Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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Original Manuscript:
A couple of years ago, I was speaking to a colleague of mine in ministry. We were talking about Lent coming up, and I spoke of my excitement about it coming up. My colleague was shocked, and dare I say, a little suspicious. He couldn't imagine how anyone would ever love a season that was so focused on shame and remorse. He couldn't understand why anyone would love a season so depressing.
And he has a point. Maybe it says a lot about me that I like Lent, and maybe what it has to say is really depressing. And I would agree, we can't just wallow in our sins. But I'd also say that's not what Lent is completely about.
Yes, we are called on to examine ourselves at this time, and yes that often is focused in on our sinful nature, as we heard in Joel and as the words of today's service will point out shortly. But built into Lent is something else. Not counting Sundays, this season is 40 days. That is a very holy number. Noah was in the Ark for 40 days, and the Hebrew people wandered the desert for 40 years. It's also the number of days that Jesus was in the desert, discerning at the start of His ministry, as we'll talk about more this Sunday.
Lent is a time of preparation and, dare I say, renewal. It is a time in which, yes, we do discern our sins, but we do so to prepare ourselves. We prepare ourselves for Easter, for remembering both Jesus' death and resurrection. We prepare ourselves so that the most holy celebration of our faith can be, well, holy.
Lent is a time when we are given an excuse to quiet ourselves down, prepare, and make ourselves more focused in building up our relationship with God, similar to what we hear in the Gospel according to Matthew. It is a time where we can be more present with God and made more fully Christ's own.
Yes there is sadness in Lent. But there is also hope and joy. This hope and joy isn't for itself, but it is for the sake of Easter.
If you don't have a happy Lent, at least have a productive one. This is the chance to renew yourself. This is the chance you have been waiting for to get closer to God. This is the chance to be ready for Easter.