6 weeks to repent and reflect; maybe we each come out the other side a bit changed
Last week, Christians began observing Lent, a liturgical season that leads up to Holy Week, the high point of our faith’s calendar.
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, often observed with somber worship during which clergy will dab ashes on worshippers’ foreheads to remind us of our humble beginnings and our eventual return to ash.
Lent as a season, concluding on Maundy Thursday four days before Easter, is a time for Christians to spend thinking about repentance, reflection and spiritual preparation for the coming death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Just as the season of Advent is designed for us to reflect on what the coming of Christ’s birth means for the world, Lent allows us to ponder how a world could willingly crucify its savior but also the incomprehensible, divine miracle of Jesus’ resurrection as well.
Yes, there will be darkness and tragedy in the Easter story, beginning with Jesus’ attempt during their Last Supper to prepare his disciples for what’s to come, and also following with his arrest, trial and execution on Good Friday.
In fact, many church services will end Friday night in darkness, with the congregation silently making their way from the sanctuary in symbolic reverence for Jesus’ death.
But then, friends, three days later comes Easter morning, when a few of Jesus’ inner circle, and eventually the whole world, will learn of his resurrection! Glory, hallelujah!
Every Lent is significant to pastors. Admittedly, we spend a whole lot more time thinking about the meanings and intentions of such liturgical business than the average person of faith.
But this particular year, the Lenten season seems to come at an appropriate time in our public discourse, our civil upheaval and the supposed fight for our country’s future.
Friends … Lent offers all of us Christian or not -- a period of peace if only we embrace it. Lay down the sabres for a minute, take a restorative breath, embrace a neighbor in a loving way and truly spend time reflecting on the meaning of Holy Week to all of creation.
I’m sure that some across the spectrum will push back on such a notion.
After all, those who advocate for those most vulnerable will say, “But when does their moment of peace come?” And I do get that sentiment, trust me! … And then there will be those who will say, “But now is the time to quell the unrest because they are rioting lawlessly in the streets!”
And to all I would offer, that if for just six weeks we each ratchet back the outrage and instead focus on the meaning of a living God who lovingly came to live among us and then sacrificed himself because each of us inevitably falls short of being perfectly human … well, maybe, just maybe, we all come out the other side of this lenten season a little bit changed. Amen.
