“…and he remained there for forty days…” Mark 1:12 // Lent

An Exploration of Lent for Today’s Christians.

For many, this year’s observance of Lent, or the “Lenten Season,” began on Wednesday, March 6^th and concludes on Thursday, April 18^th.  Lent is the time of the Christian Liturgical year when the believer is encouraged to prepare spiritually for Easter which will arrive on Sunday, April 21^st.

Our period of Lent is modeled upon the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness after having been baptized by His cousin, John the Baptist.  The story of Jesus’ baptism is told in Matthew [3:13-17] and in Mark [1:9-11].  The author of Luke presumes that the reader knows of the event because he alludes to it in his chapter 3, verses 21-22.

In all three books, after His baptism, Jesus was, “…led into the desert…” [Luke 4:1] by the Holy Spirit.  There, He was, “…put to the test by the devil…” [Luke 4:2].  Matthew says that, “He fasted for forty days and forty nights…” While the exact wording describing these events in each of the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke) may be different, all three agree on these elements of Jesus’ history.

It was during these forty days that Jesus contended with Satan and gathered His thoughts concerning His upcoming ministry.  He emerged from this trial having bested Satan and fully prepared to begin the mission that God had given Him.  His period of testing and preparation was over.  It was time to begin His Father’s work.

For us, the Season of Lent is meant to be analogous to the time Jesus spent in the desert.  As did Jesus, Christians are encouraged to use the time of Lent for intense personal introspection and assessment of the state of our spiritual health.  While we are expected to “live” our Christian faith every day of the year, Lent is a time during which we can focus special attention on that journey.

Ideally, Lent will lead us to a clearer understanding of that most important of all relationships, our relationship with our God.  And it will help us to discern what we can do to make that relationship deeper and more meaningful.

Here are some ideas for how we each might make this special season more impactful.

Pray.

A strong prayer life is the foundation for our relationship with Jesus, our Savior.  Just as it is impossible for us to have a relationship with another person without interpersonal communication, we can’t have a relationship with Jesus unless we talk with Him; and allow Him to talk to us.  This is what prayer is.  It is a conversation with God.  And, a conversation requires that we talk and listen.

[For a more in-depth discussion on Prayer, see the Exploring Christianity Post 15, September 21, 2018.]

Spending a part of each Lenten day in a time of prayer with Jesus is a great way for us to emulate Jesus during his forty days of self-exile.

He used His time to better understand God’s Plan for His ministry, and to draw strength from His Father for the tasks that He knew were to come.  Time and again, Jesus retreated into prayer for these purposes.

Prayer can do this for us also.  We too can use prayer to ask God what He would have of us, and to ask for strength to endure the tests and trials we know we are to face. We should expect answers and use those answers to better understand how we can make our relationship with God even stronger.

So, the most important thing we can do to participate in Lent is to pray.

Study.

A knowledge of the stories of Jesus’ baptism and subsequent sojourn in the desert will help us put our own time of reflection and introspection into perspective.  And it will help us recognize areas of our own spiritual ‘walk’ that may be similar to or coincide with the walk that Jesus took.

Each of the Synoptics offers a slightly different view of these events.  The each provide unique perspectives and insights into Jesus’ time of trial and self-evaluation.  Studying these differing versions can lead us to a greater and more complex understanding of the Man and His mission.  And it can lead us to a better and deeper understanding of our own.

Or, there may be an aspect of our spiritual life where we are struggling.  The Bible is a trove of treasures that can speak to us wherever we may be spiritually, whether we are happy, sad, or numb.  Mining this God-given resource for ideas, solace, and wisdom is a great way to honor the time of Lent and God’s purpose of for us during it.

If we need guidance for our study, there are numerous resources available.  Many churches offer Lenten studies for group or individual participation.  Church Pastors are always great resources for study ideas.  Other Christians we may know can suggest passages or stories for study.  The local Library can provide spiritual study guides and materials.  And, the Internet presents an almost inexhaustible supply of material for spiritual study and reflection (use this resource with caution).

Whatever method or source utilized, spiritual study can be an important part of the believer’s Lenten Season.

Fast.

“He fasted for forty days and forty nights…” [Matthew 4:2]

Fasting serves two purposes in the context of Lent.

