Lent began today. Before Rick Warren, Lent was the original 40 Days of Purpose. Though I come out of a church culture that doesn’t typically invest much time or energy in observance of a huge chunk of the traditional Christian calendar, I have been drawn to Lent for several years now. I suspect the reason for that pull towards this time of year is because for me, discipleship – learning what it means to follow Christ, and doing it – is what gets me stoked.
There are tons of good resources available (many are on the web if you google “lent”) that can help you understand the theology and history of this season. But I thought I’d throw out my take on Lent, if for no other reason than this affords me a chance to actually capture my own thoughts and think them through. So here goes.
In calling his disciples, Jesus says that if you would follow him, you would deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. In our world today, an extremely difficult part of that equation to flesh out is the “deny yourself” deal. See, between the crazy affluence that we enjoy (whether we admit and/or realize it or not!), and the power that advertising holds over our lives, we consume “stuff” at an incredible rate. More for me, new and improved for me, low monthly payments for me. And all of these things can suck the life out of our . . . life. We end up being controlled by schedules and objects, too often finding ourselves frayed, broken, and out of touch with who we were meant to be. Ultimately, and most dangerously, we lose sight of the One who we are to follow.
And we are in need of repentance. We need to return to our first love. To re-center our lives on the true Center. Lent is the time of the year when our ears are tuned in to the message of the prophet Joel, as he proclaims “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God.” With sackcloth and ashes, we bow before a God who Joel tells us is gracious and merciful, and in doing so, we find new beginnings. Again.
Fulton J. Sheen wrote, in Lent and Easter Wisdom, these words: “As the cross of ashes is traced on our foreheads on this day, may we be reminded that Christ’s conquest of death is our entrance to a new life.”
AMEN.
There are tons of good resources available (many are on the web if you google “lent”) that can help you understand the theology and history of this season. But I thought I’d throw out my take on Lent, if for no other reason than this affords me a chance to actually capture my own thoughts and think them through. So here goes.
In calling his disciples, Jesus says that if you would follow him, you would deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. In our world today, an extremely difficult part of that equation to flesh out is the “deny yourself” deal. See, between the crazy affluence that we enjoy (whether we admit and/or realize it or not!), and the power that advertising holds over our lives, we consume “stuff” at an incredible rate. More for me, new and improved for me, low monthly payments for me. And all of these things can suck the life out of our . . . life. We end up being controlled by schedules and objects, too often finding ourselves frayed, broken, and out of touch with who we were meant to be. Ultimately, and most dangerously, we lose sight of the One who we are to follow.
And we are in need of repentance. We need to return to our first love. To re-center our lives on the true Center. Lent is the time of the year when our ears are tuned in to the message of the prophet Joel, as he proclaims “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God.” With sackcloth and ashes, we bow before a God who Joel tells us is gracious and merciful, and in doing so, we find new beginnings. Again.
Fulton J. Sheen wrote, in Lent and Easter Wisdom, these words: “As the cross of ashes is traced on our foreheads on this day, may we be reminded that Christ’s conquest of death is our entrance to a new life.”
AMEN.
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