The Selfies of Lent

I’ve been walking on this planet long enough now to have been young, raise a family to adulthood, and now be a spectator in watching what kind of a world my grandchildren are going to grow up in.

To use one of their favorite expressions, “it’s terrifying”. In context, let me declare a few things: I believe Jesus is all-powerful and God is in control of the kingdom calendar; nothing surprises either of them, or happens that is out of their jurisdiction. I also believe there’s nothing new under the sun, aka, this isn’t the worst display of sin and evil a generation has experienced.

That said, I have concerns. The preoccupation, no - obsession with self - is staggering. Social media and selfies prove my point. I mean, did we even eat out with a friend or attend a party or “have devotions” if there isn’t a pic to prove it?

When I see one self-recorded video after another demonstrating how to apply makeup, style a room, prepare a meal or entertain a toddler, etc, I sometimes silently wonder, “Isn't this a little much? Who does she think wants to hear from her so often about so many things?”

A more comprehensive definition of selfie is born:

Self-obsessed, self-loving, self-interested, self-absorbed, self-seeking, self-serving, self-sufficient, self-important, self-admiring, self-indulgent, self-concerned, self-conscious, self-hatred, and plain old, used to be the only one on the scene - selfish.

That’s a lot of selfies.

A practice consistent for spiritual focus during Lent is self-examination. (Another selfie!) Believers in Jesus should stop and take inventory; ask some questions.

The goal of Christ-followers is just that, to follow Jesus. "Come, follow Me" was and is still the invitation extended from the Master, Teacher, Jesus Himself.

Author John Mark Comer breaks the intended expectation down to three simple phrases:

·         Be with Jesus

·         Become like Him

·         Do as He did*

How are we doing?

·         How much time do we spend with Jesus? Every day, a couple times a week, once a week, once a month? Are we alone with Him, enjoying Him or is it just at church?

·       Are we taking on the characteristics of Jesus, becoming/looking more like Him in increasing measure? Showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control – to name a few. Hint – one must know what Jesus is like – study what’s written about Him in the Bible – in order to be successful here.

·      Are we doing the things Jesus did? Do we love, serve, pray, teach, forgive? JMC suggests the true litmus test for growing spiritually is love – can others tell we are becoming more loving?

Oftentimes the way of Jesus is the opposite of the way of current culture. Paul corroborates this truth in Romans 12:2 when he teaches,

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”**

There is so much goodness in that verse. It was a cornerstone parenting principle for my husband and I while raising our children, loving the way as Eugene Peterson translates it:

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”***

Yes, countercultural! One of my favorite words. That’s what I’m talking about, and isn’t that what we want? God wants to bring out the best in us – and our families – which could seep into the culture we inhabit.

An honest Lenten inventory and adjustment (if necessary) will help us achieve this. I even found some healthier selfies for us to replace the others with as well.

Self-denial, self-control, self-restraint, self-discipline, self-sacrifice, self-deprivation, self-forgetfulness, selflessness.

That sounds more like the way of living Jesus taught, doesn’t it? He left us an example worthy of following:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this in mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”****

 Oh that cross, soon to be remembered, lamented and celebrated in just a few weeks.

*Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer

**Romans 12:2 ESV

***Romans 12:2 The Message

****Philippians 2:3-8 ESV

This is Love

 

Some think Valentine's Day love is what is to be celebrated today, but there's something else on the calendar that represents a much deeper, less fickle affection.

Is there anything more wonderful than the beginning of a sacred holiday season? No, there is not. 

The wonder of these sacred holidays is that they simply cannot be fully appreciated and celebrated in just one day (or two if stretched). Not if you want a robust, meaningful celebration at the end - on The Day, that is.

Today marks the 40-day journey toward Easter; Lent begins. Lent is to Easter what Advent is to Christmas - preparation of the heart. A slowing down and remembering just what it is we are annually commemorating.

The focus of Lent is three-fold: the disciplines of fasting, prayer and giving to the poor. 

It's a time to remember Jesus' ministry on earth, why He came. To bring yourself back to where you were and the shape you were in when He called you into relationship with Him and His Father, God Himself. To recall your sinful state and helplessness to save yourself, your need of a savior. The utter joy of being rescued from sin and self and the beginning of a new life in Christ.

I like how Charles Spurgeon puts it:

"Hold a true Lent in your souls, while you sorrow over your hardness of heart. 

