Is Lent legit...and why we need it

 

As glorious winter begins its waning (take heart summer lovers, it truly will fade and be forgotten when Spring comes to kick it out!), this current sacred season of Epiphany also is about to end. Right on its heels is Lent, so naturally this is your annual reminder from your sacred holidays obsessed friend that psst! it starts next Wednesday. 

For years I've been making a case that we modern day Christ-followers could (and should) add (or better still, replace!) this holy seasonal cycle to our American, consumer-driven calendars. To live each year (and our very life) centered around the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. 

What a wonder.

Some of us have dipped our nervous toes into the practice of Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas and have not fallen off our conservative high ground. We've benefitted from an intentional, slow(er)-paced December, taking time to remember Jesus' first arrival and raise enthusiasm for His next; a countercultural response to western Christmas hoopla. 

But, what of Lent, another fairly overlooked and undervalued treasure of the faith? Dare we wade into those ancient and possibly ill-understood forty-six days leading up to Easter? Do we have to fast? For what purpose? Does God really care?

Mind if I drop a few helpful thoughts that have educated and enticed me to it year after year?

"Lent gives us the opportunity to live out the story of the gospel, see our need for Christ in a new way, and experience the hope of the resurrection firsthand each year."

Ah, yes! I became curious about it when my soul was unsatisfied with merely a 45-minute Good Friday Service and a high-intensity hour of Easter morning worship slot on my calendar that often was overshadowed by a bunny, some candy and colored eggs. 

That's it? 

Jesus, the perfect and only Son of God, came to earth to live among His creations, suffer and die for all their sin to make a way for them to become part of God's family and receive all His love and benefits, then raised Himself from the dead after three days in a tomb, and we only "celebrate" that for a few hours a year? Then go back to our day to day. How could it be?

I mean, I don't know about you, but I am quite forgetful especially as I age. (I don't want to talk about it.) Do I remember on the regular the state I was in when Jesus came for me? That girl had no hope. Even as a teenager, I was steeped in sin and rebellion, lost. Then Love rescued me and gave me a new life. 

What a wonder.

Decades later, am I "satisfied" with what I've experienced since that day or do I hunger for more? It doesn't take long for me to forget how good God has been to me and how He meets all my needs. How often do I turn to other things to fill those needs?

"Lent reorients our hearts. It forces us to analyze them and determine what we turn to for salvation and gives us a dedicated and intentional time to turn our eyes and hearts to God instead."

Analyze and determine. Dedicated and intentional. Power verbs and adjectives for spiritual purpose! 

Remind you of anything? Hint: Advent.

The difference: During Lent we focus on fasting and prayer and giving to the poor.

We deny ourselves something we enjoy (maybe too much) or are mastered by (that needs reevaluating) and allow the desire and hunger it creates to become a spiritual hunger for Jesus. Yes! Worth it.

The number forty is significant. For you Bible readers, this is familiar. In Genesis 7, God put Noah and his family on a huge boat to rescue them and purify the earth from a forty-day Earth-drenching rainfall that killed all living things due to sin and prior to the beginning of a new covenant relationship with God. 

Numbers 14 tells the history of the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness for forty years for purification from their sin and learning how to become the people God called to be His own before entering the Promised Land. 

Matthew tells us in chapter 4 of his eyewitness gospel account that Jesus fasted for forty days before God's archenemy Satan got to take a crack at Him with wild temptations to sabotage His perfect purity and veer Him off the path of His earthly ministry about to start. 

Pattern? Oh yes. "Each of these events emphasize purification, sin and preparation. The forty days of Lent are intended to reflect these stories from Scripture. For forty days, we reflect on our sin, take steps toward purification, and prepare for the celebration of Jesus' resurrection..." The event that changed all of life and eternity!

The story, of course, does not end with Lent. It leads to glorious Easter! Resurrection! New Life! I dare declare that some work needs to be done in the human heart before the celebration can be all it should be. All-encompassing, completely pre-occupying, a most looked forward to day of the year to give the honor it is due.

What can you give up for 40 days that will remind you to hunger for Jesus and respond to the desire with prayer? 

• Maybe a food item that you would really miss (chocolate, coffee, salty crunchy snacks). 
• Maybe how you spend some of your time (scrolling, playing games on phone, tv watching).

Or add something like a new prayer practice (start and end day with prayer, pray 3 times a day, pray outside) or Scripture memory, or spending meaningful time with someone.

Generously give from your abundance (or from your lack). I usually take this opportunity to sweep through my home and closets with an eye for over-abundance. What can I give to charities or those with a need greater than my own?

