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).
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. 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.
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