Do not stop at sorrow! Remember where you first received salvation. 

Go at once to the cross...this will bring us back to our first love; 

this will restore the simplicity of our faith, and the tenderness of our heart."*

I love that! And I know I could use the reminder, the redirect of my gaze from so many distractions and even from the hardening of a prideful, self-centered heart that shifts sometimes without intention, sometimes with.

Repentance is not a four-letter word. It's a gift. We should welcome it as such. Definition: deep sorrow, contrition or regret over sin, wrongdoing or the like.

It is good for us to spend some time mulling over this dark area of our lives. Trust me, it's not negative because every sin has already been forgiven by Jesus' death and resurrection - do you see where this is going? - to be celebrated on Easter Sunday.

So, let's do the work (is it work?) of walking the road to the cross with Jesus. Taking a long look inside, telling Him what we see, saying we're sorry. Entering into His suffering with gratitude. Enjoying His friendship. Forty days really isn't too long. Most worthwhile benefit usually needs a measure of time, not merely a day.

He is eager to receive us if we've been gone awhile. In John 6:37, Jesus says, "...whoever comes to me, I will never cast out." That's a promise. We have nothing to fear.

I find Lenten fasts refreshing. They breathe new life where boredom or spiritual laziness has crept in. Hard at times, of course - that's the point - revealing what has a hold on me. Whatever I "give up", I replace with a new or more frequent prayer practice and increased Bible reading (the Gospels!).  Emptying and denying for a while bring sharpness and clarity in hearing and understanding the Bible and in prayer. It's supernatural and marvelous, I can't explain it. 

I heard it said once, we thin our lives to thicken our devotion to God, our Father who loves us. 

Spiritual muscles are strengthened. Less time is spent worrying about getting my needs and wants fulfilled and I notice others, try to meet theirs if I can.

I wrote in my journal this morning that I'm hoping for transformation during these 40 days. That I might take on more of the character of Jesus, think more like He does, say things He might say, do what He does. Love better. Less of me, more of Him. 

I wrote about death to Angela a few weeks ago if you missed it. This is the stuff Lent is about. 

Here's the thing, Resurrection Sunday is coming. Honoring it needs to be so much more than just a new pastel outfit, a basket full of candy, going to church and family brunch after. 

Imagine how thrilling the living Jesus and empty tomb you celebrate will be after you've considered your life in honest awareness, confession and repentance of your sins; denied self and decadent indulgences, making room in your busy life for prayer; noticed and generously given to those in need; and entered into the weight of Jesus' suffering and sorrow for a season. This is Love.

Truly, this is the most important holiday of all and we want to be ready to celebrate it with gusto!

Go ahead, enjoy your red foil-wrapped chocolates and other goodies today, given and received in love.

More importantly, may the memory of your entry into faith with your true First Love draw you into a most meaningful Easter season.

*Celebrating the Christian Year by Martha Zimmerman, p. 107

Put it to Death

 In my Bible reading plan last week, I found Job at the end of his responses to his friends' accusations and advice (chapter 31) and his rope, I think. Not only does our suffering friend vigorously defend his reputation (the good old days when people respected me!), but he demands a trial before God. 

Cue the dramatic music. The app host teaches that this indicates pride and entitlement issues even though Job is earlier declared righteous by God. These are betrayed by the crisis Job finds himself in and God is about to deal with them. She went on, "Some trials reveal deep seated issues as nothing else can."

The air went out of my little library I sit in every morning. Don't I know that from experience? Yes, I surely do. Or to put it plain - ain't that the truth? It's been a soul-revealing first weeks of the year and what I've found in the mirror isn't pretty.

Oh, the love/hate relationship with pride and entitlement. Of course, I don't love either - at least I don't say so - but they come out to play when I'm not paying attention.

I'm revisiting a book I read last January - a recommendation from my grown children - to start off my goals for spiritual growth in 2024. It's been glorious and breathtaking (read everything into that) in equal doses. 

Based on the following verses:

I have been crucified with Christ. Gal. 2:20

..knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. Romans 6:6

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Gal. 5:24

And He (Jesus) was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Luke 9:23

Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant...humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Phil. 2:5-7

Did you catch the theme? The Bible tells me when I entered into faith in Christ, I, too was crucified on Jesus' cross. My old self was slain there. "Christ's death and mine are so intertwined as to be inseparable."

