Lent is a fascinating time in the church year that Presbyterians are only beginning to appreciate.
The main purpose of Lent is to encourage us to take a time out.
We are told that before Jesus began his ministry he took a time out.
He went off by himself – for 40 days – and 40 nights.
Jesus must of thought that this was completely necessary for him to do.
He did this to get his head right,
to get more completely in tune with God’s will and purpose for his life.
For centuries the church has said it was important to remember what Jesus did here,
and it important for us to take a time out as well.
Jesus took 40 days for his time out,
the church said we should take 40 days each year before Easter for our time out –
a time out from the routine of our regular normal life to consciously focus on getting our heads on right,
to get more in tune with what God is concerned about and wants for us to do with the rest of the days of our lives.
Lent is a fascinating time in the church year that Presbyterians are only beginning to appreciate.
Used to be, as you know, we never observed Lent in Presbyterian churches.
But, today we see this time as an opportunity to attend to the parts of our lives that we often neglect.
During
this time before Easter we are challenged to open ourselves in new ways
to the Spirit’s transforming power – not unlike Jesus did at the
beginning of his ministry.
From the very earliest times,
Christians took time out before Easter to reflect on their faith,
cultivate it, and prepare for a most joyous celebration of Easter.
Remembering
that Jesus took 40 days off to prepare for the beginning of his
ministry, the church sets aside these 40 days prior to Easter for us to get ready.
This is a time for us to explore the mysteries of the universe,
looking beneath the surface –
within ourselves –
examining our own motives and desires,
and ascertaining exactly what our commitment is:
to what,
to whom,
and what it means.
Lent is meant to remind us that the days are getting longer now –
Spring is right around the corner here in the Northern Hemisphere.
Actually, the word Lent comes from an ancient word that meant "springtime," –
that period of the calendar during which the days lengthen.
Because the church season always fell at that time of year, the name came to apply there as well.
Although
we can’t readily see it with these sub-freezing temperatures, buried under snow, all around us new
life is preparing to break out as soon as the weather turns.
Signs of life are preparing to bud right before our eyes.
And, our task during this season is to prepare ourselves to see these signs when they occur.
Like I have said before, I believe we need Lent!
Lent encourages us to look within ourselves to see how we have confused popular cultural values with Christian faith.
Through sustained focus on the life and ministry of Jesus, Lent can help us resist the pressures of this culture.
Lent can remind us that we are called to continue his ministry:
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
Consequently, Lent prepares us for an Easter that is more than bunnies and eggs –
an Easter that begins a whole new reality –
a whole new world.
As you know, 40 days is almost a sacred number with strong Old Testament associations.
40 days seems to be a long time when you think about it.
[It is more than the 30 days we get to accept the special offer of the day that is in our daily e-mail.]
It seems that God is saying:
“take up to forty days to decide –
40 days to make up your mind –
which side are you going to be on.”
The Gospels say Jesus was given 40 days to decide whose side his life would be spent on.
40
days to come to a decision to align with God or accept the worldly
enticements of the Devil that would have derailed his mission.
40 days seems to be God's time for allowing significant decisions to be made.
Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days getting the 10 commandments.
Elijah spent 40 days in the wilderness encountering God.
An extended time was given people of Noah's time to make up their mind before it rained for 40 days and 40 nights.
The 40 days of Lent gives us sufficient time to make up our minds again:
to decide for life – or death,
to decide for God – or the ways of the world around us.
For me, when we get beyond the familiar outward trappings, the main purpose of Lent is to encourage us to take a time out.
For
us taking time for a time out is probably the
most difficult thing for any of us to conteplate doing. This year, most of us have been enduring a forced "time out" for over a year (so far). And folks are getting bored. And we are getting impatient. "Jesus took 40 days in isolation? We've already been in isolation for 360 days and still counting."
And yet, here it is.
The call goes out each year during this time before Easter,
and
our response is usually no more than an acknowledgment of a quaint – if
not somewhat ancient, antiquated tradition – that we may give a passing
nod to in church,
but having very little to do with anything in our home, or at work, or how we spend our time.
Most
of the days of our lives we are pretty much self absorbed in our lives
and our obligations and our health and perhaps in the caring for another
or two or three or four or . . .
We live in response to stimuli from outside of ourselves.
Lent calls us to take time for a time out from all of that.
Take time now – just commit to only 40 days – this time leading up to Easter –
take time each day to focus on something other than on what we usually spend our time on.
It is important to take the time.
Jesus did it.
Moses did it.
Isaiah did it.
Many many others did it.
And, today many many others are doing it.
You can do it as well.
Traditionally, Biblically, there are some specific things we can do with this time,
but it what we do is of less importance than to commit to taking the time –
to get closer with our God.
The pattern is,
the experience is,
the promise is,
that when we do,
we become more aware of God’s presence
and more aware of God’s purpose
and more aware of what we are to do with the rest of the days of our lives.
And, of course, that’s the scarey part, isn’t it?
Because we’re not sure we want to discover that we should be doing something we aren’t doing, right?
For years I have been compiling a file of stories of people who after a time out,
changed the direction of their lives because it became clearer to them that this is what God would be having them do.
It’s a thick file containing many many stories.
Someday it would be worth sharing in some way just to see the stories one after the other after an other after an other.
Taking time for a time out can have a powerful affect on a person.
Norman
Vincent Peale – and many other preachers – was convinced that by taking
time out to concentrate on certain scripture lessons, folks could
experience a power and wholeness and wellness that they never knew
possible.
Of course, I think that, too.
Each Sunday between
now and Easter, I will be focusing on specific practices that have
proven to put us more in tune with the ultimate power and purpose of the
universe.
Aligning our lives with the moral direction of the universe is probably the most primal of all our activities –
and that is something we cannot do with a compass or a clock.
It is something we can only do in a community like this one.
And to be clear, our best Lenten practices to align our lies with the moral direction of the universe have little or nothing to do with what we usually think of. The Prefector of our faith, Jesus, actually speaks clearly to us about Lenten practices that help to further the God-vision and purpose of our lives. And we will look at some of them over the next several days.
Yes, Fasting is involved . . . but, not the fasting we usually think of.
Yes, Prayer is involved . . . but, not the way of prayer we usually think of.
Yes, Singing is involved. And so is Parading.
For your sake, each day during this time before Easter, take time for a time out.
And be here next week as we explore certain practices proven to lead us in the right direction.
Amen.
This
is a portion of a sermon delivered from the pulpit of Christ
Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA, on February 28,
2010, by Clyde E. Griffith.