Many Christians see Lent as a season meant for self-denial.  “If Christ fasted for forty days and forty nights,” we say to ourselves, “then why shouldn’t I fast or at least deny myself something during my time of Lent?”  Indeed, many of us still practice “giving up something for Lent” to heighten our participation in and appreciation for the season. [When I was a boy, I always gave up beets for Lent!]

For many of us, denying ourselves something desirable or enjoyable during Lent can be a purposeful and meaningful act of sacrifice.  We “fast” or deny our own wants or desires for a time as a sort of offering to God.  For a time, we “sacrifice” our craving for, say, chocolate ice cream, to God.  Our act of refusing to eat the ice cream is our way of saying to God that our relationship with Him is more important to us than is the taste of the ice cream.

Nominal though it may be, such a sacrifice can still be valid and meaningful because it helps us to feel closer to Him. In each act of sacrifice, we are outwardly signifying that God is important to us.

But I believe the second purpose for fasting is the more important.  Jesus didn’t fast to demonstrate to or to prove anything to God.  He didn’t need to sacrifice anything to God, because He knew that He WAS the sacrifice to God for us all.  He didn’t need to prove His devotion through fasting, because He and the Father were already One.

Rather, I believe that Jesus fasted to clear His mind and His body of anything that would or could get “between” Him and the Father.  Jesus didn’t want any distractions while He was communing with God.  And, stopping to eat or drink could have interrupted that continual intimate communion with the Father.

While Jesus spoke about fasting a good deal, He never spoke of it as a sacrifice to God.  He always spoke of it as a mechanism by which the fasting person was better able to draw close to God, to sense God’s presence, and to divine God’s message.  To Jesus, fasting was a technique or a tool for enhancing His communion with His Father, God.

And, I think that should be our goal in fasting as well.  That while our fast as a sacrifice is well and good, it’s primary purpose should be to better prepare our minds for closer communion with our Father.

Giving something up for Lent is a nice gesture.  But fasting in order to draw closer to God, now that’s significant!

Attendance at Service.

Another important aid to ensuring a meaningful Lenten experience is attendance at local Christian Church meetings.  Although Lent is meant mostly for a time of individual reflection, discernment, assessment and commitment, participation in a group worship service can help the seeking believer to see the meaning or the results of their journey more clearly.

Participation in a corporate worship service can provide support and spiritual refreshment for the duration of the Lenten experience.  Sharing the Lenten journey with others can enhance meaning and increased understanding of the lessons gained through prayer, study and fasting.

One of the primary tasks given to Christians by Jesus is to share the Good News with others.  We can only fulfill this task when we are in communication and communion with others.  Lent is not meant to separate us from our brothers and sisters in Christ.  But rather to help us better connect with one another as we all experience the season together.

Going to church is important.

A Brief History.

Observing the Lenten Season was not always a Christian practice.  In fact, Lent was not officially recognized as a part of the Church calendar until the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.

Until that time, some churches had encouraged fasting during the days or weeks preceding Easter.  But whether or how to observe the days or weeks preceding Easter was left to the individual or the odd church to determine for themselves.  And, even after becoming officially incorporated into the Church year at Nicaea, Lent appears to have been only sporadically observed.

It is not possible to assign a date from which our modern celebration of Lent was inaugurated.  Ecclesiastical records of how and when to observe the season are contradictory, and observance traditions continue to differ across geographic and denominational divides.

What seems certain is that the forty days of Lent were recognized by the Catholic Church sometime during the early Middle Ages, with other churches’ formulating their own traditions and practices thereafter.

Today’s Lenten traditions and practices are as diverse as the many churches and denominations we encounter in today’s society.  But whichever tradition is followed, their goals are the same: to encourage and enable the faithful believer to re-ground their faith, to commit to a richer spiritual experience, and to achieve an even closer relationship with God.

Conclusion.

Regardless of the differences in traditions or practices, today’s Season of Lent offers each believer an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with God.  Advent allows us to prepare for the celebration of the coming of the Christ at Christmas.  Lent provides us with the opportunity to ready ourselves for the greatest celebration of all, the Resurrection of Christ at Easter!

Hallelujah!

God’s Blessings on You All.

Richard

March 8, 2019