Lent

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Lent is a period of 40 days (actually 46, minus the 6 Sundays that occur between Ash Wednesday and Easter), originally designed in the early church as a time for converts to make final preparations for baptism, which occurred on Easter. The season of Lent revolves around two foci. First, it is a time in which the church considers our human condition, specifically sin and its consequences. Second, it is also a time to consider the new possibilities and hope that Christ brings through the resurrection. Lent brings us full-circle, starting with the recognition that, "from dust we came and to dust we return," and culminating in the grand celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead.

Far too often, those of us who come from a Free-church background have neglected the Christian calendar, and this has been to our detriment. It is encouraging to see a rise in excitement over recovering these traditions, but often "discovery" comes hand in hand with misunderstanding. This treatment by Laurence Stookey greatly aided my understanding of Lent.

In the past much was made of "giving up something" for Lent. At times this was a trivial if harmless self-denial : abstaining from chocolate or attendance at movies. At times it was dishonest: giving up cigarettes because the physician had sternly warned of the dangers of smoking, or reducing food intake because weight loss was desired. In reaction, it has now come into vogue to suggest that instead we should "take on something" for Lent: pay a visit each week to someone who is ill or shut in, add an additional passage of scripture or prayer to personal devotions, or increase charitable offerings for six weeks. None of these is reprehensible; but neither do these grasp the depth of what is meant by Lenten devotion and discipline, if for no other reason than that they are temporary; presumably once Easter arrives, these "add-ons" will be set aside for another forty-six weeks.

The fuller Lenten discipline is self-examination that seeks greater conformity to the mind of Christ, and more effective ministry on behalf of the world (which is what true devotion is all about). In this perspective, Lenten disciplines are not temporary deletions or additions but spiritual exercises that permanently alter us. A budding pianist at a certain stage spends hours practicing scales, and the novice typist again and again keys in: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Far from being exercises of only temporary value or even busywork, these disciplines actually alter neural pathways such that years later access to the resulting skills can be gained with only a minimum of effort. By the same logic it is said that once you have learned, you can never quite forget how to ride a bicycle.

Solid spiritual disciplines seek to effect the same kind of permanent acquisition.... [they] are designed to have effects far past the Lenten season and indeed are intended to produce new pathways for devotion and discipline in the same way that the exercises of a pianist or typist create new and enduring neural pathways.

I'm looking forward to participating in the Lenten season. If anyone else is, I'd love to hear what you are doing.