Lent
Nearly everybody in America has heard of the Tony Award® winning musical Fiddler on the Roof. The major theme in the book by Joseph Stein is Tevye’s attempt to maintain his family and Jewish traditions while modern ideas lure those around him away.
This theme works well because of its universal
appeal. This is the age-old battle between generations. Life in the Church is not immune to the pull
of this battle. However, we owe it to ourselves, our progeny, and The Lord to
make sure we break from the cycle and make our decisions based on a proper,
Biblical perspective. Remember, “We’ve always done it that way” is no reason to
do something, and no reason to not do something either!
This
is the “long awaited” third installment on the topic of Lent.
Some folks put way too much stock in tradition and others too
readily dismiss it.
This is not intended to be a scholarly rendition on the observance
of Lent. Rather, my intent is to shed a
bit of light so that folks can relax about it and gain from some version of its
observance.
It seems to me that Baptists and Protestants get a little too
worked up attempting to distance themselves from things that Catholics do,
things that are not necessarily on the list of things that Catholics “do” that
are wrong. Additionally, Baptists tend
to lean away from liturgical practices such as observance of the church calendar,
and even the teaching of church history that appear “too Catholic”. John Calvin labeled Lenten practices as superstitious. Of course, any practice can become superstitious,
so let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. In spite of objections, some quite notable, I
would say that there is something to be gained in an observance of Lent. Naturally, some of the traditional aspects
such as mandatory alms, a sin-indulgent pre-observance “sin holiday” such as is
usually called “fat Tuesday” and penance will need to be combed out. Let’s just call it “Lent light”.
Though some of the usual practices are undesirable, I think
that we can agree about the benefits of fasting, prayer, self-discipline, practicing
solemnity, and contemplating Christ’s sacrifice. Am I interested in promoting rituals and
practices that pass as spirituality?
No. However, I am interested in
promoting customs that stir introspection and solemn meditation upon all that
the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ mean to us as Christians.
Lent is observed for forty days, plus Sundays, before
Easter. The 40 days is said to be a
reflection of Jesus’ forty day fast in the wilderness. There are other examples of the number forty
being associated with God’s redemptive plan such as Noah’s forty days and
nights of rain and the Israelites’ forty year trek in the desert. God has often used symbolism in His Word and
when dealing with His people. I like
symbolism. Among the beneficial
practices of Lent, there is usually some sort of mild self-discipline and
self-sacrifice involved. Many will
abstain from meat, or sweets, or something else by which they are tempted to
indulge. Some will give up TV or other
entertainment, or distraction so as to more thoroughly focus on Lent. The main things that I am interested in
are: prayer, devotion, fasting and
sacrifice.
Before I go further, I think that I should make it clear that
I am not advocating anything so extreme as to threaten health or well-being,
and am certainly not advocating prescribed or imposed measures. Each Christian should decide for himself what
he shall do. While resisting the overly
drastic, I would also shy away from sacrifices that are “too easy”. For example, I don’t think that there is much
to be gained by children “giving up” their veggies, or dads giving up watching
football that is now over. Also, giving
up wrong behaviors or sins cannot count because that is called obedience and
should not wait for Lent to be given up and certainly should not be taken up
again at the conclusion of Lent. And,
although there is nothing wrong with talking about how you are observing Lent
with friends, lost or otherwise, I think it’s important to avoid drawing undue
attention to what you are doing or being overly dramatic about how greatly you
are sacrificing. The important thing is
to choose something that will take some effort without being such a distraction
that meditation and devotion are hindered.
Don’t worry too much about how others observe Lent. Simply observe the season in such a way as to
heighten your awareness of and meditation upon what Easter means to you, and to
us all.
This year, we will be using a devotional guide by Paul Wesley
Chilcote, The Song Forever New. It
is available in hard copy and e-version.
We used his devotional guide for advent and enjoyed it.
Read more about Lent Here:
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