I was raised in a traditional church, a liturgical church in which the seasons of the church year were practiced: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost now termed Ordinary Time. The altar and pulpit were draped with cloths representing the colors of the seasons: blue or purple for Advent, Green for Epiphany, purple for Lent, Red for the day of Pentecost and green again for that long period of time from Pentecost to Advent. White adorned the altar on through the seasons of Christmas and Easter.
While the observance of these ‘seasons’ may be unfamiliar to many readers, the ebb and flow of the seasons of climate, are familiar to us all. They mimic our lives as times of celebration, planting and harvesting, preparing and waiting. They represent times of growth, times of change, times of celebration and times of waiting to celebrate and times to lie fallow and prepare.
We entered the season of Lent this year on Ash Wednesday (which happened to coincided with Valentines Day). As a child, I understood keeping a Holy Lent meant giving up something I really liked for 40 days. Quite naturally, I tried to abstain from chocolate for 40 days. With God’s grace, we put away our ‘childish ways’ and allow God to use these days to deepen our relationship with Him and our fellow travelers on the journey.
Forty Days ---- why might that seem familiar to you? We remember that Noah, his family and two of every kind of animal sailed the world in the Ark for 40 days. Then the Israelites were led by Moses from Egypt, through the Red Sea, and spent 40 YEARS in the desert wandering their way back home to Israel. And now, we are remembering when the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where he was tempted by satan’s promise of creature comforts, power, and control.
Forty Days, Forty years --- why 40? In the Hebrew scriptures, the number 40 represents a time of trial, the movement from one level to another, a period of transition. A favorite mentor of mine used to say, “40 represents ‘as long as it takes’.”
Times of transition, times of change, can be seen today as liminal spaces, or times of wandering in the wilderness. These periods of time can be viewed as a gift. They provide a sort of “time out” to reframe from ‘doing’ to a time of ‘being’. They provide space for reflection, seeking direction for the journeys we take into the tomorrows of our lives. Periods of transition happen to us all the time; from childhood to the teen years, as we retire from our vocations, as we prepare for marriage, as we await the 9 months for a baby to be born, and finally that liminal space from life on this planet to life eternal. These times of reflection are gifts to individuals as well as to groups joined together for their common life.
I believe all are encouraged to reflect on our lives, to travel deep into ourselves and begin get to know and understand and love the unique person God has created. If we so choose, it is possible to spend years in this process allowing the Spirit of God to guide us through the wilderness. We allow the Spirit to lead us, loving us, forgiving us, and challenging us to live out the lives we were created to live.
This is also time for the corporate Body of Christ to do some deep reflection. It is a time of growing, giving up what is not life giving, exploring what might be – all the time prayerfully looking for the part of the journey we are called to live out today.
Of course, these times of tradition are not completed in 40 days or even 40 years ---- that is why we are called to them year after year after year. It is even harder than giving up chocolate but it is, I promise, much more in tune with our spiritual formation.
I offer some practical tips for living into a Holy Lent: spend time in quiet prayer at least 20 minutes a day. Try journaling your prayers, your hopes, your regrets and asking God to respond. Read scripture daily, and maybe add reading one of myriad publications that guide one through the 40 days. Bless someone with a phone call, a greeting card, list all things you are thankful for. Join with others to worship and praise God as often as possible. Who knows? These practices may become a part of your life forever! Halleluiah! Lent can be done with a smile on your face!
May the twists and turns of your Lenten journey this year bring you closer to knowing the ‘you’ that God created you to be.
Reader Comments(0)