Meeting God Through Observing Lent
One week from today, March 8, the Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday, marking the 40 days preceding Easter. It’s not too late to consider if and how you will observe this event in the church calendar.
One week from today, March 8, the Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday, marking the 40 days preceding Easter. It’s not too late to consider if and how you will observe this event in the church calendar.
For those of us who did not grow up in a liturgical tradition, we missed the valuable impact of honoring this discipline. Observing Lent provides an opportunity for you to meet God, reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for you and reflect on your own spiritual health. It can be life transforming.
Robert Webber in his book Ancient-Future Time, Forming Spirituality Through the Christian Year, explains that Lent is a time for repentance through self-examination and renewal through identification with the journey of Jesus. It is a time for self-denial, soul searching and spiritual preparation, fasting, prayer and almsgiving.
The 40-days of Lent serve as a reminder of the 40 days of rain during the flood, in which God purified the world; the 40 years of wilderness wandering, in which God purified Israel; and the 40 days of our Lord’s fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry (Matthew 4:1-11). Kimberlee Conway Ireton, The Circle of Seasons, Meeting God in the Church Year, goes on to say that fasting is often linked to repentance and to concern for the poor and oppressed.
The aim of the Lenten fast is to create space in our lives for God…to listen, to notice, to be attentive to His incredible, always – present Presence. I encourage you to consider entering into a Lenten observance this year with the Lord in anticipation of the celebration of His Glorious Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Some suggested resources to guide you:
* Author Ruth Haley Barton of Sacred Rhythms offers email readings that you can subscribe to on line; click on “e-reflections” http://www .thetransformingcenter.org/
* Henri J.M. Nouwen, Show Me the Way, Daily Lenten Readings, The Crossroad Publishing Co., New York.1992.
* Phyllis Tickle, Eastertide, Prayers for Lent through Easter from The Divine Hours, Doubleday.
* Bread and Wine, Readings for Lent and Easter, multiple contributors: C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Phillip Yancey, Fredrick Buechner, and others. Orbis Books, New York. 2003.
* Kimberlee Conway Ireton, The Circle of Seasons, Meeting God in the Church Year, IVP Press, Downer’s Grove, Illinois.2008.
Gail Seidel
Gail Seidel served as Mentor Advisor for Spiritual Formation in the Department of Spiritual Formation and Leadership at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) and as an Adjunct Professor in the D Min in Spiritual Formation in the D Min Department at Dallas Theological Seminary. She has a BA in English from the University of Texas, a Masters in Christian Education from Dallas Seminary and a D Min in Spiritual Formation from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is a contributor to the textbook, Foundations of Spiritual Formation, Kregel Academic. She served as co-director for Christian Women in Partnership Russia with Entrust, an international church leadership-training mission. She and her husband Andy live in Fredericksburg, Texas. They have 2 married children and 6 wonderful grandchildren--Kami, Kourtney, Katie, Mallory, Grayson, and Avery.
One Comment
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What shall I render
As the Lenten season approaches I am encouraged to pause and consider who I am as a disciple of Christ and what it means to be a follower of Him. Our church is commencing a 40 days of daily prayer in a corporate setting via conference call. Yet on a more personal level I am weary of 'giving up' something for Lent. Not that I would not want to, but how is this different than any other New Year 's resolution. Certainly I understand distinction between sacred and secular, yet I also recognize the trap of religion devoid of relationship. My prayer in these last two days before Ash Wednesday is that the Lord will give me clear direction and purpose as I ponder this season.