A few things to note:

- Fast for 40 days but take Sundays off because Sundays always represent a celebration of feasting on the Lord and His goodness.

- The goal is not self-improvement or building new habits but rather creating room for God that might be taken up currently by other things. 

- Focus on regular confession and repentance - especially of a frequent sin that needs to be put to death.

- It's ok to fail! This proves the point that we are weak and dependent on God. And He doesn't mind. He's happy to fill the void with His love. We will long more for Jesus who saves us and overcomes on our behalf.

There are so many wonderful ways to engage in a Lenten fast. Let the Spirit guide you. Take some time to brainstorm and pray these next few days so you will have clear direction and a plan come Wednesday.

Think about how much more meaningful this most important sacred holiday will be. I personally guarantee this is legit - worth your effort. We will walk the path of Jesus to the cross for forty days and discover who we are, what we need, and how Jesus is the best and only solution.

If you give yourself to forty days of intention it will be life changing. Your Easter celebration will take on a depth of worship maybe you haven't experienced in a while. 

This is no mamby-pamby holiday. Resurrection Sunday is the most important, most life changing, and what sets following Jesus apart from any other attempt to know God. 

It deserves our full attention and participation...with gusto!

Consider yourself invited.

*All quotes from The Church Calendar by The Daily Grace Co.

Light it Up

 One of the things I like about this season of increasing darkness (until winter solstice - December 21 - when daylight starts gaining again) is creative lighting. How many ways can I illumine a gloomy room?

Room lights, hall lights, floodlights, etc. have their place for sure, but it's ambience that I'm after, chasing away the tenebrific shadows.

Bookshelf lights, book lights, string lights (not too early!), dimmers, candles (of course), my new favorite rechargeable, portable cuties (have you gotten some? Oy - life changer!), firelight (even electric), flickering window lights, and more! They must all be warm white, obviously. Just ask my husband. Somehow, these make the dark early mornings and evenings not just tolerable, but cozy. 

I finished my annual reading of the Bible yesterday. It ended with a glorious, flourishing finish. Jesus on page one, Jesus on page 1329, and Jesus on the pages between - all of it all about Him. What a wonder.

As we approach Advent which starts next week and as I sit here in my dim library this morning, I marvel at the last promises written down and preserved for us so long ago. Revelation 21 is a very encouraging chapter (and very appropriate for Advent). Don't miss it. 

Here are a few things I wrote down to both remember in future and be thankful for especially this week (see what I did there?).

There will be:

a new heaven and a new earth.

God will dwell with us in both.

He will be with us and be our God.

He will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Death will be no more; grief, crying and pain will be no more - passed away. (no more - amen?)

He will make everything new. (Everything? Me too? Everything.)

He will freely give the water of life to the thirsty and access to the tree of life.

He will bring blessings and rewards for those who keep His words and those who conquer.

It will never be night there. (No more night?!)

There will be no need for sun or moon (sunlight or lamplight says the Message version).

The glory of God lights it with the Lamb as the lamp. (see John 8:12 "Jesus declared, 'I Am the Light of the World. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the Light and life.'")

Well. 

Hello Advent. I see you. December is the darkest month of the year. One can't help but draw out the benefit of observing this dark season of Advent annually because we long for the Light who already came into the world, Who already shines in the darkness, and we remember to long for these future promises - the second Advent of Jesus. 

During Advent we are reenacting the drama of prophecy and longing and joyous fulfillment that climaxed with Jesus' first coming. We're reliving all those centuries of waiting in the darkness for a great Light to shine.

Friend, if you are in a season of darkness, be of good cheer. Be illumined. The Light has come. The Light will come again. No more darkness. No more night. No more pain, grief or tears. 

What a wonder.

Even so, come Lord Jesus. We are watching and waiting and expecting You.

P.S. This glorious passage in Revelation (a book that deceptively scares many of us too much to read) is another reason to read the Bible from beginning to end. Especially if you dig happy endings.

An August Hello

I wrote the title of this blogpost into the subject line of a recent email I sent to a faraway friend. I intended it as a late summer greeting, but after we exchanged a few notes, I saw something else - a robust salutation. Dictionary.com defines august this way: "inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur; majestic." 

Don't you love it when a simple, common word has two different interpretations? (Unlike the illegal forcing of noun into verb such as, "adulting" - don't get me started on this trend.) The natural dual-purpose idiom jazzes me to no end. 

Changing one letter from upper to lower case amplifies the emotion in this case. It's so good - and in regard to the greeting I want to open this post for you - much more heartfelt than just reminding you what month we're in.

