What is Lent?
In our pandemic-induced isolation, a date threatens to pass without our notice. Tomorrow (as I write) is Ash Wednesday. On this date, some of your friends may receive a cross smudged on their foreheads. They probably did not get this from an infant playing with markers; it was likely intentional, and is a symbol of religious observance. It is a mark designed to recognize the beginning of Lent.
Today (Tuesday), many who enjoy a good party will celebrate Mardi Gras. (For the language-challenged, Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday.” Social-media “experts” on fat may shudder at the phrase; but the idea is that people get one last bash at celebrating before Lenten sacrifices begin on Wednesday.)
“Whether or not you celebrate Lent, Ash Wednesday or Mardi Gras, their origins are actually in the Church Calendar.”
Whether or not you celebrate Lent, Ash Wednesday or Mardi Gras (or Carnival, Carnaval, Carnevale, etc.), their origins are actually in the Church Calendar. For numerous religious traditions around the world, the day before Ash Wednesday (Mardi Gras) is also known as Shrove Tuesday. It is the last day of Shrovetide, or the period prior to Lent itself. (Our unfamiliarity with terms/phrases like Shrove Tuesday, or Quinquagesima [the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, 50 days before Easter] reflects Evangelicalism’s general avoidance of liturgical formalities ... an avoidance less common outside of western, informal expressions of Christianity.)
Since the earliest centuries after Christ, Jesus-followers have felt the impulse to reflect on Jesus’ first coming and work out how they might also sacrifice something as an expression of love for Christ and His mission. Shrovetide, virtually unheard of today, begins on the Sunday before Lent (though traditions vary), and observers mark this time with introspection, confession of sin, and a consideration of Lenten sacrifices one might make during Lent itself.
Observance of Lent was/is the church’s way to remember Jesus within its calendar. In ancient Israel, and for centuries in the church, the calendar was used to retell stories. Mostly stories of deliverance. In many ways, we do the same in our country ... though we have replaced deliverance under Moses (in Judaism) and through Christ (in Christianity) with the American story of deliverance (e.g. July 4th, Labor and Memorial Days, etc.). Which story do you most identify when you look at your daily, weekly, monthly and annual calendar? The loss of awareness of a religious “calendar” is understandable in our relaxed church culture, but may also be a loss to our memories. Leviticus shows us that God taught his people their “story” through that calendar. Is it any wonder the Bible tells us often to “Remember!”? Celebrating holidays (holy-days) is to collectively remind ourselves or our identity and roots. Our story. (When God “remembers us,” he takes action ... not that He ever forgot. When WE remember, it is often a miracle!)
Ash Wednesday begins the 40-day period of Lent. Lent (which excludes Sundays, for those who are counting closely) precedes Easter each year. It echoes the extended time Jesus fasted in the wilderness before beginning his ministry and his trip to the cross and resurrection. The linkage to those 40 days prompts the desire of so many to consider fasting or sacrificing elements in our lives. Of course, Easter is THE central day of remembrance in the year for Christians, and sacrifice in front of that celebration has seemed normal and natural throughout church history.
“Giving up” things is popular during Lent. For many, it is an excuse to go on another diet. For others, giving up things like chocolate (or sugar?) feels like serious sacrifice. For those with faith in Jesus, the impulse to imitate their savior, even if in smaller ways, can be strong. Some “sacrifices” are fairly silly; but others can be more serious indeed.
Should you or I consider such sacrifices this Lenten season? What does Jesus think about such things? Truthfully, there is no easy answer. In our upcoming sermon series on Leviticus, we will learn that coming into the presence of God always required sacrifice in the old system, something that cost the worshipper. But with the sacrifice of Christ, such costs have already been borne. Nevertheless, the impulse to return in kind to our savior remains, doesn’t it? Perhaps the answer to the question is to be found in our motives.
In Hebrews 2:11, we are told Jesus was “not ashamed” to call us his brothers and sisters (cf. the language of “kinship” in Matt 12:49-50). And in John 15:14, Jesus reminds us that he calls us his friends! For those of us who love Christ, he has established a family under his leadership; he is our brother, but also our Lord. The relationship is established due to our trust in him and his sacrifice … not ours. And the gift that we gain due to our faith is a new relationship, with him and with other Jesus followers. If our motive is to respond in thanks, and to give space in our lives for him to do a work in our souls, then small steps of sacrifice during Lent may be appropriate.
Should you consider forgoing something (or adding a habit?) so as to understand the grace of God in a new way?If so, I am quite confident that God will find that sacrifice acceptable. Our current consumer culture, a culture that seem to thrive on paying it great attention while indulging ourselves, might argue otherwise. However, Romans 12:1 suggests that giving ourselves unreservedly to God is always warmly received.Perhaps some of you will look for new ways to give space for God to be at work in your lives.
