Our Stories
lent: v. past participle of lend
By Mac Taylor | posted 01/31/2008
"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry." (Luke 4:1-3)
I was never in the habit of observing Lent until I came to Creekside. Although occasionally I lent my car or my tools or my kids, I never lent my soul to God for the 40 days preceding Easter. I arrogantly figured God would prefer full ownership over a 365 day period with automatic renewals. Over the last few decades, it is becoming increasingly popular for Protestants to connect with older traditions. I have been reminded that some of the ancient practices of the church provide nourishment for the soul, such as meditation, lectio divina, fasting, repeated prayers ... and the observance of Lent.
So, I was forced to do some research. The Olde English word "Lent" simply means "spring" (the season), which totally messes us my lending analogy, as well as my excuse not to observe Lent. Throughout history, the Christian Church has observed Lent during the 40 days leading up to Easter (with a little bit of medieval arithmetic, Lent is actually 46 days long, as the six Sundays in Lent are not counted among the 40 days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter", a celebration of Jesus' victory over sin and death). Lent is traditionally marked by fasting from both foods and festivities, as well as other acts of penance.
The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up something they enjoy, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations. (For more details about Lent and its history, check out "Lent" in Wikipedia)
The 40 days of Lent are reminiscent of the 40 days and nights of rain in the days of Noah, Moses' 40 days on Mt. Sinai, the Israelites 40 years in the wilderness, Elijah's 40 day trek to Mount Horeb, Jonah giving Nineveh 40 days to repent, but especially Jesus' 40 day fast in the wilderness.
For the last 3-5 years I have given up desserts for the 40 days of Lent. I have become a Prime Lenter. I know this doesn't quite compare with Jesus 40 days battling with the Devil, but it does come with the added bonus of subtracting the weight I have gained since Easter 2007. This year, I will again forgo desserts, but am set to add something to my life as well. I sometimes find it hard to keep on track with daily personal prayer. I'm pretty good about reading Scripture, but when it comes to prayer, my mind wanders, I have a hard time focusing. To help me with the task, I have purchased a Lenten devotional booklet entitled, "Seek GOD for the CITY 2008: Prayers of Biblical Hope", published by WayMakers. I am excited to add some structure to my devotional life during Lent.
I would like to invite you to join me in the 40 days of Lent through this devotional. Each day's one page reading includes 1) some short scripture passages, 2) written prayers, 3) countries of the world to pray for and 4) a suggested topic for a prayer walk. Each day requires a commitment of 5-10 minutes or more if you include a prayer walk. Creekside has purchased 100 copies that we will make available on Sundays ($2 suggested donation).
May we together seek God this Lent.
A LENT CALENDAR
- February 5 - Marti Gras (French for Fat Tuesday), also known as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day: Last chance to live it up before Lent and the final day of Carnival! BTW, Fat Tuesday this year is 2 days after Fat Sunday (Super Bowl Sunday).
- February 6 - Ash Wednesday: the first day of Lent. Ministers mark the forehead of parishioners with black ashes in the shape of a cross, signifying repentance before God. Day 1 of Devotional Prayer Book.
- February 14 - Valentines Day: Thursday. Nothing to do with Lent, but a great day to take out your sweetheart! (will you eat chocolate?)
- March 16 - Palm Sunday: Celebrates Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem
- March 17-23 - Holy Week: Celebrates the week leading up to Easter.
- March 19 - Spy Wednesday: the day Judas conspired with the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus for 30 silver coins, and spied on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Not a recommended day to join the CIA.
- March 20 - Maundy Thursday: My brother's birthday and The Last Supper
- March 21 - Good Friday: Christ's crucifixion and burial
- March 23 - Easter Sunday: Resurrection Day! He is Risen - He is Risen indeed! End of Lent.
To respond to this message, email Mac at mact@ecreekside.com.