So, an august "Hello!" to you in August. It's been a while. I hope you are well.

I've spent the better part of this summer working on a few projects I want to tell you about.

1. Preparing messages for speaking engagements coming this fall. It is my great privilege to travel to women's events and share from the Bible and my experiences on all manner of topics. My schedule is filling up and I would love to serve your group. Let's compare calendars and see what works. 

2. Finishing my next book. For months I've been writing a book for young women/wives/moms based on the letters I wrote my daughter and daughters-in-law leading up to their weddings. You know, older to younger, passing down lessons learned from older women along the way and principles from the Bible for how to thrive in these roles and seasons of life.

Mentoring has been a passion of mine for what seems like centuries. (Ok, I'm not that ancient, but I am firmly in the older category.) Many olders invested in me when I was a younger, and I simply can't keep all this goodness to myself any longer!

If you're a younger, this book is for you to have a companion for this one beautiful life you've been entrusted with.

If you're an older, this book can be for you too - a resource as you invest in your youngers.

In the weeks to come, I'll be making announcements here, on social media, and via email to let you, my readers, know when and how you can get a copy for yourself and maybe some for your youngers. There will even be bonus material and gifts for pre-orders or multiples. Watch for videos too (We're so hip!).

It's going to be fun!

Title and cover reveal is first up👏...stay tuned.

Ways we can get/stay in touch to be sure you don't miss anything as launch date is approaching:

• Contact me directly to speak at your event
• Subscribe to this blog (see top right corner of this page) so you are notified of new posts
• For all contact information and to subscribe to monthly email newsletter: angelaburtis.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

I would be so thankful if you share this post and/or anything in it with those you think could benefit.

_______________________

P.S. We did this other TINY little thing this summer - a 35th wedding anniversary cruise to Alaska! I prayed for awe and wonder and may have wept at the God-created beauty. (I did) I was speechless (can you imagine?). There is no place like Alaska. I can't say enough so, I'll just show you a little glimpse. 

zoom for waterfall and ice in water

Yes, it was windy...and chilly

Of course I bought yellow rainboots to match my jacket.

Last word - you must see Alaska. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Just get there!

Also, if it applies - stay married. 35 years is a prize to be won.

The Worst Question

 
A Lent buddy of mine is sending me a question a week to consider during these forty days leading up to Easter.

The latest:

What is your favorite question in the Bible? Least favorite? Most powerful? Most reassuring?

We agreed the answers would require a measure of time to sit with and listen for Divine Guidance though an easy favorite popped right into my selfish, self-focused, self-obsessed, greedy mind. 

Jesus asked it to a few, "What would you like me to do for you?" 

Way to go, Angela. (In case it lands as answer to the first question, I hope He smiled.)

This morning the next answer jumped off the page.

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 

and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?"*

These two verses are so troubling. "One of the twelve" means Judas was in the inner circle of the Son of God for three years. He watched Jesus heal the lame, sick, unhealthy by touch and word. He saw thousands of hungry sermon-listeners fed to full of barely an appetizer broke by Jesus' hands. He observed the wind, and waves die down in a tumultuous storm on a lake by Jesus' rebuke. He smelled the body of Lazarus, four days dead, when it came alive and walked out of a burial tomb at Jesus' command. He listened to Jesus teach the truths and heart of God which astonished the crowds with no notes. He heard Jesus pray for God's chosen people, future followers, the other eleven and for him. He felt Jesus' hands on his dirty feet when He humbly washed them. He looked into the eyes of the long-awaited Savior in the flesh and was loved. He even greeted Him with a kiss, the most intimate expression on their last encounter.

Don't even get me started on the way he "went to the chief priests". The chief priests? The highest-ranking religious leaders? These who earlier that day had "gathered and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him."** Plotted together to arrest a man by stealth and kill him? Excuse me?! Where is that written in the Bible as part of the chief priests' job description, acceptable to God? 

Back to the question - the terrible question. One later regretted (understatement), resulting in suicide. Who could bear the consequences of it? Were the thirty pieces of silver he gained actually enough satisfaction for the trade? Apparently so.

We are in the thick of Holy Week now, no turning back. As stated in my last post, the most important week of the year - it truly holds everything.

Kate Bowler put it this way, "Holy Week is a horror movie. And somehow, it's still holy. If it were a movie, we'd all be screaming at the characters: 'DON'T GO IN THERE!' But...in they go."

Isn't that the truth? We're going in too if we dare.

Let's.

Holy Week brings up a lot of questions worthy of our consideration. On this day, Spy Wednesday, the worst - in my opinion written above - can only lead a deep thinker to the obvious self-reflecting follow-ups.