Because of this, "God is committed to my dying every day, and He calls me to that same commitment. I should expect every day to encounter circumstantial evidence of God's commitment to my dying; and I must seize every God-given opportunity to be conformed more fully to Christ's death no matter the pain involved."

When was the last time you heard a sermon like this? Challenged to accept that mission? Speaking for myself, we like being conformed to Christ's life, but don't talk much about what being conformed to His death looks like. 

Yet, putting certain things to death has been a sacred echo in my private life for some months now (see Colossians 3). And I know it's a direct answer to my daily prayers to become more like Jesus; to take on the character of Jesus in every area.

The author continues with this possibly painful list (it was for me at 1st, 2nd and 3rd glance - if I'm honest):

"When my flesh yearns for some prohibited thing, I must die.
When called to do something I don't want to do, I must die.
When I wish to be selfish and serve no one, I must die.
When shattered by hardships that I despise, I must die.
When wanting to cling to wrongs done against me, I must die.
When enticed by allurements of the world, I must die.
When wishing to keep habitual sins secret, I must die.
When wants that are borderline needs are left unmet, I must die.
When dreams that are good seem shoved aside, I must die.

'Not My will, but Yours be done,' Christ trustingly prayed on the eve of His crucifixion."

It's ok if you just need to sit with that for a few minutes. I certainly did and do.

Jesus' prayer is the model prayer every true believer and follower of Jesus must adopt. Harsh? Unfair? Unrealistic? Of course not!  

The truths of Christ's resurrection prove that God will not leave me for dead but also raise me to new life too - if only I will allow my "self" to die.

"Indeed, on the other side of each layer of dying lie experiences of a life with God that are far richer, far higher, and far more intimate than anything I would have otherwise known." That's what I'm talking about!

Jesus said it in Luke 9:24, "Whoever wishes to save his life will  lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he shall find it."

It's a good word of teaching to identify with Jesus' death as our own - what we are called to - and that is how we join with Christ and all His promises for new life and life to the fullest! No pain, no surrender, and no death is wasted with God. 

Well, I don't know about you, but that's the life I want. All these things I struggle to let go of (die to), pale in comparison to being free from the power they hold over me.  Of course! Brilliant!

Jesus knows the way to abundant life. He said it Himself: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."* Always with the invitation to come and see.

The thing I love about Job - when confronted with his pride and entitlement, his first humble, repentant response in 40:3-5 was: 

"I'm speechless, in awe - words fail me.
I should never have opened my mouth!
I've talked too much, way too much.
I'm ready to shut up and listen."

Anybody (else) relate?

And then a few chapters later in 42:2-6:

"I know that you can do all things.,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?'
Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will make it known to me.'
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you;
 therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Job's is the proper response to God's questions for sure. I don't believe God wishes us to despise ourselves per se, but our "self" (selfish, contrary to His Spirit appetites, desires and demands) is what needs to be put to death so we can really live.

A healthy dose of who we are and who He is goes a long way in correcting course. Job knows and we can know too.

I wrote my response down so I won't forget.

Father,

How can one learn these truths about you and not ask 'how am I doing'? We both know the answer. Confession and repentance are appropriate and required. I offer that humbly and receive the forgiveness I know you freely give because Jesus purchased it for me on the cross. Put to death anything in me that rears up and demands "give me what I want, when I want, how much I want and the way I want it" or thinks any of this is about me. Like Job, I've talked too much and I'm ready to be quiet and listen.

I wish to be overpowered and subdued by you. Following Jesus is my top priority. You get to decide where we go. Everything IN YOU. As Jesus prayed: not my will, but yours be done. You chose me because you love me and have a plan for my life. It's a good one - far greater than these ridiculous things I think I need and can't live without. Take your time enfolding it. I'll try not to rush you. It's yours. I'm yours. Time is yours. Thank you for including me. Thank you for loving me. That's all I need. 

Love, 

Angela

As soon as the words were out of my mouth a smile creeped across my face. Why, I wondered. Because peace came. I was carrying some heavy burdens and a load too heavy, now transferred to the only one who could bear the weight. I felt lighter and with it came joy. 

I'm so thankful our Father is committed to maturing and changing His children, making us new. Even committed to my dying every day so I can be conformed more fully to Jesus. My job - to cooperate, participate, pursue.

Death first, then the resurrection life. Sign me up. Death to Angela!

*John 14:6

All quotes from A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent