Church Seasons: Lent

From Ash Wednesday, we set out on a journey of forty days, not including Sundays.  The first question might be, "Why not including Sundays?"  Because we live on the other side of Easter, we know the end of the story, every Sunday, even in Lent, remains a mini-Easter celebration.  Every Sunday is a celebration of the possibility and promise of resurrection, even in the journey of Lent.  It is an interesting juxtaposition and tension.  And we usually don't do well with it, we end up treating the Sundays of Lent be governed by our inner-Eeyore.  We are sad rather than celebratory, we are solemn and serious rather than practicing our "alleluias".  Most of this has to do with tradition and our general distrust of all things enthusiastic in worship.  It need not be that way.  Worship in Lent can hold in tension the pain and joy.  In fact, if we don't shine a like on the intimate dance of two in these forty days, when we will do it?  Yes, the cross is horrific.  Yes, there is brokenness in life.  Yes, just a few days ago, we saw this as Paris fell under attack.  Yet, there can also be moments of joy and hope even in grief and pain.  We have fallen into extremism when we think we are capable of only one emotion.  Lent asks us to dive deeply and dwell with the ways our hearts, souls, minds can hold the tensions and ride an emotional roller coaster.  I have recently celebrated three funerals in a short period of time.  I have seen waded up tissues and tears.  I have seen people grieving knowing that life is no longer than same.  And I have seen people laugh joyfully as they share an experience with their beloved family member, now in God's embrace.  I have seen people lean trustfully into God's promise that this life is not all there is.  So, Lent calls us into the twists and turns of life.  Lent builds upon Advent, the promise of Emmanuel, God with us in the flesh here and now.  Without Advent, Lent would be solemn and serious.  In the light of the candles of hope, peace, joy, and love, facing the cross can help us find the courage we need holding onto the promise that Sunday comes after Friday.

Lent is also a time when we can explore the rawness of faith.  Lent invites us to go deeper.  And, unlike Advent where all sorts of activities compete for our attention, Lent doesn't have company parties or gift buying or cards.  When was the last time you sent out cards for Lent?  But maybe you should.  Maybe it would be a time to build upon the experience and practices of "God-with-us" from Advent and Christmas.  Maybe this can be the season when faith can take the center stage and we can engage in prayerful practices or simply try to keep staying awake and alert.  Barbara Brown Taylor wrote a book about finding Altars in our world around us.  That is a practice we can engage in during Lent.

With the ashes of Wednesday lingering, we start a journey that faith is more than self-help or improvement.  Faith calls us out of our confines of self-concern to see all of God's creation and all God's beloved as part of who we are.  There is unity in community, there is self in the eyes of others.  We need to explore that truth, for it does not come easily in our consumerist culture.  We explore relationships with God and other and self as a way of digging deep into faith.  

I pray as you enter Lent this year it will be about more than prayer or fast; giving up or taking on; that it will be another season of preparing, plotting the resurrection and new life found in God.  May there be more than a trace of God's grace in Lent this year.

Blessings ~