What's Lent All About?

           

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) and Ash Wednesday are coming up next week, kicking off the season of Lent. So what's up with all that, anyway?

Traditionally in the church universal, Lent is the period of 40 days prior to Holy Week (the time in which we commemorate the week of our Lord’s earthly ministry in which he was crucified, buried, and raised to life).  It gets its name due to the time of year in which it occurs—“Lent” is an Old Saxon word for “spring.”

As Advent is a season of anticipation for the coming of Christ, both past and future, Lent is a season of preparation to participate in the saving actions of Christ.  The number 40 is significant in the Bible; it represents a time of testing and preparation.  Early on (2^nd century), the church used this period as a time to prepare converts for baptism, and soon it became a time for those already baptized to remember their baptismal vows, repent of sin, and recommit themselves to their calling.

              

By the 5^th century, the beginning of this season became known as Ash Wednesday, due to the practice of applying ashes to one’s forehead as a sign of a penitent spirit.  Some Christians still do this practice today. Mardi Gras celebrations are not necessarily all that edifying, as the roots of its tradition are grounded in overindulging in pleasures and passions the night before the season of Lent---to "store up" these pleasures in preparation for a season of fasting from them. While I encourage people to experiences Lent, other than the good New Orleans based cajun and creole food, I do not recommend a deep dive into the seedy underbelly of Mardi Gras.

WHY DO PEOPLE GIVE UP THINGS FOR LENT?

Lent should not be looked upon as a season in which to give up something, but rather as an opportunity to gain something new.  Lent helps us to regain our focus on Christ, helps us to take our own moral pulse, and helps us to draw nearer to God through acts of repentance, charity, and discipline.  As Don Saliers puts it, “It is time for putting aside the sins and failures of the past in order to journey toward who we are yet to become by the grace of Christ in baptism.”

            

“Giving up” something for Lent should be the result of gaining one of three things:  (1) abandoning a habitual sin, (2) being able to spend more time with God, or (3) helping those in need with the money that was saved by giving up something.  When this approach is taken, we are not giving up something as much as we are gaining something far better.

IS LENT FOR ME?

            

The answer to that question lies with you.  The season of Lent, like all the facets of the Christian year, is a tool for spiritual discipline, and all spiritual disciplines have one aim:  to draw us closer to Jesus in relationship and in likeness.  If you think observing the season of Lent can help you achieve those ends, I encourage you to embrace it.  If you’re not sure, give it a try; you can always walk away if it isn’t helpful.  And if it’s not for you, that’s all right; find some other tool for a spiritual discipline that will help you achieve a closer friendship with and resemblance to Christ.

If you’d like to have a special time of Scripture meditation during Lent, below are some suggested passages to give you a jump start.

Suggested 2020 Lenten Season Devotional Readings

2/26	John 17:1-8	3/18	Genesis 45:16-28
2/27	Amos 5:6-15	3/19	Psalm 86
2/28	Psalm 80	3/20	1 Corinthians 9:16-27
2/29	Philippians 4:10-20	3/21	Mark 7:1-23
3/1	John 12:44-50	3/22	Genesis 48:8-22
3/2	Genesis 37:1-11	3/23	Psalm 132
3/3	Psalm 45	3/24	1 Corinthians 11:17-34
3/4	1 Corinthians 2:1-13	3/25	Mark 8:11-26
3/5	Mark 2:1-12	3/26	Exodus 1:6-22
3/6	Genesis 40:1-23	3/27	Psalm 102
3/7	Psalm 138	3/28	1 Corinthians 13:1-13
3/8	Romans 6:3-14	3/29	John 8:46-59
3/9	Mark 3:7-19	3/30	Exodus 4:10-20
3/10	Genesis 42:1-17	3/31	Psalm 121
3/11	Psalm 72	4/1	2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6
3/12	1 Corinthians 6:12-20	4/2	Mark 10:17-31
3/13	Mark 4:35-41	4/3	Exodus 9:13-35
3/14	Genesis 43:16-34	4/4	Psalm 42
3/15	Psalm 96	4/5, Palm Sunday Luke 19:41-48
3/16	1 Corinthians 7:25-31
3/17	Mark 6:1-13

Suggested Readings for Holy Week

4/6	Mark 11:12-25
4.7	Mark 11:27-33
4/8	Mark 12:1-11
4/9, Maundy Thursday	Mark 14:12-25
4/10, Good Friday	John 19:38-42
4/11, Holy Saturday	Romans 8:1-11
4/12, Easter	Luke 24:13-35

The Corporate Spiritual Retreat

Last October I attended my second Christ in Youth Wilderness retreat. It’s a five-day long gathering, mostly of youth ministers, up in the Rocky Mountains overlooking Colorado Springs at a beautiful place called Bear Trap Ranch.

