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Lent is starting up!
13 years ago
I checked my calendar yesterday and realized that Wednesday (tomorrow) is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. I had not noticed the days slipping by so quickly; and so, where we are, at the start of the first time of waiting, watching and preparation in the Church’s calendar.
What is Lent? Simply put, Lent is the time set apart in year, the forty days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, for Christians to prepare their hearts and minds before celebrating the main events of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Lent is can be seen as the complementing the “other” time of preparation in the Christian year: Advent (ie Christmastime). Where Advent is a time of lighthearted joy in anticipation for the birth of a baby, Lent is a more somber celebration. Not to say that Lent is without joy, but given that it reaches its (first) climax with death rather than a new life, the joy of Lent is more subdued, less immediately realized than Advent joy.
Lent is generally observed by a moderate fast or by giving up of a luxury. Now, right now I’m easing my way into a new Christian tradition (Reformed), and I’m not completely sure how much it makes of Lent. But I do come from churches that have no idea of this Christian celebration at all; I also have the mixed blessing of having friends who see Lent as another way that “medieval people used to earn their salvation” and they end up completely missing the point. To quote Scott Jeffries of Christian Life Hacker
Lent is a time when God is calling you to renew your commitment to him by humbling yourself and sacrificing your wants for the “mercies of God” and “joyful holiness.”
To that I add, just like any sort of devotion, it only means something if done out of a sincere gratitude and love for Jesus rather than for brownie points. Of course, this does make me wonder why I keep seeing people, folks who have no sort of genuine affection for Jesus, celebrating Lent. I suppose, even worse, are those who turn it into another season of self-help life change. But I digress.
What am I giving up for Lent, myself? Allow me to answer the related, unstated “why” question first. I love Jesus, and because of my continual need to remind myself of His grace and mercy, what I give up for Lent will necessarily need to be something that, while not “bad” or “sinful” in itself, has helped to obscure my view of Jesus Christ. There are a few bodily things I’ve tasked myself with giving up, but I suppose that taking another cue from Christian Life Hacker, I understand the importance of body-spirit connection and how giving up a food item can help focus one’s eyes on Jesus and spiritual renewal.
I’ve noticed that when we have sweet tea in the refrigerator, (this being the American South, that’s very often) I’ll literally poor myself a glass without thinking. Since only the intentional life is the only one worth living, I’m going to definitely cut out sweet tea from my diet during Lent. Again, not because sweet tea is bad per se, but because I need a reminder to be more deliberate with my spiritual life and to not merely coast.
It’s going to be a sacrifice, but that’s part of the joy of a fast: replacing whatever was taken away with Jesus Himself.
What is Lent? Simply put, Lent is the time set apart in year, the forty days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, for Christians to prepare their hearts and minds before celebrating the main events of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Lent is can be seen as the complementing the “other” time of preparation in the Christian year: Advent (ie Christmastime). Where Advent is a time of lighthearted joy in anticipation for the birth of a baby, Lent is a more somber celebration. Not to say that Lent is without joy, but given that it reaches its (first) climax with death rather than a new life, the joy of Lent is more subdued, less immediately realized than Advent joy.
Lent is generally observed by a moderate fast or by giving up of a luxury. Now, right now I’m easing my way into a new Christian tradition (Reformed), and I’m not completely sure how much it makes of Lent. But I do come from churches that have no idea of this Christian celebration at all; I also have the mixed blessing of having friends who see Lent as another way that “medieval people used to earn their salvation” and they end up completely missing the point. To quote Scott Jeffries of Christian Life Hacker
Lent is a time when God is calling you to renew your commitment to him by humbling yourself and sacrificing your wants for the “mercies of God” and “joyful holiness.”
To that I add, just like any sort of devotion, it only means something if done out of a sincere gratitude and love for Jesus rather than for brownie points. Of course, this does make me wonder why I keep seeing people, folks who have no sort of genuine affection for Jesus, celebrating Lent. I suppose, even worse, are those who turn it into another season of self-help life change. But I digress.
What am I giving up for Lent, myself? Allow me to answer the related, unstated “why” question first. I love Jesus, and because of my continual need to remind myself of His grace and mercy, what I give up for Lent will necessarily need to be something that, while not “bad” or “sinful” in itself, has helped to obscure my view of Jesus Christ. There are a few bodily things I’ve tasked myself with giving up, but I suppose that taking another cue from Christian Life Hacker, I understand the importance of body-spirit connection and how giving up a food item can help focus one’s eyes on Jesus and spiritual renewal.
I’ve noticed that when we have sweet tea in the refrigerator, (this being the American South, that’s very often) I’ll literally poor myself a glass without thinking. Since only the intentional life is the only one worth living, I’m going to definitely cut out sweet tea from my diet during Lent. Again, not because sweet tea is bad per se, but because I need a reminder to be more deliberate with my spiritual life and to not merely coast.
It’s going to be a sacrifice, but that’s part of the joy of a fast: replacing whatever was taken away with Jesus Himself.