"What would you sell Jesus for?" 

Money?

Power?

Safety?

Security?

Family?

I shudder to think what this heart is capable of here. But I must.

It's good to sit in it, this week in particular. Perhaps a set-up, preparation of the soul, expectant for the gift of newness promised just days away.

Join me?

Just for a little while...because Sunday is coming!

*Matthew 26:14-15

**Matthew 26:3-4

Best Week of the Year

 

Palm Sunday. 

It's kind of a big deal.

Holy Week finishes the season of Lent. For the next six days we will experience whiplash between the highest of highs of Palm Sunday and the lowest of lows on Good Friday.

All of Scripture and our life as the Church revolve around one theme: the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and His triumph over sin and death. We need a whole week to complete our Lenten focus, to pay attention to Jesus' last week on earth, the final days before His human life ended, and enter into the long-awaited celebration of resurrection and new life.

Palm Sunday kicks us off. I don’t know about you, but when I read through the Gospels and get to this day – happy and exciting as it is and should be - I always think, “No! I’m not ready. Not ready to let go of Jesus. Not ready to say goodbye.” I’m thankful we know the end of this story. But the disciples didn’t.

Yet it was a triumphant day for those in attendance that Sunday morning in Jerusalem. A King arriving on a donkey, the crowd waving palm branches, singing "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." We should do likewise. I hope your church had palms for you this morning.

Holy Monday – This day we remember Mary anointing Jesus’ feet in Bethany. The beautiful gift of lavish love and worship. This day we can reflect on what we offer to Jesus.

During this weighty week we become increasingly aware of the way our sin required the death of Jesus. The rhythm of confession and forgiveness is the practice in the life of a growing Christian.

Holy Tuesday – On this day, Jesus entered Jerusalem and headed to the temple. Upon arrival, witnessing those who were profiting from worship, changing money, selling goods, and profaning God’s holy place of worship, Jesus got mad. He overturned the tables and drove out the unrighteousness. He cleansed the temple.

And wildly, He stayed, spending the next days - His last - healing and teaching right there, so the temple could be used for God’s intended purpose: a place for the people to meet with God, learn about Him and worship Him. Amen?

Maybe on this day we can honor this day by cleaning our homes – top to bottom – in preparation. Making space for the holy to come.

Holy or Spy Wednesday – This day we remember Judas’ betrayal – for 30 pieces of silver. Perhaps we can assess our allegiances. At what price do we value Jesus’ life? Would we give Him up for money? For family? For power? For love?

Maundy Thursday – Maundy means commandment. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and declared a new commandment to “love one another: just as I have loved you, you are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

Jesus puts this verse into practice by submitting to the scourging, humiliation, rejection, torture and excruciating death because of His great love for us.

The Last Supper happened on this day. May we remember and marvel that Jesus fulfilled and served Himself up as the Passover lamb that Jews had celebrated and longed for for generations. Spend a little time reading in Exodus?

Good Friday – the day to go to church. Please go to church this Friday. Christians must be together to remember together. It’s designed to be a time of mourning, prayer and repentance. We look on the cross helpless, both grateful and horrified. The bogus middle of the night trials. The scattering of the "believers". The rejection. The outrageous suffering and death of the innocent, the most loving. 

Of course, it will be somber and dark. As it should be. Lament is a very important element of our worship. May we feel all the feelings and confess deeply.

Holy Saturday – or Silent Saturday. Put yourself in the disciples' seats. What in the world just happened? The glorious Sunday resurrection has not yet – they don’t know it’s coming. They should, but they don't. Jesus' closest friends must sit in the silence of what they witnessed happen to Jesus and what happened in their own hearts (which was not pretty).

Holy Saturday teaches us to go through it. It’s a sacred time. So, take away the noise. No music, no media, no noise. Prepare for Easter quietly and reverently.

Because the Big Day – the most important – most glorious and happiest day of the year – is coming! Resurrection Sunday - our annual set apart day to marvel, worship and feast – together! Go wild! Sing! Dance! At church! Then feast.

Brothers and sisters, this is our week to shine. 

To pay attention and participate. 

To read along in the Bible tracking what Jesus was doing and saying those final days. 

To magnify the greatest week in history. The week that changed everything. 

To showcase Jesus, the One and Only, who rose from the dead, fulfilling prophecies and making all things new. Making you new.

Let's engage with gusto. Maybe we will be joined by the curious.

P.S. How about that plant in the above picture? It's called crown of thorns. Check your local florist or nursery to get yours. A beautiful visual.