Making good use of the season of Lent

The development of Lent is something of a mystery, and scholars are divided on its origins. We know, however, what we have now: a 40 day period of fasting, reflection and preparation for the celebration of Christ's passion, death and resurrection. So let's think of Lent as a series of spiritual exercises which help us to grow as fit, faithful disciples, grouped around several themes.

Theme 1: Preparation for baptism

Because you are probably long since baptized, this first theme involves us in reconnecting with our baptism. I recently suggested in a sermon that people dig out their baptismal certificate and keep it before them for a while, and you might like to do the same. You may or may not remember the occasion, but you can envisage it, and the associated exercises might include:

1. A spiritual spring clean leading to an act of penitential confession. Depending on your church tradition, you may wish to do this on your own, with a friend, or in the presence of a Christian minister. 
2. A reaffirmation of your baptismal promises. In some of our churches, this will be done at the Easter vigil, but you might like to look [a] at a baptismal liturgy and think carefully about the promises, and [b] at an example of the Easter renewal of promises itself. 
3. A consideration of the role of the Holy Spirit in your baptism, which is much more an act of God than it is a human act. What did the Spirit do for you and in you, and what does the Spirit continue to do, in holiness and equipping you for God's mission?

Theme 2: Following Jesus

Because Jesus' baptism was immediately followed by his time in the wilderness, culminating in the great temptations, there has been a long association between Lenten observance and the 40 days. Never mind that Jesus went into the wilderness after his baptism, while Lent comes before the renewal of baptismal vows. Just hold baptism and the desert together in your mind! There are several ways in which you can use the connection for your Lenten exercises:

1. The first characteristic of the imitation of Christ is not us copying him, but Jesus sharing in our life's experience. It would be appropriate to read the scripture in Hebrews 4.14-16 as a lectio divina. Click on the link if you need help with this.
2. The second characteristic of the imitation of Christ is the command to follow. I have sometimes found it helpful to look back at what following has meant. Each step of obedience is like a map marker, or a marker in the road that we have walked. In this looking back we are invited to give thanks for the presence of Christ, the privilege of being invited to follow, and a sense of hearing his 'Well done', something that we are not very good at as Christians. Then look forward to what is not yet, not trying to double-guess God (very tricky!) but simply asking for the grace to recognize the difference between the gentle call and the light yoke of God, and the heavy weight of responsibility we sometimes lay on ourselves.
3. The third characteristic of the imitation of Christ is the invitation to take up our cross. This is a tricky one, because we often talk about 'bearing our crosses', simply meaning 'putting up with what life throws at us.' RT France says this about Matthew 16.24-26: "In the light of what follows it must mean here to dissociate oneself from one’s own interests, which in this case means the willingness to risk one’s own life. It means putting loyalty to Jesus before self-preservation." So you might like to follow this through by praying the Prayer of Ignatius, or the Methodist Covenant. Certainly, if there is something that you are reluctant to let go of, even though you know Jesus wants you to, that's an exercise to go through this Lent.
   

Theme 3: The disciplines of life

I sometimes wonder whether it's particularly helpful to 'give something up' for Lent, usually chocolate or alcohol, of course! It may be that this is useful for you personally, and I sometimes think that I'm just plain reluctant to give up my creature comforts :). But that's not really what the discipline of Lent is all about. What follows are simply some random thoughts which might help you to take this further:

1. If there is something that has become an idol in your life, whether it's a consumer item, a regular practice or an addiction, then an act of renunciation may be called for. We don't give up idols for Lent; we give them up for God for good. That of course may need help, and it's something to discuss with a mentor, coach or spiritual director.
   
2. If you want to use the opportunity to get yourself in better physical or mental shape, then do so, but replace the thing you temporarily give up with something else constructive. Introduce a positive. Christians all too frequently make life sound like having a hard time with God, who is an exceedingly grumpy parent! I wonder if some of you might not do better giving up staying up half an hour too late for Lent, thereby getting better quality sleep. And maybe your mobile phone is more of a temptation than that bar of chocolate?
3. Perhaps most important would be an exploration of the rhythm of your life, the patterns, and whether there's a little arrhythmia in the proportion, the regularity or your control over elements of this little Rule of Life. If you've never done this before, then you might paint or draw one, or create a Mind Map, using some of the following categories: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Annually, Future, Often... 
4. Start small with discipline. It might be as simple as: each day in Lent, I will light a candle, and sit quietly with God for ten minutes, waiting to see what happens.

There's so much more that could be said, but my prayer is that you will be prompted to think creatively about this wonderful season, which begins on Ash Wednesday, March 6th 2019.