Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your hearts, with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow; tear your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive. (Joel 2:12-13)
In the years before high school, my family and I were what I would call “church hoppers.” We attended somewhat regularly, but for various reasons we would attend one church for a few years, and then we would find ourselves at another church for a few years. We mostly attended where our friends or family were attending. This same tendency to follow our friends is ultimately what led my family to attend the Church of the Nazarene. My whole family has been a part of the Church of the Nazarene ever since.
At least in part, it was because of this “hopping” that it wasn’t until I was an adult that I truly came to understand and appreciate the rhythms of the Christian liturgical calendar. In the Nazarene church where my family finally landed, every spring my pastor would announce a sermon series leading up to Easter which he would call “The 50 Day Journey.” It wasn’t until I was in seminary that I realized with this fifty-day journey we were covertly celebrating Lent.
I sense for many, practicing Lent still feels a little unnatural. I’ve had some express their concern that practicing Lent is not explicitly found in scripture, which I guess technically is accurate. Yet, the core themes of Lent which are prayer, fasting, and offerings of money or service to those in need are certainly in line with the way of life which we find demonstrated by the early church. Similarly, while it is beyond my word count to explore today, we can find many Lenten themes addressed in the scriptures. We don’t have to dig very deep to find numerous verses about repentance, fasting, self-examination, self-sacrifice, and giving to the poor, and even ashes.
The early church father Irenaus (130-200) wrote about something similar to Lent, and in 325 at the Council of Nicea the early church discussed a 40-day Lenten season of fasting. Originally, this season of fasting was probably only for those preparing for baptism at Easter, but it soon was practiced by the whole church.
Ultimately, my point in this reflection is not to convince anyone they must practice Lent, but instead to invite us to consider how observing Lent can be potentially helpful in our journey of faith. John Wesley often called these sorts of helpful practices “means of grace.” I like to think of these means of grace as opportunities for the Holy Spirit to break into my everyday rhythms in new and fresh ways.
I invite you to consider these ways in which the Lenten season can become a means of grace.
- There is great value in the community of faith doing the same thing together at the same time.
I believe this is the core principle behind why we attend church together each Sunday. When believers set aside their differences and unite in a common practice, we can more fully become one in Christ. (And we pray: Lord, make us one.) - Lent involves both corporate and individual practices.
Thanks be to God, we serve a God who knows each of us, and meets us each where we are individually. Lent is a mixture of group gatherings and individual practices, each drawing us in a common direction. On our own I invite us to slow down and consider embracing new rhythms of reading, meditating on and studying the scriptures, as well as praying and fasting. (And we pray: Lord, may we grow deep roots.) - We aren’t very good at fasting.
In our United States context, we live in a world where abundance is the norm for most people. To call a fast of any kind is counter-cultural; to deny oneself of anything is counter-cultural. Many people find the Lenten season is a ready-made opportunity to explore fasting. Which hopefully may lead to the practice of fasting more regularly. (And we pray: Lord, show us where self-denial can lead us to appreciate abundance). - For many Christians around the world, Lent is also a time to focus on giving of ourselves for others, especially those who are not experiencing the abundance mentioned above. Perhaps God is calling us to a new practice of feeding the hungry or giving generously to the needs of others. (And we pray: Reveal to us the unmet needs we can meet.)
- The intentional build up to the celebration of Easter.
Easter will always be special, but I find the intentionality of Lent building to a focal point, potentially makes celebrating the resurrection on Easter even more meaningful. (And we pray: Thanks be to God, a day is coming soon where we will declare once again, He is Risen, He is Risen indeed!)
You are loved,
Pastor Shawn