Thoughts on the Meaning of Lent

As the Lenten season began, our Bible study group shared about what Lent can be “about,” the place and purpose it can serve in our lives during the church year.

“Lord, my deepest hunger is for you...May you alone be my food, my sustenance; keep me hungry for you...”  James Howell

We talked about how fasting during this season—from food or activities—can help remind us that we should be hungry for God, and that God is the Source of all true satisfaction, filling our deepest needs and longings.

“I tend to take the Lenten sacrifice as a prompt to prayer: It should be something that one does habitually so that when the urge to do XXX comes about, it serves as a reminder to pray at that moment…a call to mindfulness and awareness of the automaticity of life.”  Don Hosek (in an online comment on an article in the Chicago Tribune)

Group members shared that this was a new angle on Lent for them, and saw the value in replacing the urge for whatever (is being fasted from) with the urge to pray. It is such a wonderfully concrete, “right in front of our nose” kind of reminder of the importance of prayer. Group members shared about giving up chocolate, for example, as a reminder that in times of stress or sadness, we shouldn’t run to our “candy jar,” but run to Jesus. The idea was put forth of replacing the candy or cookies (or whatever snacky foods usually entice) with Scripture cards, so that one would reach into the “cookie jar” during Lent and pull out a Scripture to meditate on. : ) Wonderful, concrete reminder of going to Jesus for the comfort and filling-up that we need and long for!

We then mentioned how Lent has traditionally been a time for self examination and repentance, and discussed the parable or example from St. John of the Cross that the Lenten season is a time to get rid of all the “little fish” that slow us down: We are like big ships full of treasure, needing to head out of port to deliver our goods to the world around us. But as we leave the harbor and set sail out into the world, reams of “little fish” (we said barnacles) start attaching themselves to the bottom of the ship, and slow the ship down more and more. Lent is a time for us to deliberately take stock before God’s Holy Spirit of the state of our “ship,” to ask for His help in getting rid of those pesky barnacles that have attached themselves to us without, perhaps, us even being aware of them. One group member recalled time in the Navy, seeing sleek, smooth ships go out to sea and become encrusted with piles and piles of barnacles—clusters which marred the sleekness of the ship and needed to be scraped off! We compared this to Hebrews 12:1-3, where Paul tells us we need to get rid of all the sin that is “entangling” us so we can run the race effectively!

We then read and contemplated this set of thoughts:

“Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.” Joel 2:13

At the beginning of Lent, we remember that the Holy Spirit and the promise of salvation have been given to us through baptism, and we ask ourselves, "How are we living differently because of that gift?" 

Lord Jesus, you gave your life for us on the cross.
Help us to give our lives for you this Lent and always. From Springs of Living Water by Mark Neilsen

And then we read together, as a closing prayer, these words of the song “Ashes,” by Tom Conry:

We offer You our failures, we offer You attempts,

The gifts not fully given, the dreams not fully dreamt

Give our stumblings direction, give our visions wider view

an offering of ashes, an offering to You.

Then rise again from ashes, let healing come to pain,

Though spring has turned to winter, and sunshine turned to rain,

the rain we'll use for growing and create the world anew

From an offering of ashes, an offering to You.

Thanks be to the Father, who made us like himself,

thanks be to the Son, who saved us by his death;

thanks be to the Spirit, who creates the world anew,

From an offering of ashes, an offering to you.

Amen~