (or addiction), I will turn my attention to God instead of indulging myself. If this works, God will indeed be getting a lot more direct attention from me.

Second, I will take hold of something of value. My tool for spiritual reflection this year is a recording of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, a musical masterpiece reliving the events of Jesus’ last days. It is totally new to me. I will be listening to it in conjunction with a book of poetic meditations directly inspired by the Bach oratorio, written by poet and composer John Reeves (Eerdmans). I can hardly wait for March 5 so I can get started.

Forty days without coffee will only seem like 40 days in the wilderness. A season where the music of Bach and the Passion text of St. Matthew resounds is no hardship. Nonetheless, I’m counting on this one small sacrifice and one clear commitment to promote spiritual maturity. I look forward to learning something in this Lenten season.