Why Lent?
One day I had to make a trip to downtown Seattle to pick something up for one of our services. There were a number of things going on and I didn’t get away as early as I had hoped. By the time I completed my errand and headed back north on the freeway, it was after 1:00 pm. As I approached 45th street, the car seemed to develop a mind of its own. It hurtled me down the off ramp, made a quick left turn and before I knew it, I found myself parked outside Dick’s Drive In. I thought that considering I was already there I probably shouldn’t leave without picking up something. By now I was very hungry and the thought of that wonderful sauce on the Dick’s Special burger, the incredibly good greasy fries (I need to keep up on my vegetables), and to polish it all off, a hand-dipped chocolate shake. Hunger is a funny thing. You have to be hungry in order to enjoy a good meal.
In the practices of Lent, we join with millions of Christians, of many denominations, around the world. Lent is about hunger - not so much the physical hunger for food, but the hunger for more of the Lord. It is a hunger that we don’t always feel when we snack on spiritual fast food – when we try quick fixes on some deep spiritual needs that the Lord wants to address.
Ash Wednesday, on February 22nd, introduces us to this season of hunger. Not counting Sundays, it is 40 days from Easter. Remember Jesus began his ministry with 40 days of fasting in the desert. Some of us will be fasting during this time. It might be meat or coffee or desserts or a TV program. Some will add a spiritual discipline to their lives such as a quiet time, Bible study, journaling or some acts of service. (You are welcome to join a six-week long small group during Lent.) These practices are designed to make us hungry - hungry for God. Lent is a time when we open ourselves to hearing God’s voice about our lives and then dealing with what he reveals to us.
On Ash Wednesday I will place a small amount of ash and oil on your forehead. Ashes are a sign of mourning and repentance. They speak of the dust of the earth as God said to Adam in Genesis 3:19, “for dust you are and to dust you shall return.” The words are echoed by Abraham in Genesis 18:27 when he said, “I am nothing but dust and ashes.” It is common for me to say at a graveside service, “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” We read in 2 Samuel 13:19; “Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornamented robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.”
In Joel 2:12-13, God invites us to return to him, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning. Lent, is a time set aside to reflect on our relationship with the Lord; a time to open our hearts to his voice, and time to face the sin that we have allowed into our lives that has affected our relationship with him. It is a time to more fully address the truth of who we are so that we may more fully enter into the joy of our salvation provided by our Lord’s death and resurrection. Lent is a season to embrace our hunger that we might be filled with the joy of our salvation as we feast at the celebration of the resurrection of our Savior on Easter morning.