The Season of Lent  

(Published in News First, March 2008 - The monthly church newsletter of Warragul Uniting Church)

Dear friends,

I found this material.  It maybe of interest to you…. Chris

Lent is the 40 days (not counting six Sundays) that fall between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday. Sundays are not counted in the 40 days of Lent because every Sunday is considered a “little Easter.” In the early church, Lent was a time of final preparation for people who were seeking to be baptized. During this period of baptismal preparation, the church community adopted a 40-day discipline of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. Prayer was for healing souls, fasting for healing bodies, and almsgiving for sharing – which heals community.

In our day, we’re relearning the power and significance of preparing during Lent to celebrate baptism, and renewal of baptism, at Easter.

Many people in the northern hemisphere have believed that the word “Lent” comes from the same root as “length,” and refers to the lengthening days of spring. Some now believe, however, that it may actually derive from the Latin word lentare which means “to bend.” This understanding reinforces a sense of Lent as a time of preparation for personal and collective transformation. Having nurtured ourselves through Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, Lent becomes the time to look truthfully at ourselves and make changes.

During Lent, the selected scripture readings remind us that God calls us to live humble lives filled with justice and kindness. When we fall short of this vision, scripture assures us that God will forgive us and help us start fresh. When we err because we take over-much upon ourselves, Genesis reminds us that we are made from the dust of the earth. When we fall short because of feelings of fear or desolation, we’re reminded we are made in God’s image.

The biblical theme of Lent is the journey to Jerusalem. As Jesus turned toward Jerusalem, we turn to face our own vulnerability. We come to healing and wholeness by allowing our former self to come apart. Just as Jesus’ body was punctured on the cross, our sufferings on the cross of our spiritual unfolding may be painful to body, mind, and spirit. We have to let go of many kinds of illusions which hold our false sense of security together. We have to let go of “false” attachments – anything we attach our souls to instead of to God. We have to open to what’s real and face the shadows.

Like the prophets of old, we go through our “dark night” to become the whole persons God intends. Risking coming apart, we come together anew in “at-one-ment.” To be whole is to be at peace with God. Atonement is the peace of God, a peace the world without God cannot give. Atonement frees us for justice and kindness.

Our personal Lent will not always coincide with a particular seasons of the Christian Year. But Lent and Holy Week shape us to be people who can deal constructively with suffering when we need to. As God’s creations, we will always have Lenten times because we are always “becoming.” We are constantly called upon to change. Lent draws us into the faithful persistence of transformation. With Jesus we yield, come apart, and even die – so we can be born anew for God’s future.

And time and time again God is present, not just in strength but in weakness. God is working creatively with pain in human history, and working creatively in us. Our changing self is getting ready for our part in building God’s peace.