For many Lent just seems to be too dreary and depressing. Alleluias are buried, and we are told that for the next 40 days we’re supposed to give up something we enjoy, or perhaps take up something we haven’t been doing. Our 40 days are supposed to remind us of Jesus’ 40 days in the desert being tempted by Satan, showing us that Jesus can resist temptation even when we cannot. When those are the definitive perspectives on Lent, it is no wonder that there are not many who get excited by the season.
Allow me to share why I appreciate the season of Lent. It is not 40 days of self-flagellation even in the figurative sense. It is not about tempting ourselves for 40 days without chocolate as if that will compare to the temptation and suffering of Jesus. It is 40 days of anticipation and preparation. Yes, it is a time of solemnity and reverence, but it is also the big build up to the biggest celebration in the church year, Easter! The reason we engage in the ancient practices of fasting, prayer, alms-giving, meditation and others is to center ourselves and our lives on the cross of Christ. In doing so, we enjoy 40 days not of misery, but of heightened intentional engagement in our faith. That is what I really appreciate about the season of Lent, that the practices refine our focus on what God has done for us through Jesus, and not on ourselves or what we are doing, it greatly increases the impact of the joyous celebration of Easter!
So as we journey together throughout these 40 days may all of the practices you engage in, keep you centered in Christ and build up your faith.
Allow me to share why I appreciate the season of Lent. It is not 40 days of self-flagellation even in the figurative sense. It is not about tempting ourselves for 40 days without chocolate as if that will compare to the temptation and suffering of Jesus. It is 40 days of anticipation and preparation. Yes, it is a time of solemnity and reverence, but it is also the big build up to the biggest celebration in the church year, Easter! The reason we engage in the ancient practices of fasting, prayer, alms-giving, meditation and others is to center ourselves and our lives on the cross of Christ. In doing so, we enjoy 40 days not of misery, but of heightened intentional engagement in our faith. That is what I really appreciate about the season of Lent, that the practices refine our focus on what God has done for us through Jesus, and not on ourselves or what we are doing, it greatly increases the impact of the joyous celebration of Easter!
So as we journey together throughout these 40 days may all of the practices you engage in, keep you centered in Christ and build up your faith.
Image: László Mednyánszky [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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