The days are scheduled, but somewhat loosely, allowing participants to map their own retreat for the most part. In the mornings we breakfasted, gathered for a short period of corporate devotion, and then given until lunch to work on some guided devotional time. For the 2019 session, our text was the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). We were encouraged to find a quiet spot out in the wilderness as we did this. There was also plenty of discretionary time before lunch.

After lunch was free time, in which participants had opportunities to hike, fish, sightsee, read, nap, play games, etc., until dinner. When dinner was done, we moved to a time of corporate worship, which consisted of praise and proclamation. Immediately after this, we got into our assigned small groups. Small groups were assigned according to age and years of ministry experience. In the small groups, we’d discuss our life and ministry situations, the devotional questions we were given that morning, and anything that stirred us regarding that evening’s message. By then it was 10 pm or so, and usually time to hit the sack.

Corporate spiritual retreats vary in size and shape. But there are at least four elements they have in common with one another that prove valuable to those of us seeking to make space for God in our lives.

WORLDLY DISCONNECTION

One has to ask, what is one “retreating” from? Simply put, we are retreating from the everyday burdens, concerns, anxieties, distractions, and pleasures the world offers. At Bear Trap Ranch, one needs to travel about a mile away just to get cell service, and even then it’s spotty. The ability to get away from all that the world affords is invaluable in drawing closer to God. Jesus himself made it a habit of going to lonely places for opportunities to better commune with the Father.

IMMERSION IN CREATION

Due to their isolated nature, most retreat locations offer an opportunity to spend a good deal of time in God’s creation. This is an important part of the spiritual life that often gets overlooked in the hurly-burly of modern urban life. While Scripture is God’s special revelation to his people, creation is his general revelation to all people. Spending time in nature and grasping just a little bit of its amazing complexity and design help us to recapture our wonder and awe of the One who made it all.

GUIDED SELF-REFLECTION

Peter Scazzaro says, "The degree to which you recognize and engage your own shadow is the degree to which you can free others to face theirs" (The Emotionally Healthy Leader). The times of solitude that are provided (ironically) at a corporate spiritual retreat are priceless opportunities for us to spend time with ourselves, allowing the mirror of Scripture to show us what we are really like, and to help us identify areas in our lives that are not yet yielded up to Jesus. We can only lead people as far as we ourselves have gone. Solitude and self-reflection are great tools for personal growth.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

For me, the best part of a corporate spiritual retreat is the “corporate” aspect of it. Spending a week with like-minded lovers of Jesus in pursuit of a deeper relationship with him is a little foretaste of heaven for me. We share our victories, our struggles, our praises, and our failures with one another. Because of our common specialized vocation at Wilderness, combined with CIY’s intentional grouping of participants, there is often great resonance with one another in most facets of our lives. The support, encouragement, correction, and challenges we receive from one another are amazing ways for God to speak to our hearts and help fashion them more after his.

I’ve heard a lot of reasons why people don’t attend corporate spiritual retreats. “I’m not an outdoors guy!” Neither am I. “It’s too expensive!” Beg, borrow, and plead if you have to. How much is your walk with Jesus worth to you? And a five day retreat like Wilderness is very reasonable in price. “I wouldn’t know anyone there!” Bring a buddy. Or come to Wilderness and look me up. I’ll be your friend.

You know my take on the spiritual disciplines. Not everything is suited for every person. But you owe it to yourself, to God, and to those you are investing in to at least give the corporate spiritual retreat a try. If it’s not for you, at least you’ll know. But I’m betting the experience will bless your life and the lives of those around you.

Grace and peace.