Tag: Lent

The Invitation of Lent

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Lent is upon us. Beginning with Ash Wednesday, we enter a season of preparation and intentionality. That’s what Lent is about – putting away fruitless distractions and empty habits to receive from the abundance of the Lord. We fast that we might recognize a deeper hunger, which the Lord alone is able to satisfy (Matthew 5:6). And we ask the Lord to reorder our thoughts, emotions, and practices that we would know His power and presence more and more each day.

“Great! So what’s that look like?” Good question. Most people think of Lent as a time of “giving up.” And that is part of it, but this is also a time to add some regular practice to encourage us to press on the know the Lord. You might consider creating some distance from your devices first thing in the morning in order to have more time set aside for prayer. Or you might fast from one meal during the week and let your hunger pangs serve as an invitation to turn your thoughts to the Lord. 

One other helpful note. Lent is 40 days long beginning with Ash Wednesday, but Sundays are feast days where there is a reprieve from the fast to celebrate and worship. 

This passage (Hebrews 10:19-25) is a fitting exhortation for Lent:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

The Joy of Repentance: A Lenten Reflection

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We’re now in the thick of Lent. February, that dreary and dreadsome month, is coming to a close. It is a weighty season marked by repentance, sorrow for sin, and appropriately miserable weather. And yet, the hope for this season is that the Lord gives a deepening sense of His faithfulness as we come to HIm. Spring is on the horizon. He is faithful.

When I worked with at-risk teenagers, there was a common refrain in the community: conflict + resolution = intimacy. When there was conflict – and there was a lot of conflict – our leaders would remind us to seek healthy resolution, because with resolution comes intimacy. The relationship is strengthened. Minimizing the conflict yields no fruit. But when conflict is resolved, trust and affection are deepened. The relationship is better equipped to weather the next storm.

I’m thinking of this principle in light of Lent, because really, it is a gospel principle. When we come to the Lord Jesus in repentance, we find an immense grace. He is quick to restore us. He abounds in steadfast love. His mercy endures forever. So, our relationship with Him is strengthened, our affections are deepened. As Jesus pointed out, the one who is forgiven much, loves much (Luke 7:41-50). We could say “repentance + forgiveness = intimacy.”

In Lent we press into this reality: by repentance we know the forgiveness of Our Lord Jesus Christ and so, grow in love for Our Savior. What joy! What a gift! Let us press on to know Him, for His steadfast love endures forever.

Inadequate Comforts: A reflection on Psalm 91 in preparation for Lent

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He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 91:1-2

Scripture testifies to the faithfulness of God. People are fickle and rebellious, yet the Lord is faithful and trustworthy. He is our refuge and fortress, faithful to deliver us. Still, we turn to inadequate comforts.

I see it in myself. When there is pain or fear or anxiety, my impulse is to seek quick relief. Maybe I will escape into a movie or football game. Or I may create an well-designed action plan to feel like I have control over the situation. Sometimes I eat an indulgent, feel-good meal. Probably Mexican food. Probably with queso. These things are not inherently bad – there are far more sinister and destructive means of escape – but all our comforts are woefully insufficient.

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

And from the deadly pestilence.

Psalm 91:3

The Lord alone is Deliverer. In Lent we come to terms with the brokenness of the world, and we face into our own sin. We see our need for a deliverer, intentionally denying ourselves the inadequate comforts and means of escape with typically depend upon, so that we ultimately come to depend on the All-Sufficient Savior. Lent fasting prepares us for Easter feasting. When we acknowledge the magnitude of our sin and rebellion, we more fully appreciate the majesty of our deliverance.

In the first chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul describes the despair the apostles felt as they faced persecution in Asia. “Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.”

This is the posture of Lent. He has delivered us from the deadly peril of sin and death. And he will deliver us. He is Lord of all, and He is faithful. Therefore, let us hold fast in love to Our Deliverer (v. 14).

For an in-depth explanation and guide to Lent, read this post.