Lent & Easter

The church has historically set aside seasons that emphasize key themes of the gospel story,  Advent and Lent being the two our church has historically observed. Although not biblically mandated, these seasons allow us as a church to reflect upon the distinctions and differences between being citizens of the City of God and the City of Man. We are all shaped and formed by the world around us. Each Sunday in corporate worship, the liturgy with its elements of praise, confession and reflecting on God’s word reorients our lives to the story of the gospel, counteracting the liturgies of the surrounding culture. Seasons like Lent allow for more extended times of reflection and reorientation. Lent is one of those seasons, a 40 day journey that begins with Ash Wednesday in preparation for the destination of Easter Sunday, the joyful celebration of the new life available through Christ’s resurrection. So a journey that starts with the recognition of our mortality on Ash Wednesday (Genesis 3:19) ends with the affirmation that death has lost its sting (I Corinthians 15:55). 

Presbyterians have long emphasized that our consciences are bound to Scripture alone, and there is no biblical mandate to celebrate Lent, Advent or any of the other seasons found in the church calendar. But, as stated above, these are opportunities for us to collectively prepare for the birth of Jesus (Advent) and the death and resurrection of Jesus (Lent).

Of course there are always dangers in the practice of any aspect of the Christian tradition to lose sight of the centrality of the gospel. As Paul wrote in Ephesians, we are saved through faith “and this is not our own doing but is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” We are not saved by attending church, fasting during Lent, taking the Lord’s Supper or having the sign of the cross imposed on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday. In the words of Jesus, we must be born again and there is nothing we can do to make this happen.

But it is also true that we are embodied creatures. The attitude of our hearts is more important when we pray than the posture of our bodies, and yet kneeling, closing our eyes and bowing our heads can enhance the experience of prayer. It shouldn’t surprise us that there is a connection between the physical and spiritual; it reflects how God created us. The receiving of ashes on Ash Wednesday is a physical, tactile reminder that dust we are, and to dust we would return (Gen 3:19) – had it not been for the gracious work of Christ on the cross. This is why, at the center of Christian worship, God gave us the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper – simple physical rites involving water, bread, and the cup that communicate to us the most profound of spiritual realities. So although not required, the observance of Lent can deepen our appreciation of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Traditionally Lenten practices have included:

Self-examination

Use this time to ask yourself (and close Christian friends) about your spiritual life, rooted in the good news that you are more sinful than you can admit and more accepted and forgiven than you can imagine. Otherwise self-examination can become despair over your life or harsh legalism towards others. Here are five questions from the late Jack Miller that are helpful:

• Is God working in my life?

• Have I been repenting of my sin lately?

• Am I building my life on Christ’s free justification or am I insecure and guilt-ridden?

• Have I done anything simply because I love Jesus?

• Have I stopped anything simply because I love Jesus?

Self-denial

Many “fast” (give-up) certain parts of their regular life (different foods, social media, etc). Again this practice must be rooted in the understanding that God is far less concerned with what we do than why we do it (c.f. 1 Samuel 16:7) and rebukes fasts done under false pretences (Isaiah 58:3-5, Zechariah 7:5). Jesus reinforces this point in Luke 18:11-12. The true fast is the one that is motivated by a desire to see God’s glory made manifest and to remember that we don’t live by bread alone and that Jesus is the true bread of life who strengthens and sustains us.

Acts of compassion

As we remember that we are dust and reliant on God’s mercy, Lent is an appropriate time to ask God to fill you with compassion for the poor and oppressed and to put that compassion to work in concrete ways. For example, some Christians fast by giving up meals during the week and giving the money they saved to ministries that serve the poor. There are also opportunities through HFNY to sign up and serve.

Means of grace

Lent is a time to renew our focus on the means of grace – means used by God to help us grow in our faith and Christ-likeness. Historically these are Scripture, prayer and the sacraments.  Regular times of bible reading and prayer, both alone and in community, is critical to deepening our trust and love of God. And in our growing individualistic culture gathering regularly for corporate worship is a way of remembering that God has saved us not just as individuals but as a new community, a family in which we all play a part through the use of our collective gifts. (I Corinthians 12)