Lent

What is it?

Lent is forty days of fasting leading up to Easter. The term comes from lencten meaning ‘spring’ and was an early Christian devotion during March.  We find hints of this spiritual practice as early as the second century (Irenaeus). By 325 church bishops and pastors from around the world had convened and were discussing a church-wide season of prayer and fasting during Lent.  Cyril of Alexander said that the origination of a spring fast came to us from the Apostles.

 

Why do it?

Athanasius (ca 373) described this 40-Day fasting season as “becoming by grace what God is by nature.”  Its purpose has remained a time of spiritual renewal.  Church tradition has seen this season of spiritual discipline as being a living reflection of Jesus when he fasted forty days in the wilderness and was tempted by Satan.

Three images paint the story of Lent’s purpose:  (1) Wilderness.  Lent is intentional wilderness space when we awaken our ears to the Voice.  We see a flurry of activity with the Voice all around Jesus’ wilderness trek. At the baptism the Voice thunders, “This is my beloved son, in him I take great delight.” And then the Spirit whisks him into the wilderness, once in the wilderness it’s the Voice’s Word that gives Jesus strength to overcome Satan.  Not only is this the case with Jesus, but both Moses and Elijah fasted forty days in deserts and wildernesses, and the Voice motif emerged there as well. In the desert we become acutely aware of the sounds of God and we learn to “not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the voice of God.”

(2) Pilgrimage.  The 40 Days—a long obedience in the same direction—tugs our souls away from the shortcuts, insta-fixes, the get-discipleship-quick schemes, and grounds us in what earlier generations called pilgrimage.  This arduous journey and diet of God is what we really need.  Of all the generations of Christians our generation needs a baptism of patient journeying, the kind that can only come through a deliberately paced season of fasting and prayer.  We moderns have an insatiable thirst for the immediate, the instant gratification.  Journeying for 40 days cures us of impatience and tempers our heart in the fires of perseverance.  Alister McGrath lists several factors of the spiritual pilgrimage: (a) degree of commitment, hardship, self-denial, and discipline. (b) Reflection on the life and teaching of the coming Kingdom of God that the pilgrimage is destined for. (c) Communal bonding as we come to see our journey of faith not as an “individual achievement but as a corporate pilgrimage.”

The final image is the (3) Cross.  Lent is a time where the people of God focus on the life that comes through the Christ’s death.  Where we quiet our soul at Golgotha’s Hill and listen to the words of Jesus as if our very life depended on it. This year’s Lent will hush its heart around the Words from the Cross.  Each week we will devote ourselves to listening to a different saying of Jesus from the cross.

  • Week 1:  “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke)
  • Week 2:  “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke)
  • Week 3:  “Woman, behold your son, Son behold your mother.” (John)
  • Week 4:  “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani” (Matthew)
  • Week 5:  “I thirst.” (John)
  • Week 6:  “It is finished.”  (John)
  • Week 7:  “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke)

 

How does Lent work?

The early church in the West fasted from foods and festivities from Ash Wednesday until Easter, taking each Sunday off and celebrating it as a mini Easter day.  In this way each Sunday anticipates Easter.  Lent in 2012 goes from February 22 through April 8.

Fasting includes the giving up of food.  This is something that everyone can do.  For example, we see Daniel, who had the job of secretary of state in Babylon, fasting often from meats, sweets, breads, and wine.  He ate enough to give him strength (lentils and raw vegetables) and coupled these times with praying three times a day.

Food Management.  We encourage you to fast from alcohol, caffeine, sugars, meats, and breads during the fasting times.  Some may feel inspired to venture out and not eat anything for a couple of days each week.  But we admonish all of you to drink plenty of liquid.

Media Management.  We encourage you to fast from media and entertainment. Replace your media and entertainment time with Bible reading, book reading, prayer and meditation. We will post several book selections that we recommend.

Lent Blog, Prayer and Action.  Each day we will post a devotional that you can read as you reflect on Words from the Cross.  We will also include a prayer that you can pray as a jump-start to your prayer time or as a contemplative prayer.  Finally we will include an action item.  This is something that moves your spirituality from the vertical to the horizontal.  Our approach is tactical in that it engages your head (devotional), your heart (prayer) and your hands (action item), which is the essence and sum of our love and worship toward God (Deut 6:4ff).

Corporate Teaching and  Prayer time.  Each Wednesday Evening we will have a time of teaching and prayer.

  • 7:00PM Teaching. We will dig deep into the Words from the Cross and explain its relevance for the renewal of our spirits.
  • 8:00PM  Instructional Praying.  Teaching on how to pray while we pray.
  • 8:30PM  Personal Prayer Time.  At 8:30 we will dismiss and those who would like to stay and pray will have 30 minutes available to pray on their own.

Lent will be a season for us to delight in the Lord as we become aware and sensitive to his Voice and Presence in our life.