Lenten Journey

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been distracted by all the snow, or battling illness or one sort or another, but I was floored the other day when I realized that Lent begins next Wednesday. For me the season of preparation for the celebration of the sacrifice and wonder of our Savior’s death and resurrection takes thought and time. In the past I have given much prayer and meditation to what should be the focus of my Lenten preparation. I seek God’s leading rather than my interest so that the experience can have greater impact and I’ll be more able to follow through. The old days of giving up chocolate have lost their spiritual power for me.

So when I opened my email and found something from Christianity Today about Lent I decided to take the time to see what was there. I’m very glad I did. Here are two quotes that really struck a chord with me:

We don't have the perspective needed to choose the things that will really change us. (Deep down, we may not even want to change. I like to say, "Everyone wants to be transformed, but nobody wants to change.")

Without the observance of Lent, and Holy Week in particular, Easter Sunday fails to keep in proper balance the Cross and the Resurrection as the two main New Testament paradigms for the Christian life. The dominant paradigm for Christian discipleship this side of heaven is "sharing in his sufferings" (Phil. 3:10).

(Source: Steven R. Harmon, author of Ecumenism Means You, Too, Frederica Mathewes-Green, the author of The Jesus Prayer, and Michael Horton, author of The Gospel-Driven Life, suggest why Christians should care about Lent.)

The first thing I noticed was the truth that we don’t know or have the proper perspective. Does that bristle anything in you? In the evangelical mainstream, we tend to think that we know what’s best for us spiritually. We shun the suggestion that we might actually gain from an outside source. And goodness knows, we don’t think we need an intermediary. The problem with that is that while we may think we know what we need, if we’d do the honest soul exploring, we’d see that we most often fall short when it comes to spiritual depth. This is probably due to the second part of that quote. We know we want to and definitely need to be transformed (Romans 12:1), but we are usually quite comfortable with the way things are, so the hard work of change never gets done.

Observance of Lent, or Advent for that matter, involves discipline. I don’t know about you, but I’m not very good at the “d” word. Whether it has to do with my latest commitment to living healthy, keeping my house clean, or developing a writing habit, I just think sometimes that I was born without the discipline bone in my body. Perhaps that is partly why I have always struggled with making it the whole forty days without eating chocolate, or drinking pop, or watching TV less. I have often wanted to fall back on “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Truth be told, I just haven’t been convinced enough to make the commitment and do the hard work to change. Bottom line: I’m just spiritually lazy.

Then I read the second quote and I get another insight into my reluctance to change. People who sign on to suffer are generally considered to have some type of mental problem. When I read the Philippian passage, I can get excited about wanting to know Christ more. I’m right with Paul until he has to throw in the part about “sharing in his sufferings.” I am all about the power of the resurrection! I love celebrating the triumph. Easter morning is a wonderful time. Jesus won! We win, too! It reminds me of how I love to celebrate the gift of Christmas, but I forget how much it cost to give the gift.

Knowing these things about myself, knowing how my heart yearns for greater depth, I am now challenged to bring heart, soul, mind, and strength into focus. As I started meditating and contemplating, I began to formulate some questions. What will change me, not just challenge me for forty days? What can I do to redeem the suffering of my Lord and Savior? How will I specifically join him in the work of extending grace to others? This was not a comfortable process. I began to see that if I was going to be serious about this, I was going to have to get used to being uncomfortable.

There’s a phrase in the gospel that described how Jesus moved into and prepared for the suffering that was ahead. It said that Jesus set his face to Jerusalem. Now while setting one’s face can involve catching a vision, greater emphasis seems to be placed on determination. (Oh great, another “d” word!) As Jesus moves toward the inevitability of what lies ahead in Jerusalem, I am comforted in the fact that he does not make this journey alone. Perhaps this is a truth that will help me in my own journey. I can go, knowing that there is one who goes with me who has already made the journey. But just as Jesus brought his closest friends in close, I can draw on the spiritual friends and mentors to assist me in the challenges and difficult moments I will face also.

I have purposely not told you what I’m going to do. Partly that’s because I don’t want to influence your choices. I just want to invite to move deeper and see where that will take you. It’s also because right now, I’m still not sure. But this I will commit to: I’m determined to figure it out. How about you?