...and to dust you shall return.
Why Lent? Well, at our church we’ve explored several reasons for participating in the lenten (not lentil ;) ) season. The theme is spiritual formation. By participating in Lent, we have the opportunity to become more like Christ. Here are some specifics.
-During Lent we remember Jesus’ time in the wilderness. When we participate in 40 days of fasting, we remember and participate in Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness. We join him as he participated with the Israelites in their 40 years of wandering. In the wilderness Christ was tempted, but unlike the Israelites, he did not sin. As we fast, we remember our own sin and ultimate death. We remember the things that we chase after for nourishment (Mt 4.2-4), allegiance (Mt 4.5-7), and power (Mt 4.8-11). We remember them because we name them and intentionally abstain from them. And, most importantly, we remember that Christ did not sin yet he died.
-During Lent we remember Christ’s death and we give ourselves space to grieve. As we grieve Christ’s death, this opens us to grieving other broken and dead areas of our lives that we’ve not allowed ourselves to grieve. But we do not grieve as those without hope ... we grieve for a season.
-During Lent we remember the passion of Jesus. We remember the passion so that we may better celebrate his resurrection. We put away “alleluia” during the season so that we may appreciate it more on Resurrection morning -- the morning when we will say it often and revel in Jesus’ defeat of death. In 40 days we will celebrate the gift of life through the resurrection of Jesus. But this is not the season for celebration. This is the season that we remember that we are dust and that we will return to dust.
