Making the most of Lent

days Jesus spent in the wilderness.

SOMEHOW or another I feel that in our Presbyterian tradition we just don’t make enough of Lent. This is not a criticism that I would level at others without acknowledging that Lent is a season of the Christian year about which I might have had much to say, but about which I have done very little.

It seems to me that we tend to trivialise Lent – using it as little more than a way of cutting down on our intake of alcohol, red meat or chocolate. There may be nothing much wrong with such a period of abstinence or reduced intake of toxins, there may even be some short term benefits to be had from such an exercise, but, is this really the best use of the weeks that lead us to our celebration of Easter? It is a sad fact that in the nature of the Scottish Reformation we lost touch with some of the more helpful aids to devotion, our expression of faith became more cerebral than spiritual and Lent was one of the victims. On the other hand Anglicans, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Lutherans, Methodists, and Catholic Churches have made much more of Lent than Presbyterians ever have.

Excluding Sundays, there are 40 days from Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent) to Holy Saturday – what then could we do to make the most of those special days? Well, if these 40 days are in some way a mirror the 40 days which Jesus spent in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry then perhaps we could use the time thinking through the implications of the temptations which Jesus resisted.

These temptations were three in number (Matthew 4: 1 – 11). First, as he endures the gnawing hunger of his fast he is prompted to consider turning stones into bread. Then, as he contemplates how difficult it will be to grab the attention of the people he is asked to think about putting on an acrobatic display from the highest point of the Temple; after which he could, no doubt, convince them of anything. The final proposition is the pièce de résistance; given that there is no easy way to establish a kingdom of love and justice – why not compromise with the powers that be.

These are staggering ideas to think about. In the first place, who wouldn’t turn stones into bread to feed the hungry? In the second, every good communicator knows that if you don’t catch people’s attention in the first five minutes, then you’ve no chance of getting your message across. And at the end of day we all want the world to be better than it is so, why not compromise? Because you never get all that you want. The extraordinary thing is that Jesus sets his face against easy solutions, he puts the substance of his ministry above image and popularity and he puts honesty, integrity and truth before any kind of compromise with those who would exploit, diminish or devalue others.

What would it mean for each one of us to think about the needs of the poor and hungry as a priority rather than an afterthought?

There is enough in that lot to keep us thinking and praying for at least 40 days. What would it mean for each one of us to think about the needs of the poor and hungry as a priority rather than an afterthought? What would it mean for us to pay more attention to the content of our character rather than the image we project? And what would it cost us to turn our back on making deals that suit us, but, which impact negatively on others or on the life of the planet.

Meister Eckhart the 13th century German theologian and mystic said: “What good is it to me, if the son of God was born to Mary 1400 years ago but is not born in my person and in my culture and in my time?” Lent is surely a good time for us to work on that.