Thoughts going in, Sunday March 13th

Making a good Lent....

I guess rather than looking at this coming Sunday’s reading per se, my mind is on this idea of “making a good Lent.”

For some, this may seem like the ultimate in terms of ‘contradictory statement.’ After all, Lent has this rap as being a very somber, sobering, dismal time. Yet, as is so often the case, I think this is a mischaracterization of Lent. At the very least, it’s a caricature based on a specific (and narrow) time frame of Lenten history.

I choose to look at it this way. Lent is a time of RENEWAL. It’s the closest thing the Catholics (and other traditional bodies such as Lutherans) have to the ultra protestant concept of REVIVAL. In Lent we take the ancient practice of “preparation” (consisting of both doctrinal and spiritual instruction) for baptism at the Easter Vigil, and combine it with the medieval practice of restoration of the penitents (and let’s not forget the major GRACE involved there—the idea that even after notorious sin, God is still a God of 2nd chances) and what we get is this wonderful seasonal emphasis of RENEWAL of our faith; RENEWAL of our baptismal covenant; RENEWAL of our dedication to discipleship.

Many have asked me about the ‘traditional’ marks of Lent—receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday, “giving things up for Lent,” etc. etc. The custom of actually receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday is not an old one in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod—though in saying that, I have to chuckle. The day ITSELF had “propers” in the old service book from the 1940s. That means that the denomination envisioned a special Ash Wednesday service with its own prayers and readings—yet, they did not seem to be big on the actual imposition of ashes. As I often say, this is due to the fact that the Lutheran church here on these shores was, for so many years, a “pioneer church.” When it was transplanted here from Europe, so many of the accouterments of the practice of our religion were left behind. One of the key and noteworthy aspects of 20th century Lutheranism (including here in the Mosyn) is that we’ve tried to reclaim many of these things that had been ‘left behind.’

But that still leaves other questions, like the question of “giving things up.” Giving something up is really nothing more than “fasting” to some degree or other—and fasting is a BIBLICAL concept always hooked to the idea of penance. Today’s daily eucharist reading (March 11th) from the OT is WONDERFULLY APPLICABLE:

Isaiah 58:3 ‘We have fasted before you!’ the people say.
‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don’t even notice it!’
“I [the Lord] will tell you why!” I respond.
“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,
you keep oppressing your workers.
4 What good is fasting
when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
This kind of fasting
will never get you anywhere with me.
5 You humble yourselves
by going through the motions of penance,
bowing your heads
like reeds bending in the wind.
You dress in burlap
and cover yourselves with ashes.
Is this what you call fasting?
Do you really think this will please the Lord?

6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
7 Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
10 Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

This reading from the prophet Isaiah not only gets to the TRUE concept of penance and fasting, but also to the true concept of LENT ITSELF. Actions are meaningless & worthless if not accompanied and eminating from a heart that is turned toward God.

This Sunday we start Lent the same way we always do, with Jesus in the desert facing temptation. It’s a fact of life; as people, we will face temptation. In the words of our catechism, we’ll always have the Devil, the world, and our old sinful nature to contend with. Yet, by following the example of Jesus—who relied not on his skill or cunning, nor on his prerogatives as God’s unique and holy son, but on the power of God’s WORD—we can emerge as faithful disciples.

May you be inspired to embrace the holy season of Lent; to increased prayer and devotion; to fasting; and to acts of charity. May you make a good Lent!


cheers,

TM