Lent – the word means “spring”, the ideal reminder of
rebirth and renewal as we look to our joyful celebration of the resurrection of
our Lord on Easter. It is fitting that Lent this year begins on March 1, as our
thoughts turn to spring, even if they were already there with our unseasonably
mild February.
Lent is a time of preparation, 40 days, not counting
Sundays, that lead us to Easter. Lent is not about giving up pizza or ice cream
or Facebook. Lent should be a time for
serious, somber, sober reflection and renewal. It should be a time for each of
us to do some spiritual housecleaning. It should be a time for us to remove the
clutter— all those things that get in the way of faithful discipleship.
We’ve all got spiritual clutter in our lives. The apostle
Paul even provides us with lists to help us identify the clutter: envy, greed,
lust, anger, strife, quarreling, factions “and things like these”. Unhappily,
the past year has revealed how easily we add to the clutter hatred, racism,
bigotry, sexism, and intolerance, as well.
It is time to clean up, time to clean out. It is time to
sweep out the detritus of our sinfulness, all those ways we turn from God. It
is time to rid ourselves of clutter to make room for what Paul calls “the
fruits of the Spirit”: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,
gentleness and self-control. These are the characteristics that mark a faithful
disciple of Christ. These are the things we are called to work on during Lent, as
we prepare ourselves to celebrate the new life we’ve been given in the
resurrection of our Lord.
It
was the Psalmist who prayed, “Wash me
thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin… Create in me a clean
heart and put a new and right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51) The Psalmist
understood his need for a good spiritual scrubbing. His words provide us with a
reminder that we too need a good scrubbing.
Giving
up chocolate or texting for Lent won’t do it. Rather, we each need to step
back, take a long, hard, honest look within, and let the light of Christ show
us those places that need cleaning. Barbara Brown Taylor has written, “In the
presence of Christ’s integrity, our own pretense is exposed; in the presence of
Christ’s constancy, our cowardice is brought to light; in the presence of Christ’s
fierce love for God and for us, our own hardness of heart is revealed.”
It is Lent. It is time for a good spiritual scrub.
It is time for us to come humbly before God and acknowledge our waywardness,
our lukewarm faith. It is time for us to pray with the Psalmist: the Lord “instructs sinners in the
way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the
paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for
those who keep his covenant and his decrees. For your name’s
sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Wash
me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”
Blessings for a most Holy Lent,
Pastor Skip
